Results tagged “City Hall”

Acres of open spaces surrounding the River Lea, homes for families and top class sporting venues available for the use of the east London community.

That's the Olympic Park Legacy Company's dream for the site post-Games but according to one leisure expert the group is missing a trick.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson defended the Met Police officer criticised for not ordering an investigation into the News of the World phone hacking in 2009.

Asst Commissioner John Yates was labelled a "lame duck" by London Assembly member Brian Coleman during Mayor's Question Time this morning, but Mr Johnson defended him.

A piece of equipment not secured properly was the cause of the power failure that saw hundreds trapped underground for an hour last month and many thousands of Jubilee line passengers held up.

The revelation came from Aslef union official Steve Connolly on Tuesday at the London Assembly transport committee.

Canary Wharf security will be one of the targets of a photographic flash mob on Tuesday (May 3).

Photographers led by protest group I'm a Photographer Not a Terrorist will descend on City Hall to demonstrate against security guards who control privately owned spaces freely accessed by the public.

Campaigners took their fight to save King Edward VII Memorial Park to City Hall last week in a bid to stop Thames Water threatening the future of the area's only green space. London Assembly member John Biggs, Limehouse and Poplar MP Jim Fitzpatrick and comedian and Limehouse resident Lee Hurst joined protesters to hand in 4,000 signatures to Mayor Boris Johnson against proposals for the Thames Tideway Tunnel that they fear will ruin their park.

By John Biggs

I met with representatives from Rio de Janeiro last week at a gathering to discuss their Olympic proposals and to share lessons learnt from ours.

While a great supporter of the London Games, it is even clearer to me now how each city is held to ransom by the judges who award them.

"The Tube strikes were a politically motivated idea to poke the Government in the eye. I couldn't have prevented the strikes - Londoners were used as pawns in a party political game."

So said London Mayor Boris Johnson speaking at his Question Time last week.

By John Biggs

At City Hall I sit on the economic development, culture, sports and tourism committee.

We're looking at how to get the most beneficial legacy from the Olympic Park, including the stadium, after the 2012 Games, and how to avoid it becoming a white elephant. Last week we met with experts with experience of sports stadiums.

When Gustav Eiffel originally unveiled plans for his Tower it was met with much criticism.

With that in mind, London Mayor Boris Johnson did his best to get the jokes out of the way as he showed off the Orbit to scores of journalists and Olympic bigwigs last week.

By John Biggs

The Mayor is half-way through his term of office and it is a good time to check how he has fared against his promises.

It is a topical time too, as the voters reflect on who you think should be trusted with your support. And so at City Hall we recently discussed the scoresheet with the Mayor.

By John Biggs

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver have held a special interest as we look to lessons we can learn for our Olympics.

We've seen the enthusiasm and pride of the city but we've also seen press reports that Vancouver's public transport system couldn't cope.

By John Biggs

Well, it's budget time again. My job as an Assembly Member is to examine the Mayor's plans and look for the flaws.

So here they are (well, the big ones anyway). The good news is that the amount of Council Tax precept is remaining frozen in Boris' latest budget.

Six months after world leaders converged on Docklands, the Excel is launching its campaign to be the world's biggest and best convention centre.

City Hall has thrown its backing behind the bid and last week the Mayor's Office announced it would be pivotal to a strategy aimed at boosting business tourism in the capital.

Columbus Tower has been approved by Boris Johnson, securing a £4million contribution to Crossrail.

Tower Hamlets Council rejected plans for the 63-storey West India Quay scheme in June, but the London Mayor called in the decision in August.

By John Biggs

The suburbs are a distinctive part of London.

Defined by endless streets of inter-war semis, they are more complicated than that stereotype.

The schools tend to be good, the streets feel safer, the houses are nicer and (used to be) affordable.

John Biggs is the Labour London Assembly member for City and East

And so we are all doomed. At least if you believe the media.

In reality, it is impossible to say just what is going to happen to the economy and, just as it was unlikely that the good times would roll on forever, so it seems unlikely that all hope is now lost.