Latest news with #LondonCityHall
Evening Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Evening Standard
Green leadership hopefuls set out fight for frustrated Labour supporters' votes
The London City Hall member said: 'In the same way that Reform have really made the Tories collapse, I think there's a huge space for the Green left in this country to galvanise and to take votes away, and to say that we don't have to take second-best and actually you can have a party that's unapologetic about its values – that will stand up for migration, that will stand up for the poorest communities, and will take the fight to wealth and power.'
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘It's a pretty big dream': City could relaunch a long dormant program to help renters buy their first home
What's old is new again at London City Hall, at least when it comes to home ownership. City staff are proposing the relaunch of a program that helps middle income earners buy their first home. 'It's a pretty big dream. It's kind of priority number one for us. We really want to get our own place,' said downtown apartment dweller, Dave Lewis. Lewis and his wife have rented for the last 18 years, but he said they've outgrown their place and now want a home they can call their own. But while they both work, they don't earn quite enough money to buy the type of house they'd like to get into. London first home program Renter Dave Lewis, who would like to become a homeowner, seen in London, Ont. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London) 'There are so many factors. The housing market, banks, interest rates for banks getting into getting a proper mortgage. Being able to compete. Lack of availability,' said Lewis. City staff is proposing the re-introduction of The Affordable Home Ownership Program. It would assist renters and first-time buyers in London and Middlesex with down payments and closing costs in the form of a forgivable loan. London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said it's an opportunity worth considering. 'It does have an impact in terms of our housing waitlist, our roadmap to 3,000 affordable homes because it frees up rental stock, and that has been the single biggest driver of housing affordability in our city for the last six, seven years,' explained the Deputy Mayor. Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis first home program London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis speaks to CTV London's Bryan Bicknell. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London) The original home ownership program went from 2008 to 2013, when market conditions at that time forced the closure of the program. It was funded by the provincial and federal governments. In five years, it issued 270 loans, lent out $2,317,466, discharged 173 loans, and received $2,443,010 million in repayments. There are currently 97 remaining loans, which will reach maturity between 2025 and 2033. The Revolving Loan Fund now has a balance of just under $3.1 million, which would be used to restart the program. 'It really is kind of a use it or lose it. I mean, we can leave it sitting there, but we can't use it for other things,' explained Deputy Mayor Lewis. Eligible households in the relaunched program would be offered interest-free loans over 20 years, covering up to five per cent of the home's purchase price, to a maximum of $25,000. Those eligible cannot earn more than $95,000 annually for a single, and $115,000 annually for a family. 'That's part of the thing where we would like to be able to build equity with a property, and with renting, that's just not possible,' said Dave Lewis. The city said while the market has stabilized, the average home price does not match the average income. Citing figures from city staff said there are roughly 450 homes in London and Middlesex in the $320,000 to $500,000 range, which would fit the program. The proposal goes to city council's Community and Protective Services Committee on Monday.
Metro
10-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
Cap on bus fares to stay in place until 2027, Rachel Reeves announces
The £3 cap on bus fares in much of England will remain in place for the next two years, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced. Passengers around the country were facing a steep rise in the cost of a bus ride when the cap was due to come to an end later this year. But in a win for the Department of Transport, the scheme has been extended until March 2027. It will not apply to bus riders in either London or Greater Manchester, as transport in both cities is controlled under separate systems. The bus fare cap was set at £2 when the previous Conservative government introduced it in an effort to combat the cost-of-living crisis. It had been set to expire in December 2024, but Reeves instead increased it to £3 at her first Budget last October. A government source said: 'Buses provide lifeline access to opportunity for people across the country. 'Keeping fares affordable is a top priority for the Transport Secretary, as our landmark Buses Bill overhauls how services are delivered.' Sir Sadiq Khan's team is concerned the spending review spells bad news for transport in London. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to be among the big winners when Reeves unveils the detail of her review tomorrow afternoon, with some big investments already announced. The Chancellor pledged £15 billion investment to improve tram, train and bus connections in the North and Midlands last week, with the Greater Manchester, Liverpool, West Midlands and West Yorkshire transport networks in line to get around £2 billion each. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But London City Hall is concerned after a lack of funding promises for major upgrades to the capital's transport, like the DLR and Bakerloo line extensions, which are on top of the TfL wishlist. A source close to mayor Sadiq Khan told Metro warned that this would be a 'missed opportunity for London' and that levelling up the country 'shouldn't level down London.' They said funding the Bakerloo line extension would help meet growth and housing targets and create 'thousands of new jobs.' The source said: 'Over the past nine years as Mayor, Sadiq has fought to deliver for London – in the best interests of Londoners and the whole country. 'We know that when London does well it means the whole country does well, and that it will simply not be possible to achieve national growth ambitions without the right investment and growth in our capital. 'We must not return to the damaging, anti-London approach of the last government, which would not only harm London's vital public services, but jobs and growth across the country.' They added: 'It's also important to recognise that parts of London still have some of the highest levels of poverty anywhere in the UK.' But the mayor's intervention has been met with derision by some in government. When announcing the increased investment in the north of England last week, Reeves said 'a Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country'. It was described by Treasury as a 'long-overdue investment outside of London and the South East'. While there was no promise of government backing for the Bakerloo line extension, this doesn't mean that the project is not going ahead. The source said the next opportunity for government money will be the autumn budget. The extension from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, which has been in the pipeline for more than a decade, is estimated to cost between £5 and £8 billion. Money for the mega project will come from TfL, the borough councils and developers – but a contribution from the government is needed before the plans will become a reality. If the proposal goes ahead as planned, there will be two new Tube stations – at Burgess Park and Old Kent Road – and new interchange stations in New Cross and Lewisham with links to the DLR, Overground and rail services. TfL will launch a new express bus service called the Bakerloop as the wait for the Tube line extension continues. Set to launch this autumn, the route BL1 will run along the same route as the extension between Waterloo and Lewisham, with only a limited number of stops to keep the journey time quick. The Docklands Light Railway extension is estimated to cost around £1 billion in 2022 prices, but it could rise to £1.7 billion, according to BBC News. Along with the two new stations at Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead, the plan would deliver up to 30,000 new homes and 10,000 jobs to boost growth, TfL said. More Trending TfL said it is working with partners to 'maximise local and regional funding.' 'We're also finding ways to reduce costs and create efficiencies, but Government support is needed because of the size of the project,' it said. A Treasury spokesperson told Metro: 'The success of the London transport network helps both the capital and the UK's economy, which is why during the Budget the Chancellor announced TfL would receive nearly £500 million in additional funding. 'This week's Spending Review will deliver economic growth for all parts of the country, driven by investment and focused on the priorities of working people, putting more money in their pockets.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Beyoncé giving away free concert tickets to London shows after 'poor sales' MORE: Map reveals the most up-and-coming sex positions in major UK cities MORE: Missing woman 'murdered by ex in central London office block and wheeled out inside bin'
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
From shoppers to taxpayers: Citi Plaza touted to become interim City Hall
Owners of Citi Plaza want it to become an interim London City Hall. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) The owners of Citi Plaza want it to become an interim London City Hall. The mall is pegged as the perfect space to house city employees while the current city hall is renovated and redeveloped. In its early years, Citi Plaza, then Galleria Mall, was briefly a vibrant shopping centre. But that was three decades ago. Today, it is a mix of a few retail outlets, a health club and offices. The rest of the space, which spans some 300,000 square feet, remains vacant. The realtor representing the property concedes it will never be what it once was. 'We are transitioning from a retail facility to a large floor plate office campus. So that's their plan. And they've already got some success in parts of the building,' said George Kerhoulas, of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Realty. Some of that success is office space occupied by the Middlesex-London Health Unit and the City of London. Now, Citi Plaza wants City Hall to expand its footprint. With the municipality in the earliest stages of planning the renovation and redevelopment of the current city hall, Citi Plaza proposes serving as an interim hub as construction takes place at 300 Dufferin. Kerhoulas said an architect has drawn up renderings of what the space could look like. 060405 - City hall Owners of Citi Plaza want it to become an interim London City Hall. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) 'We figured it's going to take a lot longer than they think. And you're already in our building, so why don't we move everybody over to our building for a decade while you're doing everything you need to do on Dufferin & Wellington.' The proposal has been in the hands of City Hall since late last year. But as it was unsolicited, there has been no feedback from 300 Dufferin. On the streets outside Citi-Plaza, lifelong Londoner Materia Steele recalled more vibrant days. 'I spent a lot of time in the library and whatnot. It was always packed with people,' said Steele. 'But since then, and since COVID, obviously, just everything has completely collapsed, and it's been very disappointing to see.' This is why she would welcome the temporary move to City Hall. 'Having it in a more accessible location would be significantly better, especially near the library, it is a decent idea,' said Steele. 'I would prefer to see some retail in there, I don't think in-store shopping is necessarily dead yet,' said Richard Cliffen, before adding, 'I do think it is an acceptable solution for the time being.' As part of the enticement package, Kerhoulas said the package reminds the city of the ample parking, plans for a roof garden, and flexible design options offered at Citi Plaza. 'There are just a lot of things that we can do to make it attractive for, you know, ten years while the transition goes.'
