Kate Hoey, former Labour sports minister and controversial aide to our new Conservative mayor, has admitted that Boris is not certain where some fairly large and important things are. That in itself might not be much of a revelation, but according to her interview with the Metro he's not the only one searching behind the sofa: Some boroughs cannot even tell you what [sports] facilities they have...We haven't even got a proper absolute plan......

Hats off to London MPs Kate Hoey (Vauxhall), Rudi Vis (Finchley & Golders Green) and Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), who were among the Labour rebels whose votes aided the defeat of the Religious Hatred bill. This New Labour fatwa was note-perfect Brazil, combining as it did an Orwellian assault on language and freedom with bureaucratic incompetence. File under "I" for "ID Cards". (On the subject of ID cards and bureaucracy, this story wins "headline......

It seems like only the other day we were talking about the plans for the South Bank beach project (well, actually we did mention it on Tuesday), but if you need your memory jogging here's a quick recap. The Jubilee Gardens area of the South Bank was supposed to get a bit of a makeover this summer, with the Coach Park and part of Queen's Walk being turned temporarily into a beach and outdoor......

Something we didn't have the time to comment on yesterday was the interview with Kate Hoey which appeared in Sunday's Observer. Kate's been in the news a lot recently. Back in the summer her and her Lambeth council cohorts deprived London's inhabitants of a riverside beach area because...well, because they couldn't get off their arses and go take a look at it. Since then she's been campaigning on behalf of the Routmaster, becoming chairman......

It's always interesting to see what the American press makes of London, especially when they're being as speficic as to write about somewhere like the "south London neighborhood of Stockwell" Take this Washington Post article for instance (registration might be required): Albert Siriboe is a black man in his twenties who lives south of the Thames River, which he said means he is likely to be stopped by police at any time for no......

Remember the South Bank Beach project? Remember how it got tied up in bureaucratic knots thanks to Lambeth Council? Well the council were supposed to finally get round to giving their approval to the project yesterday but, wouldn't you know it, they cocked up again. The problem this time? Councillors "failed to visit the site beside the London-Eye before their meeting". Which means they won't get around to it now until the beginning of......

Never one to mince his words, Ken Livingstone has called for Lord Hollick, chairman of the South Bank Centre, to be sacked over his "blackmailing" of the London Eye. Other Labour bigwigs have now also weighed into the furore, with Culture Minister Tessa Jowell penning a personal letter to Hollick; and Kate Hoey of Lambeth Council is also apparently attempting to "broker a deal", although her diplomacy skills may need some work: Lord Hollick's......

Remember the South Bank Beach project we reported on recently? Well it looks like it's run into problems already. Unsurprisingly it's Lambeth Council who are responsible for the delay. According to reports in the papers certain 'objectors' (including Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey) want to visit the Hungerford coach park site before they give their ok. South Bank Beach Ltd were hoping to get a decision from the council last night but now it looks......