Business Diary: Time for Boris to ban the boards

Tuesday 13 July 2010 00:00 BST
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Come on Boris, pull your finger out: the capital's estate agents are getting above their station again. For years now, London-based property companies have been barred from putting up their dreadful boards (you try getting them to take one down) across much of the centre of the capital. But the regulations banning them have now expired, prompting something of a free-for-all from agents that work in central London. Time for Mayor Boris Johnson to step in, surely?

Bookmaker plots revenge

Fair play to Graeme Sharpe, head spin doctor at William Hill. The bookie may have taken a bit of a kicking during the World Cup at the hands of Paul the octopus, whom punters began following in ever greater numbers as his record of tipping the winners of games was extended. But at least Sharpe hasn't lost his sense of humour: he is off on holiday in a couple of weeks and Paul's mates would be wise to keep a low profile. "I'm going to the seaside and intend to eat as much octopus as I can cram down as revenge," he says.

The web's future: Prince v Kenny G

It is the issue that is dividing the media industry. Is the internet really "completely over" as the singer Prince has been claiming, comparing it with an "outdated MTV"? Well, Kenny G for one certainly doesn't think so. "If the internet is dead, then I must be dead too, because I use it all the time," the saxophonist said yesterday. Some comfort there for those who have invested heavily in online business models, though it must be said that the 54-year-old king of easy jazz may not necessarily be at the cutting edge.

Climbing high in a good cause

Our best wishes to Stuart Southall, the chairman of the Association of Consulting Actuaries, who this week sets off on a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the charity, Kids Company – the target is £5,000. Southall, naturally, has done the maths: he reckons on raising 25p for every foot climbed, and plans to reach the summit on Saturday.

businessdiary@independent.co.uk

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