The London population decline appears to be mostly families with children

A flat 0.48% property tax taxes what you build, not the land — penalising dense inner-London flats, rewarding sprawl. LVT flips it: build up, your bill doesn't move. Burnham should back LVT. Yes it's harder and will perhaps need steps to get there but it's fairest and encourages density.

www.observingthecity.ca/downtown-def... cool website where you can set where you think downtown is. London's user submissions generally smaller than the Central Activites Zone, but I suppose downtown isn't the same as city centre.

Where is Downtown London? — Observing the City

Draw what you consider "downtown" in London and see how it compares to everyone else's.

observingthecity.ca

Council tax + stamp duty + business rates = 90bn = 1.5% of land value

Sorry but low sympathy with rich people making easy money off the hard work of people paying ground rents. Microscopic violin etc. thenegotiator.co.uk/news/regulat...

Investors seek share of '£30bn' leasehold reform losses

The coalition of investors, retirees and freeholders, is calling on the Government not go ahead with the existing leasehold reforms.

thenegotiator.co.uk

Massive anti fascism demo in London today. Great to spend an afternoon with kind people across a wide spectrum of backgrounds

Robbing Ant to pay Dec. Build housing!

Murky Depths@murkydepths.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Good to see the excellent London Centric covering this issue.

Great to attend and speak at Community Energy London on behalf of SE1 Solar. We need Elexon P441 to unlock estate rooftop solar energy at scale

All the processes that led to this should be identified and stopped

Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Still wondering if inequality is out of control?

Ipswich Town should distance itself from Nigel Farage. His campaign backed by opaque, foreign-linked funding and amplified by populist messaging—is deeply divisive. Football clubs should stay neutral; platforming him risks normalising this and influencing local opinion ahead of Suffolk elections

secretldn.com/southwark-li... I'm not surprised. Nice libraries all over Southwark. And they are busy.

This south London borough officially boasts the best libraries in the capital city – and they are in the running to win a highly-coveted national award

A network of much-loved London libraries are officially in the running to be named the UK and Ireland's 'Library of the Year'.

secretldn.com

40% reduction in harmful pollutants in a whole load of cities breathecities.org/breathe-bett...

Breathe Better: How Leading Cities Have Rapidly Cut Air Pollution

Air pollution remains the largest environmental health risk worldwide, with cities often experiencing some of the worst impacts. But they are also uniquely positioned to drive rapid improvements in ai...

breathecities.org

Delighted we have planning permission for more fantastic social rent homes in Southwark. Thanks to Southwark council, architects, and our team at LeathermarketCBS www.e-architect.com/london/leath...

www.theguardian.com/politics/202... If anyone is in any doubt. A Reform government is terrifying. They are pouring millions into their political campaigns. We cannot be complacent.

Reform would create ICE-style agency and end leave to remain, Zia Yusuf to say

Nigel Farage’s party plans to deport up to 288,000 people a year on five flights a day and expand stop and search

theguardian.com

"The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn't it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million. That's 12 million people." According to one of the richest men in the UK. Incorrect on many levels - an 8 year old could make more informed analysis. Tax idiots

Delighted to see the Telegraph backing mid-rise, walkable, well serviced, transit orientated development, of the European kind. I look forward to support when these kind of developments are proposed in the UK. www.telegraph.co.uk/money/proper...

yeoldeguide.com/londons-west... London is famous for its squares. This episode covers the very first of these squares in the West End. Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Soho Square and more.

London's West End Squares - Ye Olde Guide

Discover how London’s earliest West End squares shaped the shift from medieval streets to Georgian urban planning in this episode of Ye Olde Guide.

yeoldeguide.com

Disgraceful Starmer hasn't returned with a Panda. He needs to go.

The British Property Fedration think capping ground rents will deter investment. So they are saying we only invest to fleece and exploit? Lower grounds rents and service charges put more money back into the economy.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... a decent policy that the tories didn't do in 14 years and Reform would never do. People moan about this government but they are steadily tackling injustice across the board. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Ground rents to be capped at £250 a year for leaseholders

The reforms for England and Wales also include proposals to ban the sale of new leasehold flats.

bbc.co.uk

www.centreforcities.org/blog/cities-... analysis showing which cities are achieving improvement to living standards

Cities Outlook: Prospering places show how to reconnect growth to living standards everywhere - Centre for Cities

Raising living standards across the UK depends on local economic growth, strong city centres and better access to opportunity.

centreforcities.org

yeoldeguide.com/warrington/ not surprised Warrington is doing well economically. We did a podcast there and found a tranformed Time Square and indoor market. Cool place with good transport links.

History of Warrington: town of many industries - Ye Olde Guide

History of warrington podcast. Famous town hall gates, transporter bridge, wire industry. Ancient crossing of the Mersey, and site of civil war battles.

yeoldeguide.com

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... great news in Ipswich

'Iconic' Ipswich Willis building to become tech firm Halo's HQ - BBC News

The move will help the Ipswich Town sponsor's plans to employ up to 800 graduates, says its boss.

bbc.co.uk

New Bazalgette Embankment with great views in all directions. Built ok the site of the Thames Tideway sewer construction site.

What a great spot to build some homes!

Murky Depths@murkydepths.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Stations such as Dartford could see substantial housebuilding in the surrounding area. Currently much land wasted for sprawling car parks and retail sheds. Numerous trains to central London as well as 10 mins to the Liz line at Abbey Wood Struggling High Street would benefit from extra footfall

Another Brexit dividend. Alongside the loss of 8% of GDP (roughly the output of Scotland). Thanks to Farage, Johnson, Putin etc.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8mo ago

Dealing with post-Brexit paperwork ‘pure hell’, shipping head tells MPs

Guardian report on today’s eye-opening select committee hearing…

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8mo ago

Dealing with post-Brexit paperwork ‘pure hell’, shipping head tells MPs

Would the Telegraph and this pub support a reform of taxes to remove business rates entirely? No. They would undermine every effort. www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consum...

Darren Jones’s local pub threatens to charge him double

Owner of MP’s regular haunt intends to personally pass on the cost of Labour’s tax rises

telegraph.co.uk

Brexit may have cost 8% of GDP - pretty much the output of Scotland. The lies of Farage, Russian interference and collective complaceny has made us far weaker than we should be

Peter Stefanovic@peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 8mo ago

BREAKING: “What is becoming increasingly apparent is the falsehoods that were peddled by Nigel Farage and others at the time of the Brexit referendum…all you had to do was leave the EU & you would have £350m a week for your NHS, well it hasn’t materialised” PM Keir Starmer