BusinessLDN

Ahead of the Budget today, our Chief Executive John Dickie spoke to @MeghantheOwen and @BBCLondonNews about what is needed to help businesses grow and hire young Londoners. See our key Budget asks here: businessldn.co.uk/news-publi…

As the Chancellor puts the finishing touches to the Budget, @theLDNstandard and @nicholascecil cover our submission urging the Chancellor to 'unleash' London by giving the powers and funding needed to drive major infrastructure projects across the city. standard.co.uk/news/politics…

“The Prime Minister made a big and bold speech this afternoon. He is right to double down on his commitment to give more power to places across the country. And he is right to point out the costs of Brexit and the need to reset comprehensively our relationship with the EU, our biggest and closest trading partner. “As he knows from his time as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, giving local leaders the ability to drive forward the infrastructure, housing and education that their communities and businesses need is vital to growth across the UK. “This ambition now needs to be matched with concrete actions in the budget and beyond to allow more of the tax revenues raised locally to be retained locally, in ways that incentivise and enable local leaders to take decisions that will drive growth.” Our Chief Executive John Dickie on Andy Burnham's Labour Party Conference speech: businessldn.co.uk/news-publi…

Great to wrap up our Labour Party Conference programme by bringing members together with Stephen Lerner, of our event sponsor @VodafoneThreeUK, and Juergen Maier CBE FRS FREng, co-founder of @vocL_UK, for a roundtable on how we can accelerate delivery of the digital infrastructure London needs. Digital infrastructure and connectivity are at the core of London's economy today, especially as the rise of AI reshapes how we do business. If the infrastructure underpinning the digital economy in the capital can't keep pace with demand, that demand will move to locations where it can. The latest research from VodafoneThree indicates that poor mobile connectivity is costing London billions of pounds in lost economic output every year. Against that backdrop, making it easier and quicker to secure the sites needed to improve mobile coverage, and reforming planning and regulatory frameworks to better support the deployment and upgrading of telecoms infrastructure, is essential for future growth.⚡📈

Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to our Labour Party Conference roundtable on maximising the benefits of station regeneration earlier today, and special thanks to our sponsor @ArcadisUK. Great to be joined by the Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth @howarddawber OBE to hear about how the Greater London Authority is helping to unlock investment in major stations through the London Growth Plan and the Mayor's spatial strategy. Improving transport interchanges paves the way for new housing, commercial development, new jobs, better public realm, additional private sector investment and, above all, growth. There are currently four major station regeneration proposals in London: Waterloo, Liverpool Street, Victoria and Euston, each with its own unique benefits and challenges. In every case, the objective must be to create places that work better for the people who live and work in surrounding communities. The hugely successful regeneration of King's Cross and St Pancras shows what can be achieved through effective long-term planning and coordination between the public and private sectors.

Our Labour Party Conference schedule continued this morning as we brought together business leaders, academics and representatives from Number 10 for a roundtable - kindly sponsored by @LSEnews - on the role that devolution can play in tackling the capital's housing crisis. Our Chief Executive John Dickie set the scene by highlighting how London's shortage of new homes is an economic challenge as well as a social one, with high housing costs making it harder for firms to recruit and retain the talent they need to thrive. Jenevieve Treadwell, Policy Fellow at LSE, took us through findings from new polling which shows that housing affordability is a defining issue for Londoners, with fewer than a third expecting to be able to buy a home in the capital in future. The research also reveals a significant disconnect between public perceptions of what the Mayor and borough councils are responsible for delivering and the reality. We heard plenty of lively discussion around the need to communicate the benefits of new developments to local communities, as well as where and how new homes should be built in the capital as the supply challenge is tackled. As the Government develops its agenda on homebuilding and devolution, ensuring London can deliver the homes it needs, while securing the powers and resources required to support prosperity, will remain critical to the city’s future success. Read more ➡️ businessldn.co.uk/news-publi…

We kicked off our Labour Party Conference programme by bringing together more than 100 members, policymakers and public sector leaders for our annual reception yesterday, kindly sponsored by @ArcadisUK. It was great to hear from all of our speakers: @StephenCowan, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Chair of @londoncouncils, on why there's ​“a sense of optimism in the air” as the Government moves to give regions greater powers to determine their own destinies. Our Chief Executive John Dickie on what the Prime Minister's devolution revolution could mean for the capital in practice, and the importance of combining fiscal devolution with steps to accelerate delivery of major projects and housing. John also highlighted the need to maintain momentum behind the DLR extension to Thamesmead and the expansion of @HeathrowNews, which is critical for boosting growth nationally. Jacqueline Chambers, Director of External Affairs at @LondonHeritageQ, on recommendations from London HQ, BusinessLDN and the @CDALDN's upcoming devolution report, which will set out the steps needed to ensure proposals unlock the capital's full potential as an economic powerhouse for the whole UK. Peter Hogg, UK & Ireland Country Director at Arcadis, on how harnessing the imagination in the room will be key to unlocking good growth across London and the UK. And @howarddawber OBE, Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth, on why London is the best city in world history, and why it's vital that more is done to ensure the proceeds of growth are spread evenly across the capital. Read more on our blog: businessldn.co.uk/news-publi…

“Reinstating VAT-free shopping would provide a welcome boost to London and the UK at a time when our retail, leisure and hospitality firms are up against surging costs. "It would put us on a level playing field with the likes of Rome, Paris and Milan, which all offer this incentive to visitors. "Scrapping this tax would drive a significant increase in tourism spending and provide an estimated £2.6 billion net return to the Treasury." Our @muniya_b speaks with @bypatrickdaly about proposals to reinstate VAT-free shopping for global visitors to the UK in @theLDNstandard 🗞️⬇️

“Rising inflation is pilling pressure on firms as the Iran war continues to push up fuel prices and create an unpredictable trading environment. “The Chancellor must come forward with pro-business measures at next month’s Budget to give companies the confidence they need to hire and invest. That includes making good on a manifesto pledge to overhaul business rates and tackling the regulatory and tax costs that are holding back housebuilding. “The Government’s devolution revolution has the potential to unleash growth in the capital and throughout the country, if local leaders have the right incentives to back growth-enhancing projects and can use innovative delivery models.” Our @muniya_b responds to latest ONS figures 📈⬇️ businessldn.co.uk/news-publi…

🏚️ London is facing a temporary accommodation crisis - with boroughs collectively spending more than £2 billion a year on housing those who are homeless - according to latest @londoncouncils figures. 🏚️ Our new report, compiled alongside @CBRE_UK, sets out how local authorities across the city could save £500 million annually by working with institutional investors to unlock high-quality, affordable homes for Londoners. We're recommending that boroughs come together with the Greater London Authority, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homes England and investors to create a pan-London Temporary Accommodation Delivery Board. Doing so would enable councils to work together to address a shared crisis and provide a single point of contact for long-term investors interested in supporting delivery of affordable homes. We're also calling on central government to update its funding mechanism for temporary accommodation - a freeze on which means boroughs are unable to recover £740 million of that £2 billion expenditure. Read the report in full below 📝⬇️ businessldn.co.uk/news-publi… And hear more from our Chief Executive John Dickie, speaking with @1AaronPaul on @BBCRadioLondon this morning (from 7:38)🎙️: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00314…