Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s announcement of a lead contractor to construct London’s cable car, said:
“A cable car crossing the Thames is a great idea, but it is a great idea being let down by poor financial planning and a lack of openness.
“The Mayor must now come clean and state why as recently as July 2010 he was claiming the cable car would cost £25 million, but already its projected cost has doubled.
“Most fundamentally the Mayor must explain to Londoners why just a few months ago he was boasting that the cable car would be entirely privately funded, but now Transport for London are set to fund all the upfront costs – possibly diverting money from other important transport projects.
“It is precisely because the cable car is such an important project that its funding and delivery must be taken seriously."
You can read more on the BBC website here.
The Scoop blog on the Snipe website also quotes Caroline and covers the angle of the Mayor's hunt for a big-name sponsor.
The London Reconnections blog has an excellent summary of the cable car situation here.
Also, Andrew Gilligan in the Daily Telegraph criticises the Mayor's use of £50 million of public money on a "gimmick".