The £48m project to provide step-free facilities at Green Park Tube station has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget by Tube Lines and London Underground. Passengers with restricted mobility, as well as people with heavy luggage or buggies, are now able to use the new lifts at Green Park Tube station to access the Piccadilly, Victoria and Jubilee line platforms. Other work includes new flooring, ceiling, lighting, tiling and signage in the ticket hall plus new entrances and lift lobbies.

During the 2012 Games Green Park will be a key station as it will enable customers to change onto the Jubilee line for access to the Olympic Park, Wembley and North Greenwich. Green Park is also an interchange for travellers heading to Heathrow airport and other key transport hubs such as St.Pancras International rail station.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “It is great news that passengers using Green Park every day can now take advantage of the huge improvements that have been made there. Next year it will be a very important part of the plan to help millions of Londoners and visitors to our great city get around during the Games. We want to make the links into the Olympic venues as strong as possible and the ease of passage between them as smooth as possible.”

The major upgrade of Green Park station also includes a new canopy and a new staircase on the south side of Piccadilly, public space improvements outside the station and beautiful artwork integral to the station buildings.

Jon Lamonte, Senior Transport for London Director, said: “This is a busy station, popular with visitors to central London and will be an important link to the Olympic and Paralympic venues. Tube Lines and London Underground have worked tirelessly, day and night, to deliver improvements at Green Park station ahead of schedule and well below budget.”

63 Tube stations are now step-free from street to platform level. By the time of the 2012 Games 65 Tube stations will be step-free. Transport for London has applied for funding from the Government to help make further stations in the capital ‘step free’. Confirmation of whether that funding might be granted is expected within the next month.

Art on the Underground has commissioned artist John Maine RA to create a new artwork which forms part of the station structure for customers to enjoy. The work focuses on the geology of the Portland stone cladding and setting of the station in the natural environment of Green Park.

GMB and TUC are today (Monday) calling on Tate & Lyle sugar refineries in London to challenge the Fijian military government to end the rapidly escalating labour rights abuses in the country.

Last Wednesday (3 August), President of the Fiji Trades Union Congress Daniel Urai and another union leader were arrested on charges of holding a union meeting without a permit.

On the same day, the military government introduced the Essential National Industries (Employment) Decree, which, according to the Fiji Trades Union Congress, “will effectively abolish all trade unions in Fiji”.

The decree bans, among other workplace rights, the representation of workers by unions in collective bargaining and industrial action. It voids all current collective bargaining agreements within 60 days and cancels all wages council orders relating to minimum terms and conditions of work in key national industries. See notes 3 and 4 below.

Tate & Lyle in the UK has significant leverage over the regime in Fiji, purchasing 100 per cent of its sugar exports. The military government has a controlling stake in the industry, which is the country’s biggest exporter and source of employment. Many labour rights abuses have taken place in the sugar industry.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber and GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny, whose union represents workers at Tate & Lyle in London, wrote to management on Friday (5 August), calling on them to press the military government to end the labour rights abuses in the country. See note 2 below.

Brendan Barber said: “People would be horrified to know that the sugar in their cup of tea this morning may be propping up Fijian generals busy jailing or harassing ordinary working people.

Now this new decree is tearing up decent working conditions for Fijians, and is a death sentence for their trade unions.

The dictatorship is totally dependent on its trade with Tate & Lyle here in London. The company need to use this enormous leverage over them to press the Fijian government to respect human rights.”

Paul Kenny said: “Tate & Lyle is a good employer here in Britain. We are calling on them to make sure that workers in the cane fields and sugar mills in Fiji where they source from can enjoy the same decent working conditions.

Tate & Lyle publicly claim to be ‘operating to high social, ethical and environmental standards in all circumstances’. Let’s hope they can now put those words into action.”

The destruction and looting across London that has spread to other cities in England, although notably not Wales or Scotland yet, has received the wholehearted condemnation of politicians of all colours and below we print a sample of their unabridged statements. Alone amongst the politicians, Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party has called for solutions without seeking to apportion blame. Now London applauds this approach, one from which the other leaders could learn much.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “I was watching the TV news in the Canadian town of Calgary last night as I waited to catch a plane, and as the images of a blazing London filled the screen I felt a series of emotions.

I felt a sickening sense of incredulity that this could really be happening in our city. I felt a blinding anger at the callousness and selfishness of the rioters.

Then I felt something else, as I stood in the gaggle of Canadians and others, a feeling I found hard at first to pin down since I had never felt it before in relation to the city I am proud to represent.

I felt ashamed – ashamed at the actions of a small but significant minority of our fellow Londoners, and the damage they are doing to their own economic prospects and the reputation of London around the planet.

In less than 12 months we will welcome the world to a great summer games in the greatest city on earth – and by then we must all hope that we will look back on these events as a bad dream.

It can be done. But it will be hard, and we will have our work cut out.

To all those who have suffered the destruction of their property, and to all those who have been terrified by rioting youths, I can only say how sorry I am and how heartbroken I am by the losses they have suffered.

People will ask how the police could have allowed things to get so out of control.

There will be questions about police numbers and tactics, to say nothing of the original questions about the circumstances of the shooting of Mark Duggan, which must be thoroughly investigated.

These are legitimate questions that I, and others, will continue to pose. And yet it would be an utter travesty to blame these events on the police.

The police did not riot. The police did not loot or recklessly set fire to property. The police did not attack innocent bystanders.

These were the actions of criminals who took part in premeditated acts of violence and theft. I have read some of the conspiratorial “tweets” and frankly I find them nauseating in their jocular greed and brutality.

Yes, the UK has been going through the worst recession for 50 years, and yes, times have been tough.

But you don’t boost London’s job-generating prospects by smashing London’s shops. You don’t make it easier for small businesses to take on apprentices and interns by torching their premises.

Some people say these riots can be explained by the feeling of the looters that they “have no alternative.”

There is always an alternative to violence. Nothing can conceivably excuse the wanton destruction of property belonging to people who have been responding to the recession in a different way – by working harder, and getting up at 5 am to prepare their shops.

There have already been hundreds of arrests as a result of these events. We can expect more.

The rioters should reflect that they can cause temporary damage to the livelihoods of others, but that they can permanently wreck their own lives.

Together with colleagues I will today be going to some of the worst affected areas and talking to residents. I will have one overriding message: that London can and must come back from this.

We will repair every shop. We will rebuild every damaged area. We will accelerate initiatives already underway to stimulate growth and enterprise in areas such as Croydon and Tottenham.

We will redouble out efforts to deal with the root causes of the alienation of young people. We must tackle the illiteracy of the Under 11s, and through Team London we are recruiting more volunteers to help kids who are falling behind.

We have already helped to sponsor 30,000 apprenticeships. We need to take it up to 100,000. We have recruited 1700 black male mentors for some of the most difficult boys. We need to get up to 3000.

Above all, we need to rebuild trust between the police and the community. Huge progress has been made in the last ten years, but more needs to be done, especially in the recruitment of black and other minority ethnic officers.

We can make that progress, and we can repair the damage that has been done both at home and abroad. But first this madness must stop.”

London Councils Executive Member for Community Safety Cllr Claire Kober said:

“There is simply no justification for the widespread acts of criminality we have seen across the capital over the weekend. These people have attacked their own communities and they need to be brought to justice.

“Councillors across the capital will be working to help support their residents and allow the police and other emergency services to do their jobs.

“In the aftermath of these events, it is important that we do not lose sight of the great strides that have been made through community policing in the capital. This is not the 1980s and we are a much stronger, more resilient city for it.

“All of us in London government must look carefully at our response to these events. We have to focus our efforts on the interventions that we know work – from supporting youth offending teams to community-led initiatives to promote calm.

“We know that Londoners do not condone the actions of this minority and we will do all we can to strengthen and support our communities in responding to these criminal acts.”

Joanne McCartney AM, London Assembly Member for Enfield & Haringey said:

“I am appalled and dismayed by the extreme disturbances over these past few nights – there is no excuse or justification for these actions, and they are rightly comdemned by all of us.

I have visited the scences of wanton destruction in Tottenham and Enfield and have spoken to residents and traders about their utter disbelief and heartbreak – some of our neighbours are homeless, have lost their businesses and their livelihoods. These attacks are against all of us – but our community is resilient and will not allow these mindless looters and criminals to prevent us rebuilding and assisting those directly affected by these criminal acts.

Numbers of police officers have been injured, some seriously, and we must support all our emergency services as they put themselves in the front line and deal with these extraordinarily violent events.

Following the tragic death of Mark Duggan last Thursday his family are waiting for answers about the exact circumstances in which he died.  Mr Duggans’ family have spoken out against this violence. There are questions that need to be answered and it is right that this is independently investigated by the IPCC and that this is done as quickly as possible.

These events are a tragedy for London and pictures of devastation on our streets are being played the over the world – this does not represent the city I know and love.”

Ken Livingtone said: “The first priority must be to restore calm and peace to Tottenham. This is vital for the safety and wellbeing of all Londoners.

“As Tottenham’s Labour MP David Lammy has also said, justice can only follow a thorough investigation of the facts, but to understand those facts, we must have calm.

“People have had their homes and businesses damaged and destroyed – there can be no justification for that.

“While the first priority is to restore peace, to ensure the safety of everyone now and in the future it is also necessary to have a serious discussion about why this has happened.

“I am concerned that there is growing social dislocation in London and a threat that the police will be forced into escalating conflict with some London communities. We do not want to go back to the 1980s.

“The economic stagnation and cuts being imposed by the Tory government inevitably create social division. As when Margaret Thatcher imposed such policies during her recessions this creates the threat of people losing control, acting in completely unacceptable ways that threaten everyone, and culminating in events of the type we saw in Tottenham.

“Tories will issue knee-jerk statements demanding support for the police but they are actually cutting the police. That amounts to pure hypocrisy.

“The events in Tottenham show the need for the Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to cease seeing the job as one centring on trivial self-publicity and instead get a grip of the serious problems facing London. Boris Johnson’s policies of undermining community policing are particularly dangerous to Londoners under the conditions of the unnecessarily deep recession being imposed by the Tory-led government. In a period of cuts and unemployment it would be extreme folly to continue to erode the neighbourhood policing teams that put the Met into direct daily contact with communities and ensure a closer understanding between local people and the Met. The plan to force hundreds of sergeants in local police teams to reapply for their own jobs must be abandoned.

“Similarly at a time when we have seen the return of civil disorder it makes no sense to overstretch the police and make it harder for them to work, as the police cuts of Theresa May and Boris Johnson are doing. These Conservative cuts in police numbers must be halted.”

Now London OPINION PAGE

Thousands of residents and businesses are being sent information and detailed maps about the Central London Zone, which will be based around Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park, to help them plan for when the London 2012 Games arrive on their doorstep. Numerous Games venues will be based in central locations such as Horse Guards Parade, and free to view cycling and athletics events will take place on some of central London’s most famous streets. Several “National Houses” are proposed to be located in the area and Hyde Park will also host a Live Site where people will be able to soak up the Games atmosphere on giant screens.

The events will attract many thousands of spectators and additional visitors, and there will be significantly more pedestrians in the already busy area.

In order to ensure the extra pedestrians are able to get around safely and that the Games can run effectively – with the minimum of disruption for those who live and work in the Capital – some temporary changes will need to be made to roads in the Central London Zone. TfL will be putting in place additional pedestrian and road traffic management in central London during the 2012 Games which may include restricting turns into roads, suspending parking and loading bays, and changing bus lanes and stops.

In addition, parts of the Olympic Route Network (ORN) will run through key areas of central London. It is expected to begin operation just a couple of days before the Games begin, and TfL plans to end the operation of the ORN as soon as possible after the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Route Network (PRN), which will be significantly reduced in size, will similarly be installed just a couple of days before the Paralympic Games.

In addition, a small number of the events, such as the Olympic Cycling Road Races and Marathons, will take place on roads that are part of central London’s ORN. On those days a small number of additional road closures will be needed and an Alternative ORN (AORN) will be used to keep London moving’. All but one of the road events, the men’s Triathlon on 7 August, will take place at weekends.

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “Next summer will be a tremendously exciting time to be in central London. Shops, restaurants and other retail outlets in the area are set to benefit from the thousands of extra visitors, while local residents will have the world’s most important and exciting sporting and cultural event on their doorsteps.

“Central London’s transformation into a major sporting venue does mean that some changes need to be made to roads and footways, and the maps and other information we’ve published today are the result of the work TfL and Westminster City Council have done to find the safest and most effective way to manage the area during the Games.”

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said, “London as an Olympic city is going to be magical place to be next summer.  The world’s greatest city will take on an added dimension and this is particularly true in central London.  With sporting events, cultural events and other Games-related celebrations on top of the vibrancy you’d find on any day of the week, there will be challenges.  However by talking to residents and businesses now, I hope we can get everyone prepared so people can enjoy the special atmosphere the Games bring and continue with their everyday lives with minimal disruption.”

Leader of Westminster Council, Cllr Colin Barrow said: “Westminster is used to hosting major sporting events but the 2012 Games will present a unique set of challenges and will involve changes to the transport network. We are working closely with TfL and other agencies to ensure that the needs of residents and businesses are balanced with the important task of keeping London and the Games family moving.

“Test events this summer give us an important opportunity to gain insight into how Westminster will deal with this great occasion. We would ask businesses and residents to plan ahead and contact us if they have any concerns.”

Richard Dickinson, Chief Executive of The New West End Company, said: “According to a recent survey by Visa, the 2012 Games will provide a much needed £5bn boost to the UK economy including 18,000 new jobs every year until 2015.  That’s great for both Londoners and London’s business but to maximise the benefits and minimise the problems we need really robust plans that are also well communicated – especially on areas like transport.  These plans usefully kick start the process to make sure London is at the top of its game in 2012.”

TfL is continuing to work with Westminster City Council and other partners to find the safest and most effective way to put in the temporary road changes in the Central London Zone, and are about to begin engaging with businesses and residents. All 68,000 businesses and homes in the affected area, which will be centred around Horse Guards Parade, The Mall and Hyde Park venues, will be sent information, including detailed maps, during the coming week.