BusinessLDN

What does the Budget mean for London and businesses in the capital?

The Chancellor delivered a relatively low-key statement last week but he provided some welcome news for London. In particular, the commitment to allowing local leaders to keep more of taxes that are raised locally could help the capital fund major infrastructure projects that it needs to grow, such as the Bakerloo line extension.

Our latest What Next for London? podcast - featuring expert insight from @DeloitteUK's Debapratim De, LBC's @NatashaC and @prologisuk's Jason Longhurst - examines key highlights from the Budget and what they mean for businesses in the capital. We also look at the challenges facing the public finances as we head towards publication of the Government's 10-year plan and the political ramifications that follow.

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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-publicati…

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-publicati…

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.⚡📈