The London Buzz – 13th December 2024

Today’s London news round-up:

London mayor Sadiq Khan burst out laughing on Thursday night (12th) after being challenged about a petition calling for him not to be knighted. Enfield Dispatch

A list of every Fourth Plinth sculpture, and where they are now. Londonist

Islington Council has walked back on its plans to ethically divest millions from its pension fund, despite previously predicting there would be no ‘major’ legal obstacle to doing so. EC1 Echo

Greenwich Council has been accused of selling the borough’s brand “too cheaply” after accepting a “surprisingly low” sum to rename the area to promote the film Wicked. The Greenwich Wire

What do Angela Rayner’s planning policy changes mean for London? OnLondon

Lambeth chases £3.55m in unpaid developer levies as infrastructure costs outpace collections Brixton Buzz

The long and bloody history of Smithfield Market Apollo

Forget the Green Belt, London needs more houses LSE

20 years of Dover Street Market’s transporting in-store installations, from giant elephants to soft toys Wallpaper

Two men have been charged with violent disorder and grievous bodily harm (GBH) following reports of a fight and possible shots which left one man dead and injured others in West London. ITVX

Camden Council has the third-highest level of vacant social housing in London, new data has revealed. Camden Citizen

A member of Buckingham Palace staff has been arrested after allegedly trying to punch the manager of a bar in London. Metro

This news roundup is delivered at 5pm daily via Substack – sign up for free here.


And from ianVisits:

City of London’s tallest skyscraper 1 Undershaft gets planning permission

“Dame Edna Everage’s” art collection to go on display next year

Tickets Alert: Visit two steam museums with a Routemaster shuttle trip

Bus and tram fares frozen for 2025 but tube and rail fares to rise in March

London’s weekly railway news

Some things to do in London tomorrow:

SantaCon – Free

Look out for large numbers of people dressed up as Santa and generally behaving as though they are on a pub crawl, which for many is exactly what they are doing.

London Christmas Drive 2024 – Free

Expect to see a large number of horse-drawn carts and carriages around London as the annual London Christmas Drive takes place.

Anne of Denmark Festival at the Queen’s House – Free

Head to the Queen’s House for a weekend of celebratory talks, tours and creative workshops focused around the history of England’s first Classical building.

Xmas Day of Morris Dancing – Free

A day of moris dancing by several groups of dancers along the Southbank.

Play School: Episode Showcase + Missing Episode & Special Guests – £12.00

A screening of a recently-discovered lost episode transmitted on 12/8/65; which will be introduced by the team at Film is Fabulous who discovered it and returned it to the BBC.


This news roundup is delivered at 5pm daily via Substack – sign up for free here.