QuadReal pumps nearly $1bn in London property January 12, 2021 Property group QuadReal has spent nearly $1bn to acquire a majority stake in seven London-based assets owned by Realstar UK. The Canadian asset manager partnered with Realstar to invest in four rental properties in New Cross, Stockwell and a 45-story tower in the heart of Elephant & Castle. Realstar CEO Ryan Prince said, “Far [...]
Exclusive: Sadiq Khan rows with London Assembly over police recruitment numbers January 11, 2021 Sadiq Khan has been asked why he is planning to “spend money he does not have” to hire 6,000 new police officers by March, while the Metropolitan Police budget has a projected £1bn black hole over the next three years. The London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee has asked the mayor to explain why he [...]
Cars and buses to be banned from busy Strand junction January 11, 2021 Westminster Council is set to embark on a pedestrianisation of the busy junction abutting Strand and Aldwych at a cost of £18m. The scheme will see the part of the Strand which runs next to King’s College London and Somerset House closed to traffic. It will be replaced with what Westminster Council describe as a [...]
Chancellor Rishi Sunak: The City could be set for a post-Brexit Big Bang 2.0 January 11, 2021 Rishi Sunak believes the Square Mile is set for a post-Brexit “Big Bang 2.0” and that the City’s “culture and creativity” will see it to greater, global heights. In a candid interview with City PM, the Chancellor also pushed back against criticism of the UK’s trade deal with the European Union, saying that it should [...]
250,000 UK small businesses may fail in 2021 unless they get help to survive lockdown January 11, 2021 With the new year starting in lockdown, at least 250,000 UK small businesses could fail in 2021 without further help, a new study warns. The Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows confidence is at its second lowest ebb in the report’s ten-year history. The London Small Business Index stands [...]
Covid-19 lockdown: Government tells public to ‘act like you have the virus’ January 9, 2021 The government has instructed the public to act like they have got the coronavirus and adhere to Covid-19 lockdown rules amid fears that the NHS is struggling to cope with the influx of new cases. A new advertising campaign has been launched reinforcing the “stay at home” message, in a bid to stem the transmission [...]
Sadiq Khan to boost share of London council tax by nearly 10 per cent January 8, 2021 Sadiq Khan today announced that his share of council tax will increase by nearly 10 per cent from April in order to keep funding public transport services. Under the proposals, the average bill for Band D will increase by £2.63 a month – £31.59 over the whole year. Of the increase, £15 will go towards [...]
Music Feeds festival to fight food poverty following £1m Co-op donation January 8, 2021 Co-op has organised a digital music festival in a bid to “turn up the volume” on the fight against food poverty, also donating £1m to charities. The two-day festival Music Feeds, co-organised by CEverybody Belongs Here, will see a third of net profits being donated to FareShare, helping provide 2.5m meals to those in need. [...]
‘Major incident’ declared as London hospitals on verge of being overwhelmed January 8, 2021 The mayor of London has declared a “major incident” as London hospitals are on the brink of being overwhelmed with coronavirus patients. “The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control,” Sadiq Khan said in a statement. “The number of cases in London has increased rapidly with more [...]
Hackers leak Hackney Council data after attack January 7, 2021 The cyber group that launched a ransomware attack on Hackney Council last year has posted what it claims to be documents from the council. Last October the council said it had been hit by a “serious cyber-attack” affecting its IT systems. Today Hackney said it appears the vast majority of the sensitive or personal information [...]
