The London Echo News

More Than 1.5 Million Londoners Could Face Higher Tax Bills

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:33:28 +0100

AT least one and a half million Londoners will be worse off as a result of Gordon Brown's tax changes, Conservatives have claimed.

They warned that anyone earning more than £20,000 - 55 per cent of the capital's workforce - will pay higher taxes once a planned increase in national insurance comes into effect.

Opposition parties were at loggerheads with the Government over who will play for plans to borrow £500 billion to kickstart the economy, including the cost of cutting VAT for one year.

George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, accused the Government of launching a "tax raid on the incomes and jobs of middle Britain".

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, claimed the Tories "would simply walk away and abandon people and businesses."

Knife Crime Soaring Among Teenage “School” Gangs, Surgeon Warns

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:31:05 +0100

THE number of knife crime victims in London has more than tripled over the past five years, a leading surgeon has revealed.

Professor Karim Brohi, a trauma surgeon at Barts and the London NHS Trust said 255 severe injuries had been treated this year.

And he warned that the increase was down to " teenage youth gangs", often connected to schools.

Victims from across the capital are treated by Prof Brohi and colleagues at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

The Trust collects figures for stab victims with wounds which threaten their lives, or the loss of a limb. The statistics do not include less serious injuries.

Prof Brohi was giving evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into knife crime.

Chelsea Bottom Of The League For Football Hooligans

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:24:51 +0100

CHELSEA has come bottom of a league table of shame after police were forced to arrest 106 fans last season.

The club chalked up more arrests than any other side in London, while Arsenal was close behind with 105.

The figures were published by the Home Office as Ministers pledged to crack down on hooliganism.

But Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker also praised supporters, saying just one in ten thousand fans, of the 37 million regularly attending games, were arrested for football-related violence.

And as Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City fans head to the continent this week for the next round of matches in Europe, the Home Office report also showed that only 25 arrests were made last year of fans following English teams in the Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions.

Business Leaders Warn London Is Neglected In Darling’s Emergency Budget

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:39:30 +0100

BUSINESS leaders urged the Chancellor to bring forward improvements to the Tube and London's rail system, after he announced plans to borrow a massive £500 billion for public spending and tax cuts.

London First, the pressure group representing businesses across the capital, said the city must receive its fair share of investment.

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, told the House of Commons he will cut VAT by 2.5 per cent, to 15 per cent, but only until the end of 2009.

But in his Pre Budget Report he also unveiled a series of tax increases, to come into effect in 2011, to help pay for the spending spree.

As predicted, they included a new 45 per cent tax rate for people earning more than £150,000.

But it's not only high earners that will pay, with an increase in national insurance due to hit anybody earning more than £40,000.

There will also be significant increases to duty on cigarettes and alcohol. This will be offset by the temporary VAT cut, meaning smokers and drinkers will have to pay more from 2010.

David Cameron “Lacks Compassion” Over Tax Cuts, Gordon Brown Claims

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:15:00 +0100

GORDON Brown has accused Conservative leader David Cameron of "lacking compassion" as the Government prepares to announce major tax cuts to kick-start the economy.

The debate turned personal after the Tories claimed Labour was planning a "tax bombshell" by borrowing billions of pounds which will have to be paid back later.

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, is set to cut VAT by 2.5 per cent, down to 15 per cent, potentially leading to lower prices in the shops.

The aim would be to encourage shoppers to keep buying, avoiding the threat of deflation and stimulating the economy to start growing again.

But the measure would cost £12 billion, which will have to be paid for by borrowing - with Government debts expected to reach £100 billion this year.

Local Government Leaders Unite To Oppose Third Runway

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:20:15 +0100

LOCAL government leaders from across southern England have united to condemn a proposed third runway at Heathrow.

Regional airports such as Kent International could expand to help Heathrow take the strain of increasing passenger numbers without causing additional misery for residents close to Heathrow, they said.

The united front came in a joint statement issued by the South East Regional Assembly, the East of England Regional Assembly and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.

Regional assemblies are led by local councillors, and also include representatives of businesses and trade unions.

Authorities in the East of England include Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex, while the South East includes Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Sussex and others.

Cut Immigration By Training British Workers To Cook Curries, Says MP

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:51:09 +0100

BRITAIN should open a dedicated curry college so that Indian restaurants can stop recruiting chefs from overseas, according a London MP.

Curry house owners have warned that changes to the immigration are making it harder for them to recruit skilled chefs.

The Government's new points-based system allows immigrants from outside the EU to work in Britain only if they have specific skills which are in short supply in the UK.

But the Bangladesh Caterers' Association, which represents 12,000 restaurants across the country, presented a petition to Downing Street earlier this year warning that curry houses needed to be able to recruit workers from the Indian sub-continent.

Now MP Karen Buck (Lab Regents Park and Kensington North) has called for the creation of a London college to train home-grown chefs in the art of cooking the perfect curry.

Children’s Secretary: No Sackings At Haringey Until Baby P Inquiry Finishes

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:26:51 +0100

NOBODY can be sacked from Haringey Social Services department until a full inquiry into the death of Baby P has concluded, Children's Secretary Ed Balls has insisted.

But he pledged that there would be no no-go areas for inspectors looking into the death of the 17-month old boy, after opposition MPs said they were concerned council officials were trying to block the inquiry.

Mr Balls told the House of Commons there was "clear evidence that agencies had failed, singly and collectively, to adhere to the statutory procedures for the proper management of child protection cases."

MP Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem Hornsey and Wood Green), whose constituency includes much of Haringey, said those responsible must be sacked in order for child protection services to improve.

She said: "The atmosphere and the morale of everyone in Haringey has been shot to pieces, but, for there to be a new start, there must be accountability, because if the same faces remain after the report, we will not have that fresh start."

Metropolitan Police Praised For Recruiting More Black And Ethnic Minority Officers

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:46:54 +0100

THE Metropolitan Police has been praised for successfully recruiting more ethnic minority police officers.

But London's major police force is still not meeting it's target of ensuring a quarter of all new recruits come from black or other ethnic minority communities.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker published a report revealing 199 of the Met's 1,114 new recruits this year came from ethnic minorities - 17.9 per cent of the total.

It means 2,594 of the Met's 31,460 officers, 8.2 per cent, are now from ethnic minorities.

The force has been set a target of aiming to recruit 25 per cent of police from ethnic minority communities, to ensure its officers reflect the population of London as a whole.

But although it was some way from achieving this, it was singled out for praise in Mr Coaker's report - just one month after the Black Police Officer's Assocation launched a boycott of the force.

Boris Johnson’s Plan To Sell Council Houses And Create A Fairer London

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:23:31 +0100

BORIS Johnson has announced plans to help thousands of council and housing association tenants buy their homes, in a return to Margaret Thatcher's vision of a property-owning society.

The Mayor of London believes that encouraging residents in subsidised rented housing to buy their property will create a fairer society in the capital.

The proposal is part of a new housing strategy for London which includes plans for 50,000 new homes across the city.

The £5 billion scheme will also focus on buying unsold private properties to use as low-cost homes, and making unused publicly-owned land available for developers.

Mr Johnson's London Housing Strategy, which will now go to consultation with the London Assembly, warns that London's population is expected to rise from 7.5 million in 2006 to between 8.3 and 8.6 million by 2026.