Canadian firm votes for City of London with two property mega deals in pipeline May 30, 2021 Canadian private equity giant Brookfield is set to buy City of London property Plantation Place for a whopping £635m – the biggest office deal since Covid-19 changed working patterns and emptied offices. The deal is expected to complete this week, the Sunday Times first reported, with Brookfield also in separate talks to buy Milton Gate, [...]
TfL funding package expires as talks continue on short-term rescue deal May 29, 2021 The emergency funding support programme agreed between Transport for London and the Department for Transport has come to an end, with discussions continuing on an extension. TfL were forced to go cap-in-hand to central government after passenger numbers collapsed at the start of Covid-19. A funding deal was struck in November 2020 to finish in [...]
Covid caseload rising but further unlocking still looks likely May 29, 2021 The UK recorded 4,000 new Covid-19 cases yesterday for the first time since March, but Government figures are still hopeful further unlocking will take place as planned on June 21. The latest hospitalisation data also suggests an increase in admittances. But senior ministers, including those in the Treasury, are keen to push ahead with the [...]
Crowdfunding: Fintech app Curve rakes in £10m in just 54 hours May 28, 2021 Fintech app Curve has raked in nearly £10m in just 54 hours, in the largest equity raise on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube’s record. A collection of 11,795 investors pushed the equity raise into near double digits, breaking multiple records during Crowdcube’s campaign. Closing at 3pm yesterday, investors raised £9.9m. The fintech app, which connects all bank accounts [...]
End the political games, TfL and DfT urged, as new funding deadline looms May 27, 2021 London’s politicians and business leaders called on the government and Transport for London (TfL) to end the “political games” and agree a long-term funding deal for the network as the latest round of negotiations reached their final hours. Tomorrow the latest extension to the last funding deal runs out, leaving the operator once again without [...]
TfL pledges to make London world’s ‘most walkable city’, which could aid SMEs May 27, 2021 TfL has pledged today to make London the world’s ‘most walkable city’ and will programme 18 pedestrian crossings to show green walking signal until traffic approaches. The programmed crossings are set to prioritise people walking and will be installed by the end of next month. Six crossings have already been programmed in Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hounslow, [...]
City of London saw most commuters since beginning of pandemic last week May 27, 2021 The most people travelled into the City of London last week than at any point since the pandemic began last March as life in the capital continues to edge back to normality. According to the latest figures from Transport for London, there were 258,461 trips made in-and-out of stations in the Square Mile and Canary [...]
Mitie: Covid and hybrid work prompted a makeover for cleaning tech – a mop and bucket won’t cut it May 26, 2021 The pandemic has given society the breathing space to redesign what a workplace should offer and in the age of the invisible virus, the humble mop and bucket won’t cut it. After a socially starved year, offices will likely become more collaborative and social in the future, adopting measures like ‘hot desking’. But these [...]
Culture Corner: The City’s back – here’s what’s on in June May 24, 2021 It’s happening! Culture has exploded and doors are finally open! Six million pounds has been allocated by the Mayor’s office to support ‘Let’s Do London’ and industry is contributing a further £1m. The campaign will include a major advertising push supported by London & Partners and TfL, alongside new content on the Visit London website [...]
Croydon tram crash: Driver may have had ‘micro-sleep’ May 19, 2021 The driver of a tram involved in a fatal crash in Croydon in 2016 may have been “disorientated” following a so-called micro-sleep, an inquest has heard. Simon French, chief inspector for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), said there was evidence the driver thought he was travelling in the wrong direction. He told an inquest [...]