When I went to pay my respects at South Africa House on Saturday evening, it brought back memories of Anti Apartheid demonstrations I had attended in the 1970s and 80s. But instead of lines of riot gear clad police backed by horses, there were just a couple of bobbies, overseeing the growing pile of floral tributes. The flag of democratic South Africa had replaced that of the apartheid state.
If anything needed to, this brought home to me the huge achievements of Nelson Mandela: the peaceful transition of his country, and …

Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday that Transport for London will increase travelcards above inflation next year. Since Boris Johnson was elected as Mayor in 2008 he has increased fares above inflation every year, with single bus fares rising as much as 55 per cent.
Residents across Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon living in Zones 3, 4 and 5 and travelling to Zone 1 will see an increase of at least 3.93 per cent as their yearly travelcard rises from £1,424.00 to £1,480.00 for Zone 3, £1,744.00 to £1,816.00 for …

 
Andrew Dismore, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden has claimed victory at last, in his long running battle with Transport for London, for a simple solution to the problem of excess parking tickets outside the shops in Falloden Way on the A1.
 
Mr Dismore said:
“The number of tickets being given to motorists for inadvertently parking on this loading bay, which was extremely badly signed, made this location into a huge cash cow for the Mayor of London’s coffers, enforced by a hard to spot CCTV camera.
The solution was simple: …

Boris Johnson (Chair, TfL) and Sir Peter Hendy (Commissioner, TfL)
Northern Line
Question No: 67 / 2013
Andrew Dismore
When was the last time you travelled on the Northern Line?
Written response from the Mayor and the Commissioner
I get around London by bike, by foot, by bus, sometimes by boat and I’m a regular user of the Tube.
 
TfL is making tremendous progress with the Northern line upgrade, thanks in great part to the lessons learned on the Jubilee line upgrade, and are on target for full delivery by December 2014 when Londoners will have a …

 
Police Uniform 2
Question No: 3065 / 2013
Andrew Dismore
How much did the Metropolitan Police spend on full dress, ceremonial, evening and dinner uniforms for senior officers above the rank of commander in the last year, and how much to date in the current year?
Written response from the Mayor
In 2012/13, the MPS spent £2867.50 on full dress ceremonial, evening and dinner uniforms for senior officers above the rank of commander.
 
From April 2013 to date, £269 has been spent on full dress ceremonial, evening and dinner uniforms for senior officers above the rank …