Latest news with #NewhamCouncil
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
When will BA take London City airport more seriously?
Q I love using London City airport. But when will British Airways start taking it seriously, rather than closing early on Saturdays? Kristen C A London City airport is a favourite for many people who live in the eastern half of the capital. Unlike the vast airports of Heathrow and Gatwick, and the high-density hustle of Luton and Stansted, London City remains an orderly location and a joy to use. But that's partly because it is still well short of its pre-Covid passenger numbers. Business travel to the destinations served by London City has not returned to 2019 levels, and the transatlantic link to New York (outbound via Shannon) is history. British Airways has a subsidiary, BA CityFlyer, which now offers a wide range of leisure routes from London City. These include niche destinations such as Florence and San Sebastian rather than the much larger airports of Pisa and Bilbao, respectively. The Balearic Islands are also well served, along with Malaga and Faro in the deep south of Europe. However, 'LCY', as it is coded, has a most unusual noise curfew: not just familiar restrictions on early morning and late evening flights, but an entire spell of 24 hours. The last departure on a Saturday takes off at 12.30pm, and the airport remains silent until the first arrival on a Sunday at the same time. A ban on flights in the middle of the weekend was enshrined in law when the Docklands airport opened in 1987. Faced with the post-Covid commercial reality, London City applied two years ago for permission to extend Saturday hours to 6.30pm. This would typically allow each aircraft to fly one more return trip, and would increase the appeal of the airport to both airlines and airports. However, the local authority, Newham Council, rejected the application – a decision endorsed by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, in order not to reduce the respite for local residents. British Airways would love to fly for longer to and from London City but that is not likely to happen until aircraft are much quieter. Q My flight home was 21 hours late. The initial reason was a bird strike. The airline sent a replacement plane from the UK but then the homeward flight was delayed due to crewing hours. Can I claim compensation? Richard E A The presumption of air passengers' rights rules is that compensation is due to heavily delayed passengers. But airlines need not pay out if the cause of a delay or cancellation is an 'extraordinary circumstance'. In 2013 an aircraft flying from Bourgas in Bulgaria to Brno in the Czech Republic hit a bird. A thorough check needed to be made on landing. While no damage was found, the subsequent couple of flights by the same aircraft were delayed by over five hours. Two passengers on a later flight claimed €250 each from the airline. But four years and many legal steps later, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concluded that 'a collision between an aircraft and a bird is an extraordinary circumstance'. Because the UK follows EU law, this means British airlines can rebuff claims arising from bird strikes. In your incident, however, the long delay had more than one cause – as is often the case. That same 2017 ECJ judgment also says: 'Any delay caused by an extraordinary circumstance needs to be deducted from an overall delay in arrival in order to assess whether compensation must be paid.' In other words, the airline is obliged to demonstrate what part of the 21-hour delay was down to the bird strike. Sending a fresh plane out is a commendable course of action in order to bring passengers home. But unless other 'extraordinary circumstances' such as bad weather or air-traffic control problems intervened to delay the operation and push the crew 'out of hours', the airline's management of the situation may be responsible. It is down to the airline to show why it should not pay out. So put in a claim and, if the bird strike is cited as a reason to withhold compensation, ask for a breakdown of the delay. If necessary, go to Alternative Dispute Resolution (each UK airline must use this service) and file a claim; you can do this free of charge. Finally, I hope the airline provided accommodation and meals during your protracted wait, as it is required to do regardless of the cause of a delay. Q I've seen some concerning reports online about passengers being forced to pay extra to take carry-on luggage on budget airlines. I'm flying to France in the summer on easyJet. What exactly am I allowed to take on board for free, and are children allowed the same amount? Paul B A Airline baggage allowances have progressively shrunk over the past two decades. As a result, many passengers have found themselves penalised for breaching the rules on carry-on luggage. In February I was correctly charged A$75 (£37) by Virgin Australia ground staff in Melbourne for bringing along too big a bag for a domestic flight to Hobart. And on virtually every budget flight I take in Europe, at least one fellow passenger is challenged at the boarding gate over the size and/or quantity of their cabin baggage. They have little choice but to pay a substantial sum for the offending item to be placed in the hold. I think you may be referring in particular to a social media post involving a passenger who filmed a bag seemingly fitting successfully into the gauge at the boarding gate, with a heated commentary about apparently having to pay for a compliant piece of luggage. I have not been able to establish the full context; for example, might there have been a second bag that gave rise to a problem? Suffice it to say, if you have a single bag meeting the easyJet maximum dimensions of 45 x 36 x 20cm, you should be able to carry it on board for free. This represents a limit of 32 litres, which I find quite enough for a short break. Children aged two or over get the same allowance. Each airline makes its own rules on the length, breadth and width of cabin baggage. After surveying 10 European carriers, I found that a bag cannot be larger than 33 x 25 x 15cm to comply with the restrictions for every single airline. The European Union believes this inconsistency is unfair on consumers. I am expecting standardisation across EU and UK airlines soon – they will probably settle on something close to the easyJet limits.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Council tax to rise across London as costs mount
All but three of London's local authorities are to increase council tax bills next financial year by just under 5%, the maximum allowed without a local Council will increase its council tax by 4.98%, while 28 other London boroughs and the City of London have levied maximum council tax increases of 4.99% from 1 in Wandsworth will see their bills rise by 2%, while council tax in Kensington and Chelsea will go up by 4%.Newham Council, which applied for extra support last year due to housing pressures from temporary accommodation, was allowed by central government to raise its bills by 8.99% in 2025-26. Cap on rises The 4.99% cap on council tax rises in England, which includes a 2% rise for adult social care, has been in place for the last three years. Usually a borough that wants to raise tax more than the cap has to hold a local referendum to approve the rise, but central government can authorise a higher increase. Seven London boroughs will also receive Exceptional Financial Support loans from the government of more than £418m for the next financial Councils, an umbrella body for the capital's local authorities, said boroughs in the capital received about 28% less in funding per Londoner compared to is calling for overall council funding to be restored to 2010 levels by 2028-29, requiring real-terms increases of 4% every Councils said emergency borrowing measures like Exceptional Financial Support put a burden on boroughs of further debts and would not be enough to return them to a stable financial added a combination of fast-rising demand for statutory services - where boroughs have a legal duty to provide support - and the increasing cost of delivering these services had led to substantial overspends in London council budgets in recent years. 'Consider impact' A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents councils across England, said councils continued to face "severe funding shortages and soaring cost and demand pressures on local services".They added that councils had to make a "tough choice" about increasing bills to bring in "desperately-needed" funds."However, while council tax is an important funding stream, the significant financial pressures facing local services cannot be met by council tax income alone. "The Spending Review needs to ensure councils have adequate funding to deliver the services local people want to see." A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said councils should "put taxpayers first and carefully consider the impact of their decisions"."That's why we are maintaining a referendum threshold on council tax rises, so taxpayers can have the final say and be protected from excessive increases," they reporting by the Press Association
The Independent
25-02-2025
- The Independent
‘Astonishing' development in case of baby girl found abandoned in shopping bag
A baby girl, abandoned in London more than a year ago, has taken her first steps, a family court has heard. The child, known as Elsa, was discovered in a shopping bag in freezing temperatures in east London in January 2024. She was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found by a dog walker. Subsequent investigations revealed that Elsa has two siblings who were also abandoned in 2017 and 2019. Judge Carol Atkinson, at a hearing earlier this month at East London Family Court, said it was 'astonishing' to hear that Elsa was 'developing well' and had taken her first steps. The police investigation into the identity of her parents is still ongoing, and a £20,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to their identification. Steven Evans, for Newham Council, said: 'The social work team reported to me that Elsa is developing well. She has taken her first steps. She is meeting all her developmental milestones. 'The social worker describes her visits as 'the best visits ever'.' The Metropolitan Police previously said more than 450 hours of CCTV had been reviewed as part of its investigation. A spokesman for the force said that the probe remains ongoing and that detectives 'have been working with subject matter experts at the National Crime Agency as part of this investigation'. Elsa was found wrapped in a towel in a reusable shopping bag on January 18 2024, at the junction of Greenway and High Street South in East Ham, east London. Hospital staff named her Elsa in a reference to the character from the film Frozen. Last June, Judge Atkinson allowed reporting of the fact that Elsa has two siblings, who were found in similar circumstances in the same area of London. In September 2017, Harry was found wrapped in a white blanket in Balaam Street, Plaistow. Roman was found in similar circumstances in a play area off Roman Road, Newham, in late January 2019, as freezing temperatures and snow gripped the city. Harry and Roman, not their real names, have since been adopted. On the first anniversary of Elsa's discovery earlier this year, the independent group Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward for information passed to the charity, which will expire on April 18. The police investigation into the identity of the children's parents continues, and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref Operation Wolcott. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at any time on 0800 555 111 or via The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police, and a reward code must be asked for. Those who contact Crimestoppers online must use the 'keeping in contact' facility, and a reward code must be requested.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- The Independent
Abandoned baby takes first steps as investigation to find parents continues
The third of three siblings abandoned in London over seven years has taken her first steps, about a year after she was found in a shopping bag in freezing temperatures, a family court has been told. The girl, known as Elsa, was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found by a dog walker in east London in January last year. In the months that followed it was found that she had two siblings who were also abandoned, in 2017 and 2019. The police investigation into the identity of her parents remains ongoing, and a £20,000 reward is offered for information leading to their identification. At a hearing earlier in February, East London Family Court was told that Elsa had taken her first steps and was 'developing well', which Judge Carol Atkinson said was 'astonishing'. Steven Evans, for Newham Council, said: 'The social work team reported to me that Elsa is developing well. She has taken her first steps. She is meeting all her developmental milestones. 'The social worker describes her visits as 'the best visits ever'.' The Metropolitan Police previously said more than 450 hours of CCTV had been reviewed as part of its investigation. A spokesman for the force said that the probe remains ongoing and that detectives 'have been working with subject matter experts at the National Crime Agency as part of this investigation'. Elsa was found wrapped in a towel in a reusable shopping bag on January 18 last year, at the junction of Greenway and High Street South in East Ham, east London. Hospital staff named her Elsa in a reference to the character from the film Frozen. Last June, Judge Atkinson allowed reporting of the fact that Elsa has two siblings, who were found in similar circumstances in the same area of London. In September 2017, Harry was found wrapped in a white blanket in Balaam Street, Plaistow. Roman was found in similar circumstances in a play area off Roman Road, Newham, in late January 2019, as freezing temperatures and snow gripped the city. Harry and Roman, not their real names, have since been adopted. On the first anniversary of Elsa's discovery earlier this year, the independent group Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward for information passed to the charity, which will expire on April 18. The police investigation into the identity of the children's parents continues, and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref Operation Wolcott. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at any time on 0800 555 111 or via The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police, and a reward code must be asked for. Those who contact Crimestoppers online must use the 'keeping in contact' facility, and a reward code must be requested.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Abandoned baby takes first steps as investigation to find parents continues
The third of three siblings abandoned in London over seven years has taken her first steps, about a year after she was found in a shopping bag in freezing temperatures, a family court has been told. The girl, known as Elsa, was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found by a dog walker in east London in January last year. In the months that followed it was found that she had two siblings who were also abandoned, in 2017 and 2019. The police investigation into the identity of her parents remains ongoing, and a £20,000 reward is offered for information leading to their identification. At a hearing earlier in February, East London Family Court was told that Elsa had taken her first steps and was 'developing well', which Judge Carol Atkinson said was 'astonishing'. Steven Evans, for Newham Council, said: 'The social work team reported to me that Elsa is developing well. She has taken her first steps. She is meeting all her developmental milestones. 'The social worker describes her visits as 'the best visits ever'.' The Metropolitan Police previously said more than 450 hours of CCTV had been reviewed as part of its investigation. A spokesman for the force said that the probe remains ongoing and that detectives 'have been working with subject matter experts at the National Crime Agency as part of this investigation'. Elsa was found wrapped in a towel in a reusable shopping bag on January 18 last year, at the junction of Greenway and High Street South in East Ham, east London. Hospital staff named her Elsa in a reference to the character from the film Frozen. Last June, Judge Atkinson allowed reporting of the fact that Elsa has two siblings, who were found in similar circumstances in the same area of London. In September 2017, Harry was found wrapped in a white blanket in Balaam Street, Plaistow. Roman was found in similar circumstances in a play area off Roman Road, Newham, in late January 2019, as freezing temperatures and snow gripped the city. Harry and Roman, not their real names, have since been adopted. On the first anniversary of Elsa's discovery earlier this year, the independent group Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward for information passed to the charity, which will expire on April 18. The police investigation into the identity of the children's parents continues, and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref Operation Wolcott. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at any time on 0800 555 111 or via The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police, and a reward code must be asked for. Those who contact Crimestoppers online must use the 'keeping in contact' facility, and a reward code must be requested.
