On Wednesday 10 June, Caroline spoke on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group on a motion about the proposed super-prison in Dagenham.
The proposal came out of the blue for local residents who were led to believe that the London Riverside regeneration area would lead to new housing and local community facilities.
"It was unbelievable that the Government announced this site for a super prison, even though it had not even featured on a list of possible sites obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The local community needs to be properly consulted on this and to decide if a prison should feature at all in the plans to regenerate this site owned by the London Development Agency," commented Caroline Pidgeon AM.
The full text of the amended motion reads as follows:
"The London Assembly believes that the proposal to site a prison at Dagenham shows the Government's and Mayor’s absence of ambition for the London Riverside regeneration area and calls upon the Mayor to oppose the plans.
"The Assembly also believes that the local community should be fully consulted both about the plans and the future regeneration of their area, and in particular deplores the failure to consult with the local community or its representatives on the proposal for a prison. We note that the proposed prison site is owned by the London Development Agency and that the LDA and Mayor’s office have been intimately involved in the development of these plans.
"The Assembly further calls upon the LDA to come forward with positive proposals to make London Riverside a place where people want to live, not where they are made to."