In the news articles

Who is the real Boris Johnson?

Writing for Liberal Democrat Voice, Caroline explains why scrutinising Boris Johnson for eight years at City Hall has convinced her he is unfit to be Prime Minister.

But apart from being reckless with public money, Boris always acted as though he was born to rule us all; he had an absolute right and did not respond well to scrutiny. When I asked him tough questions about the garden bridge, he described me as having a “Taliban-like hatred of objects of beauty.” He also patronised and spoke down to female assembly members, routinely mocking what they said.

Look at his real record and then ask the question of whether this person is fit to be Prime Minister.

My mind is clear, the answer is no.

21 June 2019 - 10:51pm

Shameful that no senior person has taken responsibility for Crossrail's failures

As the London Assembly Transport Committee published its report into the handling of the long-delayed Crossrail project, committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said:

“It is a complete tragedy that one of the most highly anticipated engineering projects the world has ever seen has found itself in a mess of overspending, mismanagement and an embarrassingly long delay.

4 May 2019 - 5:20pm

Charity Commission is clear that the Garden Bridge was an expensive folly

The Charity Commission has released its report into the Garden Bridge project and the role of the trustees in overseeing the failure. It criticised the lack of transparency from the trustees, while not accusing the trustees of mismanagement or of breaking the law.

Caroline Pidgeon commented:

"The report is in some ways disappointing.

But the Charity Commission is, above all else, highlighting that the Garden Bridge project was a high-profile and expensive failure, with significant sums of public money thrown away for absolutely nothing of public benefit. This is clear to everyone it seems other than Boris Johnson and George Osborne, who so foolishly invested so much time and taxpayers’ money in this absolute folly of a project.

10 April 2019 - 12:43pm

Tax break for polluters is holding back clean refrigeration technology

Caroline Pidgeon has spoken out about the continued tax break for "red diesel" used to power industrial refrigeration units, when much cleaner alternatives exist.

"It is appalling that the government has decided against closing the tax break.

"Ending the anomaly of the low taxation of red diesel would immediately send out incentives for new technology to be adopted.

"By their failure to take action the Treasury and Defra are defending a tax break which leads to more polluted air."

10 April 2019 - 12:36pm

English Heritage finally recognising Emily Davison is long overdue

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat Londonwide Assembly Member, has welcomed the decision by English Heritage to finally ensure a Blue Plaque is provided to recognise and celebrate the life of the suffragette Emily Davison.

Caroline first urged English Heritage to recognise Emily Davison back in 2015.

Setting out why it is so important that the life of the Blackheath resident is properly recognised, Caroline Pidgeon said:

12 March 2019 - 3:39pm

It's now even harder to believe the Mayor didn't know of Crossrail delays in advance

After a Freedom of Information Request revealed that Crossrail and TfL were drafting press releases about the delay to Crossrail 12 days before the Mayor announced it last August, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“The Mayor’s repeated claims that he only knew about the delayed opening date of the central section of Crossrail just two days before the public announcement are now even harder to believe.

17 February 2019 - 8:55pm

The concerning levels of air pollution in the Tube need to be better monitored

A report by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has found that pollution from dust, dirt and smoke particles in the Underground can be 30 times worse than even the busiest roads above ground.

“With large parts of the London Underground in deep and poorly ventilated tunnels it is vital that there is far more monitoring of dust and air pollution" said Caroline.

Read more in City Matters.

7 February 2019 - 4:15pm

TfL needs to be open with Londoners about the Battersea tube extension delay

After Transport for London announced that the Northern Line extension to Battersea will not be open until 2021, but claimed that this would not result in a loss of revenue for TfL, Caroline Pidgeon told City AM:

"I fail to understand how the delayed opening of the Northern Line will not impact on revenue generated by TfL. There are already extensive retail and leisure facilities at Battersea Power Station, along with homes for sale. It is clear that as soon as the line is open there will be an extensive customer base.

7 February 2019 - 4:01pm

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