On one occasion, a council officer “inadvertently” used the council card to pay £90 for their haircut. The council said: “At the time, both cards were very similar in appearance and colour, and they mistakenly selected the wrong card when making the payment. The cardholder has repaid the £90.00 to the Council.” Source link
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal announced Tuesday that he will dedicate $50 million, the entirety of his discretionary budget for the next fiscal year, toward the arts, reports the New York Times. Hoylman-Sigal, who assumed office in January, told the Times that this decision came as a direct response to President Donald Trump and his attempts to remake the nation’s cultural institutions. During his second administration, Trump has taken over the Kennedy Center and attempted to rename it after himself; ordered the changing of displays at historic sites that examine the history of enslavement in the US; proposed a triumphal arch and sculpture garden of American heroes; and cracked down on various parts of the Smithsonian Institution, which ultimately led to the resignation of National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet. Related Articles “I know the importance of arts and culture to our society, to the economy and to future generations of Manhattanites and New Yorkers,” Hoylman-Sigal told the paper. “We think this is a boost of morale for the sector.” This decision is a break …
The new Green Party leader of a southeast London borough has increased his salary by almost £5,000 despite vowing to take a 20% pay cut in the run up to the local elections. Lewisham mayor Liam Shrivastava will be paid £93,575-a-year, up from the £88,743 wage received by his Labour predecessor – a rise of 5.4%. Mr Shrivastava said he has will donate a fifth of his pay to “food justice” charities and has instructed the town hall to make the deduction every month. Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava (Getty) But ahead of the local elections on May 7, Mr Shrivastava said: “If elected Mayor, I will take a 20% pay cut. “When the council is looking to make £50 million in cuts over the next two years, it’s only right that we display leadership on this issue and show our residents that we recognise the scale of the challenges we face.” While in opposition, the Green Party in March tabled a budget amendment proposing a 20% pay cut for the Lewisham mayor and senior …
London’s political landscape has been transformed with the Green Party now leading five councils in the city after forming minority and coalition administrations. Labour suffered a series of crushing defeats in the local elections on May 7, losing control of 11 town halls in the capital. Hackney, Lewisham and Waltham Forest fell to the Greens, while the Conservatives wrestled back control of Westminster. Seven boroughs – Brent, Enfield, Barnet, Wandsworth, Haringey Southwark and Lambeth – went from Labour to no overall control. Now, these local authorities have to make decisions about who will lead them. Here are the decisions made so far: Enfield: Tory-led minority administration The Tories fell one seat short of being able to form a majority of Enfield council on May 7. Sir Keir Starmer’s party won 27 seats, leaving the five new Green councillors as the key decision makers over who would lead the local authority. At a meeting this week, the Greens abstained during votes which allowed Conservative Alessandro Georgiou to be elected leader of the town hall. Tory nominations …
Rents are rising in 28 out of 32 boroughs, causing more financial misery for many Londoners Source link
Other London boroughs, including Barnet, Southwark and Tower Hamlets, do offer some level of free parking but typically only at specific locations and during certain times. Harrow Council Leader, Cllr Paul Osborn, said the scheme “makes a big impact” on local businesses. Source link
Photo: char.gy The London Borough of Harrow is installing 500 new curbside EV chargers across the borough, targeting residents who don’t have access to off-street parking. The chargers are being deployed in partnership with UK charging provider char.gy and will primarily be mounted on existing lamp posts along residential streets. So far, 225 curbside EV chargers are live, with another 275 scheduled for installation in the London borough by October 2028. The objective is to make it easier for people to charge their EVs outside their homes. The lamp‑column chargers are low-powered units designed for overnight or long‑stay charging. That makes them especially suited to urban neighborhoods where drivers park on the street and leave their cars for hours at a time. Harrow council says all the new chargers run on 100% renewable electricity and offer variable pricing, including cheaper overnight rates for residents. Advertisement – scroll for more content “We’re putting residents first by making it easier to charge electric vehicles where people actually live,” said Councillor David Ashton, Harrow’s cabinet member for finance …
