Buy-to-let: It’s not all about capital growth March 17, 2015 The stability of rents against average incomes makes for an attractive proposition. The UK – and London in particular – has been the beneficiary of large inflows of global capital into property in the last few years. While most of these funds have flowed into commercial real estate, a growing proportion is being directed into [...]
London 2050: Devolve powers to the capital to tackle its £1.3 trillion infrastructure challenge July 30, 2014 IN THE next few months, a record will be broken: London’s population will rise above 8.6m, the highest since records began. And the capital’s phenomenal growth isn’t expected to slow any time soon. According to projections by the Greater London Authority, the city’s population could increase to 11m by 2050. But for all London’s current [...]
No snow, but Met Office puts weather warnings in place for Greater London, Kent, Oxfordshire and West Sussex January 14, 2015 London might not be getting any snow this week, but the Met Office has put out warnings that heavy rain and wind could lead to localised flooding and travel disruption. The UK's weather authority has put severe weather warnings in place for Greater London, Kent, Oxfordshire, West Sussex, Portsmouth and Southampton, saying affected areas [...]
Councils ordered to back developers or lose powers June 12, 2014 CHANCELLOR George Osborne last night revealed “radical” new rules on housing that he said would push local authorities to let developers build on almost all brownfield land – or central government might bypass council controls altogether. The chancellor said that he expected 90 per cent of appropriate brownfield land to be covered by pre-approved planning [...]
What the General Election means for accountants – ACCA Comment May 13, 2015 The next five years won’t all be about stability and certainty To call the result of last week’s election a surprise barely does it justice. Hardly a day has gone by over the past two years without a new poll being released, and those who predicted the result correctly were few and far between. [...]
We can help mend our fractured economy – by passing powers to cities June 30, 2014 AT LONG last, the economy is growing. But as business leaders constantly told me during my economic review, deep structural problems need urgent attention – mass youth unemployment, skills shortages, too few high growth companies which innovate and export, poor infrastructure, and excessive centralisation on Whitehall. The facts are stark. Nearly one in five under [...]
How £1.3 trillion needs to be spent on city infrastructure by 2050 for London to stay competitive July 30, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has outlined ambitious investment plans to improve the capital’s infrastructure which could require £1.3tn of spending from now until 2050. As London’s population continues to expand, the “London Infrastructure Plan 2050” outlines the spending needed for the capital to remain one of the world’s leading cities. Transport and housing make up [...]
London 2050: How £1.3 trillion needs to be spent on infrastructure in the next 35 years July 30, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has outlined ambitious investment plans to improve the capital’s infrastructure which could require £1.3tn of spending from now until 2050. As London’s population continues to expand, the “London Infrastructure Plan 2050” outlines the spending needed for the capital to remain one of the world’s leading cities. Transport and housing make up [...]
Why the free school doom-mongers have been proven completely wrong March 9, 2015 Yesterday David Cameron announced the 49 new free schools that will be opened in England from 2015 onwards. This will bring the total number of these trailblazing institutions – set up by parents or independent groups, and free from local authority control – to over 400. This is twice the number of new academies opened [...]
UK immigration map: Is there room for more? January 5, 2015 In the run up to the general election, there will be a lot of talk about immigration. One argument bandied around is that, as a relatively small island, there just isn’t enough room for newcomers. Anti-establishment party Ukip is trading on its promises to cut immigration, forcing the Conservatives to get tougher. Anti-immigration arguments have [...]