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Women cyclists in London to be celebrated on Santander Cycles for International Women’s Day

Ten women cyclists, spanning elite professionals and locally recognised role models, are set to be honoured this March through a new initiative linked to International Women’s Day. Transport for London and Santander Cycles will name ten cycle hire bikes after inspirational women cyclists in London, with customers invited to nominate their own cycling idol.

The initiative forms part of a wider effort by TfL and the Mayor of London to address barriers that continue to limit cycling participation among women and girls. Although cycling journeys in the capital have increased by 43 per cent since 2019, with around 1.5 million journeys now made each day, women remain underrepresented among cyclists. Recognising women cyclists in London is intended to highlight role models and encourage broader participation.

Customers can take part by emailing SantanderCyclesvote@tfl.gov.uk or submitting a postal entry before midnight on 8 February. Each entry must name a professional women cycling star or an unsung hero from the community and explain how that person inspired the nominee to start cycling. A judging panel made up of cycling enthusiasts from TfL and Santander will select the most frequently nominated women cyclists in London to feature on Santander Cycles during March.

The campaign also reflects continued investment in cycling infrastructure across the capital. TfL’s strategic cycle network has expanded from 90km in 2016 to more than 431km in 2025, making it over four and a half times larger. In 2024 and 2025 alone, 17 new Cycleways routes were launched, and since September 2025, 29 per cent of Londoners now live within 400 metres of the network. These protected routes are designed to make cycling safer and more appealing, particularly for women cyclists in London, where road safety concerns are a significant barrier.

TfL’s Cycling Action Plan and its customer inclusion strategy, Equity in Motion, commit to understanding and reducing the challenges faced by women and girls. Measures include discounted Santander Cycles subscriptions for groups such as care leavers, students and people with a 60+ London Oyster Card, alongside sustained investment in high quality cycling routes.

Community based programmes also play a role. Through the Walking and Cycling Grants London programme, more than £550,000 was awarded in December to support new and continuing projects that encourage active travel. Several of these initiatives focus specifically on women cyclists in London, including projects supporting ethnically diverse communities in Barnet, Muslim women cycling confidently across the capital, and socially isolated women in Sutton and at HMP Downview.

Since its launch in July 2010, the Santander Cycles scheme has become a core part of London’s transport system and one of the largest cycle hire schemes in Europe. Record levels of hire have been reported, reinforcing the role of cycling in everyday travel. TfL and the Mayor continue to work with London boroughs to grow these numbers further through investment in infrastructure and safety improvements.

More than £150m has been allocated through Safe and Healthy Streets funding to improve dangerous and intimidating junctions for people walking and cycling. Work has already been completed at 46 Safer Junctions, with further funding available to boroughs through the Safer Streets programme.

Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “The Mayor and I want cycling to be an option for everyone in London, but women and girls unfortunately still face barriers that can prevent them from riding. This fun new initiative from TfL and Santander Cycles is a fantastic way to inspire women cyclists to embrace active travel as we continue building a greener, fairer, better London for everyone.”

David Eddington, Head of Cycle Hire at TfL, said: “Our cycle hire scheme has become one of the most popular ways to travel across the capital. Yet we know that many women and girls continue to face barriers to cycling. We are committed to making cycling accessible to everyone, and today we are proud to announce that we will be celebrating ten inspirational women, whose achievements have opened doors for more women and girls to enjoy cycling on our Santander Cycles.”

LCC Women’s Network said: “Since long before the invention of the modern bicycle, women have been cycling in London. So, we welcome TfL’s celebration of women in cycling and the recognition that women want to cycle safely and in greater numbers. Only a third of London’s daily cycle trips are currently taken by women, which is why London Cycling Campaign works with TfL, local councils and the police on tackling the barriers to more women cycling in London. There’s a long road ahead for London to become a city where all women have freedom to ride, but we’ll get there together.”

NextGen Greenwich youth and wellbeing services proposed for school aged children

Proposals have been published for NextGen Greenwich, a new youth and health and wellbeing service intended to support school aged children, young people and their families across the borough. The plans set out a revised approach that has been shaped with young people themselves and reflects what they have said they want from local provision. The aim of NextGen Greenwich youth and wellbeing services is to create a more accessible and more responsive offer that reflects current needs.

At the centre of the proposals is a move towards greater inclusion and flexibility. The council is proposing to increase access to free and low cost activities, establish a new council owned Community Youth Hub, and align youth provision more closely with health and wellbeing support delivered in schools. This integrated approach is intended to ensure that NextGen Greenwich youth and wellbeing services reach young people consistently, without gaps in support.

The proposals are subject to approval. If agreed, they would replace Young Greenwich, the current youth offer, with a new model designed to respond to changing aspirations, strengthen partnerships and improve outcomes for children and young people across the borough.

Councillor Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said “We’ve heard loud and clear from young people that they need safe spaces to learn and grow and to be involved in decisions that affect them. We know how important it is for children and young people to have safe places to go. That is why, while many councils are cutting youth services, we’re investing in our provision by opening a new council-owned Community Youth Hub and developing a new Youth Grants Programme so we can more easily respond to what young people want. NextGen Greenwich will offer transformative opportunities for young people to socialise, explore their creativity, and develop their confidence. It’s about giving them the support each child and young person deserves and needs to thrive.”

Health and wellbeing form a core part of the proposed model. Councillor Mariam Lolavar, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care and Borough of Sanctuary, highlighted the need for services that respond to current pressures on young people. She said: “The challenges facing young people today are urgent and demand that we rethink how we deliver our services. We want young people to feel confident and feel a part of their own health – so it’s crucial to us that these services are developed with young people and their families. Subject to approval, our co-produced new model is designed to create a lasting impact for young people’s health and wellbeing, supporting them to live their best lives. From programmes that help families eat well and stay active together, to physical, mental and sexual health support in schools, we’re addressing the whole wellbeing of young people.”

NextGen Greenwich youth and wellbeing services sit within a broader programme of investment in provision for children and young people in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Subject to approval, funding is being directed towards improving play facilities and outdoor spaces, alongside the development of a new Community Youth Hub. Plans also include a new multi use games area in Woolwich and upgraded outdoor facilities in Glyndon.

Further investment is planned through the council’s Getting Things Done programme. This includes £1.5million to develop a new Community Hub at Coldharbour, which could include youth services and would be designed with input from the local community, subject to stakeholder and community engagement.

Young Greenwich, the current youth offer, has been operating since 2020 and is delivered through a partnership between the council, Oxleas NHS, CACT, GLL and METRO. It supports children aged 5 to 18, or up to 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and provides services such as school nursing, universal youth provision, weight management, sexual health support and mentoring.

Between March and October 2025, the council carried out a three phase engagement and consultation process with young people, families, residents, schools, voluntary organisations and professionals. Drawing on this feedback, the proposals include renaming the service to NextGen Greenwich, developing four council owned Community Youth Hubs with a stronger focus on families and intergenerational learning, and opening a permanent Community Youth Hub in the west of the borough linked to Adventure Play Centres.

The proposals also set out plans for Community Youth Hubs to open at least five days a week, including Saturdays, with the ambition of operating seven days a week from 9am to 9pm. A new £400,000 NextGen communities grant fund is proposed to support providers delivering services in areas with less existing provision. Young voices would be embedded through new Youth Advisor roles, a paid Youth Voice Apprentice position, voluntary design and review roles, a Youth Partnership Group, expanded peer to peer activity, and a co produced digital offer. The School Nursing Offer would also be reshaped and renamed as a School aged Health and Wellbeing Service, with a stronger focus on prevention.

If approved, a procurement process will be launched to appoint providers for NextGen Greenwich youth and wellbeing services, with the new model scheduled to begin on 1 October 2026.

London Launches Key Worker Living Rent Homes to Save Thousands in Rent

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has introduced a new initiative to expand the availability of affordable, rent-controlled homes across the city for key workers. The plan aims to create at least 6,000 “Key Worker Living Rent” homes by 2030, providing housing at rents calculated on 40 per cent of the average net household income for these roles. For a two-bedroom home, this could result in annual savings of around £7,000 compared with typical private sector rents.

The scheme targets workers who are essential to the city’s daily functioning, including nurses, teachers, carers, and bus drivers. Key workers make up about a third of the London workforce and often face difficulty accessing social housing while struggling to afford private rental costs. By linking rent to income rather than market rates, the initiative is designed to make housing more sustainable and predictable for tenants.

The initiative builds on previous progress in housing delivery under Sadiq Khan. Analysis by City Hall shows that since 2016, more new homes have been completed in London each year than under any prior Mayor. More than 25,000 council homes have been completed or are underway since 2018 with the support of City Hall funding. Emergency measures to unblock housing development are also being pursued in partnership with the Government.

Unlike shared ownership schemes, Key Worker Living Rent homes do not require tenants to purchase a share of the property at any stage. This model is intended to offer a simple, stable rent structure that benefits tenants while also providing consistent income streams for developers and investors. The programme will also include homes suitable for sharers, supporting single key workers who would otherwise struggle to afford housing alone.

The Mayor has called on councils, housing associations, private developers, and investors to participate in the programme. Funding is available through the Affordable Homes Programme, which has secured £11.7 billion for affordable housing in London over the next decade.

Sadiq Khan said: “Key workers, including teachers, nurses and bus drivers, play a critical role in keeping our city moving, working around the clock to deliver vital public services for millions of Londoners. It is only right that these hardworking Londoners can afford to live in a decent, safe home in the city they are serving. That’s why I’m proud to launch my innovative ‘Key Worker Living Rent’ scheme, which will help NHS staff, police, firefighters and others into thousands of affordable homes for long-term rent, saving potentially thousands of pounds each year. I will continue to work closely with Government and partners to do everything I can to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes, as we build a better and fairer London for everyone.”

Local leaders have welcomed the announcement. Haringey Council Leader, Cllr Peray Ahmet, said: “We want to build genuinely affordable homes for key workers in Haringey too, with rents that are tied to real wages. The Mayor’s plan for Key Worker Living Rent homes will be essential for us to drive this forward.”

Cllr Helen Dennis, Southwark Council, added: “Keyworkers are the backbone of any community and ensuring that their work is recognised and that local public services are well supported is absolutely vital. Southwark is 100% committed to the Mayor’s pledge on affordable, rent-capped homes for keyworkers, with pilot plans for over 150 homes in Bermondsey making excellent progress.”

Developers and housing associations have also expressed support. Oliver Campbell, Bouygues UK, said: “Providing keyworkers with affordable homes is a vital step in supporting those who are indispensable to our communities. Bouygues Development, the Funding Affordable Homes Housing Association, and Southwark Council are working together on a grant funding bid to help provide key worker accommodation in the Borough.”

Olivia Harris, Dolphin Living, stated: “Key workers are the backbone of London yet too many face rising housing costs that push them further from their communities and into long commutes. Providing genuinely affordable, high quality homes close to where people work is essential to retaining this workforce.”

Ben Twomey, Generation Rent, added: “Soaring rents have made London the most expensive place to live in Europe. Controlling the rents of key workers is a positive first step towards a fairer approach for all of London’s renters.”

Newham Council Advances Sustainable Transport Projects with Multi-Million Investment

Newham Council will review a series of planned transport safety upgrades at its Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 20 January.

The borough has secured £4.5 million from Transport for London to fund projects during 2025/26. Officials have also submitted a bid for an additional £1.6 million for 2026/27 initiatives.

Councillor Sarah Ruiz highlighted the Council’s ongoing commitment to sustainable travel, stating: “Our commitment to building safer, healthier and more pleasant transport options for those who need to get around the borough and care for the environment has been an enormous success.”

Newham’s work in this area has received wider recognition. In 2025, the borough was named ‘Most Improved Borough’ by the independent Healthy Streets Scorecard.

The Royal Docks Corridor scheme, valued at £21 million, is progressing. Project managers report that £5 million of underspend is available to support the next phases.

The upcoming stages of the Royal Docks Corridor will include enhancements to the Connaught Bridge area, a hub for several active travel routes in the Royal Docks. A new crossing at Silvertown Way in Canning Town will improve walking and cycling access and reduce conflicts near the bus station. An eastern extension of the scheme will provide benefits for longer journeys and local residents in North Woolwich.

Across the borough, Transport for London continues to support Romford Road upgrades as part of the ‘Safer Streets’ and ‘Cycleway Network Development’ initiatives. Other significant projects will be delivered along Leyton Road, Barking Road, and Woolwich Manor Way.

Smaller-scale interventions include the Water Lane crossing, multiple Healthy School Streets, bus priority measures on High Street Stratford, Prince Regent Lane, and Siding Street. Investments will also support cycle parking, cycle training, school travel planning through TfL’s ‘Travel for Life’ programme, Play Streets, and road safety campaigns.

These coordinated measures aim to maintain Newham’s focus on active travel, road safety, and sustainable transport infrastructure.

Brent Council Welcomes £400k Mayor of London Funding for West London Orbital

Brent Council has welcomed the Mayor of London’s announcement committing £400,000 to the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, funding that will support the next stage of development for the West London Orbital. The project, a proposed new London Overground rail line, aims to bring under-used freight tracks back into passenger service, creating fast orbital connections between Brent, Barnet, Ealing, Hounslow, and Old Oak Common, where HS2 and the Elizabeth line will interchange.

The investment represents a major step forward for a scheme set to transform connectivity across west London while unlocking significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for Brent, the wider region, and the capital. Brent Council has already demonstrated its commitment, with the Cabinet approving a contribution of up to £615,516 toward the next stage of development in April 2025.

Independent analysis shows the West London Orbital could support 11,500 new jobs, including 3,400 within the four boroughs it serves. The project is also expected to facilitate the delivery of over 6,700 new homes, helping boroughs meet their housing targets and addressing London’s urgent need for additional housing.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said the West London Orbital is “a mission critical piece of economic infrastructure for our borough and for the whole of west London.” He added that connecting Brent directly to Old Oak Common and HS2 would boost business growth, provide residents with access to high-value jobs, and stimulate regeneration across the area. “We have already seen with the Elizabeth line that when you invest in world-class transport, demand grows, regeneration follows, and prosperity spreads. The West London Orbital will be no different.”

Councillor Teo Benea, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Property, emphasised the benefits for local communities. With new stations planned for Cricklewood, Neasden, and Harlesden, more than half of households in these areas do not have access to a car. The new line will provide fast, affordable, and clean public transport, helping to cut congestion and emissions in communities that currently experience some of the poorest air quality in the capital.

The next stage of work will focus on detailed design for new stations, track upgrades, and infrastructure improvements, while strengthening the business case to government and funding partners. Brent Council also welcomes the Mayor’s commitment to a public consultation this summer, offering residents the chance to shape the scheme and its benefits for their communities.

The council will continue working closely with the Mayor, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, Transport for London, and partner boroughs to secure the funding needed to move the West London Orbital into delivery, with the ambition of seeing services operational in the 2030s.

UK Approves Plans for Chinese Super Embassy in London Amid Security Concerns

The UK government has granted approval for the construction of a new Chinese embassy in London, which will become the largest in Europe at 20,000 square metres. The development, planned for Royal Mint Court opposite the Tower of London, had previously faced repeated delays due to security concerns and local opposition.

The land for the project was originally purchased by China in 2018 for £255 million under the former Conservative government. Tower Hamlets council rejected the embassy plans in 2022, but the application was resubmitted in 2024 after the Labour government took office.

In a statement, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, confirmed that all relevant considerations had been taken into account and that the decision was final unless successfully challenged in court. He said: “All material considerations were taken into account when making this decision. The decision is now final unless it is successfully challenged in court.”

Government sources emphasised that intelligence agencies had been involved throughout the approval process, and that a range of measures had been developed to mitigate any potential security risks. A spokesperson added that the consolidation of China’s seven current embassy sites in London into a single location offered “clear security advantages”.

The decision comes amid wider efforts by the Keir Starmer government to balance national security concerns with ambitions to strengthen economic ties with China. The prime minister is expected to visit Beijing in the coming weeks, a trip that would mark the first visit by a British prime minister since Theresa May.

Opposition figures criticised the decision. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp argued that it demonstrated a willingness to prioritise diplomatic convenience over national security, saying: “The Labour government should grow a backbone and reverse this decision for the sake of our national interest.”

Officials stressed that the planning approval was granted independently by the Secretary of State for Housing, following a process that began in 2018 when formal diplomatic consent was provided by the Foreign Secretary. The government described the construction of embassies as a normal feature of international relations.

£7.6 Trillion Net Zero Myth: Why the True Cost Is a Fraction of What You’ve Been Told

The following two things are supposed to be nominally – but not universally – true about business people.

They understand numbers, and they lean more right wing.

Both these are to be expected for various reasons.

Maths and business go hand in hand because to run a business properly, you need to be able to know and handle complex numerical process on some intuitive level. This skill set can let you know when, where, and how you are making and/or losing money and why. Computers and calculators can automate a great deal, but an intuitive underlying understanding will always have immense business value.

Free markets, property rights, and independence-focused individualism are often core tenants of right-wing thinking, and are also naturally attractive to business people. After all, who wants a literal or metaphorical government official leaning over your shoulder as you’re trying to make a sale?

So why then, have so many business-minded, mathematically-sound, right-wing thinking people dropped the ball so hard on the numbers around the cost of Net Zero?

The numbers in question being £7.6 Trillion. The supposed total cost of the UK reaching Net Zero carbon output by 2050.

This numbers seem to have come from NESO – the National Energy System Operator. These are the people who operate the UK’s entire power supply, and are therefore the ones who you would hope would know how much all this is going to cost.

Outlets like the Times, the Daily Mail, and the Daily Telegraph have all produced articles citing these figures and claiming NESO as a source. Even an industry insider publication, OilPrice.com, is linking directly to publications using this huge scary number of £7.6 Trillion as a headline.

You would think that business minded, mathematically competent, right-leaning thinkers would have objective basis for calculating these numbers close to hand, hence why they are so eagerly reporting them.

However, you’d think wrong.

The £7.6 trillion figure is a combination of upfront costs and ongoing costs (CapEx and OpEx to borrow business jargon) outlined by NESO in their report when reviewing how to make the transition to Net Zero.

Upfront costs meaning paying for things like new electric vehicles, new heat pumps, nd new energy infrastructure, and then ongoing costs of keeping solar panels clean, wind turbines lubricated, and new pylons and other infrastructure free of damaging corrosion.

You would think that by knowing Net Zero’s combined CapEx and OpEx costs, you’d have all the parts you’d need to know how much it costs. Except Net Zero isn’t happening in a vacuum.

Net Zero is a transition. A change. A shift from one model of energy generation into another.

The move to doing Net Zero means ending the status quo. The fossil fuel driven energy system we’ve been using in some form or other for the last 250 years.

As the entire existence of a website like OilPrice.com makes clear, that status quo has costs too.

Fuel costs money. Fuel processing power systems like gas powered turbines and jet engines cost money. Replacing power plants that are coming to the end of their natural lives with new fossil fuel power plants will also cost money.

NESO was also aware of this, and kind enough to put it in the same report that the £7.6 trillion figure came from.

When you factor in all the costs that will go away as we reduce our spending on fossil fuels, the overall expense of Net Zero starts to go down. Not just down, it collapses.

What does it reach? £0.36 billion.

Around twenty one time less than the big scary number that the right-wing, mathematically minded business people seemed to come up with. An easy mistake to make when you forget about the concept of subtraction.

The costs go down even further however, because the fossil fuel status quo doesn’t just have costs in terms that can be summarised by CapEx and OpEx. Climate change comes with its own cost bill.

Costs like more expensive food due to desertification shirking the total amount of arable land.

Costs like more heat in the climate system exaggerating natural disasters of all kinds, from floods to hurricanes and everything else.

If we want to understand the economic reality of Net Zero, we need to consider every part of the equation. A fully itemised bill. The kind that business people who read right wing outlets should also fully appreciate and understand.

Crowd boos Sadiq Khan and US anthem at NBA London game

During the NBA regular-season game at London’s O2 Arena over the weekend, the crowd booed both the US national anthem and Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan when his image appeared on the arena’s jumbotron.

The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Orlando Magic in what was the NBA’s first regular-season fixture in London since 2019. The match was held at the O2 Arena on the Greenwich Peninsula, which has hosted all 10 of the league’s London games. The contest also forms part of a three-year international NBA programme, with future games scheduled in Manchester, Paris, Berlin, and London.

The arena’s large screen highlighted public figures in attendance. When a pre-recorded clip of Sir Sadiq Khan waving after half-time was shown in the fourth quarter, booing erupted across the venue. Reports indicate the Mayor had already left his seat by this point. Social media users commented on the reaction, noting the vocal response from the crowd.

Earlier in the evening, some attendees also booed the US national anthem and chanted slogans including “leave Greenland alone,” referencing opposition to former US President Donald Trump’s ambitions to secure Greenland. X-rated language was reportedly heard around the arena before the game began.

The event drew a sell-out crowd of 18,424, including footballers Declan Rice, João Pedro, and Virgil van Dijk, alongside Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry and basketball Hall of Famer Tony Parker. Non-sporting celebrities, including actor Rosamund Pike and comedian Mo Gilligan, were also in attendance.

Sir Sadiq Khan has previously supported basketball initiatives in London, including the “More Ball Games” campaign to increase public access to sporting spaces and backing the London Lions’ plans to develop a new arena.

This NBA London game marks the 19th occasion an NBA team has played in the United Kingdom since 1993 and concludes a two-game European tour for both sides, following Thursday’s 118-111 win for Orlando in Berlin.

Enfield FEASTS! supper clubs launch at Dugdale Arts Centre

Enfield residents are invited to enjoy a brand-new series of monthly supper clubs as Dugdale Arts Centre launches Enfield FEASTS!, in partnership with award-winning author and chef Urvashi Roe.

The programme will showcase bespoke menus prepared by local and established chefs, combining multi-course dining with storytelling, panel discussions, and a celebration of Enfield’s diverse food culture. Signed copies of guest chefs’ books will also be available.

The first event on 7 February will be led by Urvashi Roe, former contestant on The Great British Bake Off, with an Indian-inspired menu to mark the festival of Holi. The following supper club will feature acclaimed Polish food writer Ren Behan, who will present a seasonal Polish feast. More guest chefs and dates are expected to be announced soon.

The supper clubs will feature local ingredients sourced from Forty Hall Farm and nearby allotments, highlighting the borough’s growing community of food producers. The events aim to be more than just meals, offering opportunities for residents to connect, share stories, and celebrate local heritage.

Councillor Chinelo Anyanwu, Cabinet Member for Culture and Inclusion, said: “Food is a language understood by all, so it’s great we’re launching Enfield FEASTS! a programme that will bring our communities together. These supper clubs provide so much more than food. They are designed to be enjoyed as a community experience so we can eat, share stories, and proudly celebrate who we are as a borough. Whether you’re a foodie or just looking to meet new people, I would highly recommend that you join the Enfield FEASTS! experience.”

Urvashi Roe added: “We have a wonderful community of food lovers, creators and growers in our borough. With this supper club series, we want to showcase Enfield’s diverse food culture, highlight locally grown vegetables, and grow a community of like-minded food enthusiasts.”

Enfield Council says the programme is part of its wider commitment to supporting local talent and celebrating the borough’s cultural diversity.

Residents can book tickets and find more information on the Dugdale Arts Centre website.