In the news articles

Londoners just want someone who can get the job done - interview from Caroline

In an interview with the Richmond and Twickenham Times, Caroline Pidgeon talks about the mayoral election campaign so far, and a wide range of issues from Heathrow expansion, to solutions for the housing crisis.

On the campaign as a whole, Caroline says:

"The race is still wide open.

"People don’t know the candidates tremendously well this time round, and there has been a great response to the fact that I am a woman.

It is a mockery to claim there was an open and fair competition over Garden Bridge

Caroline Pidgeon and other members of the London Assembly's GLA Oversight Committee put pressure on the Mayor this week about the process that has been followed to award Heatherwick Studio the contract for the Garden Bridge.

Speaking after the committee meeting, Caroline said:

“You don’t start lobbying for investment in a specific scheme when it has not been selected unless you are absolutely certain of the outcome.

One third of London hospitals still fail to help police tackle knife crime

Over a third of hospitals in London are still failing to take part in a scheme which has been proven to dramatically reduce knife crime. The admission that many hospitals are still not sharing anonymous data collected from knife victims was made this week by Stephen Greenhalgh, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

West Ham's Olympic Stadium deal should be made fully public

As the London Assembly called unanimously for the terms of West Ham United's rental of the Olympic Stadium to be made public, Caroline Pidgeon commented:

“West Ham United Football Club knew full well that it would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act when it entered into an agreement with LLDC.

“No mayoral body should be hiding a deal over the use of a largely taxpayer-funded stadium.”

Action not rhetoric needed to tackle the scourge of knife crime across London

Westminster politicians are hiding from the real facts about the level of knife crime in London and its impact on young people. This is the hard hitting finding of a new report on knife crime by the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon.

Statistics gathered by the London Assembly Member reveal that during the six-week General Election period (26th March – 8th May) London saw 789 recorded victims of serious youth violence, 1231 victims of knife crime and 441 victims of knife crime with injury.

Murky funding arrangements for Garden Bridge risk the public purse

As building work on the Garden Bridge is due to begin despite a £30m funding shortfall, Caroline Pidgeon has expressed concerns that the funding arrangements are “as murky as the water that flows down the Thames” and stressed that both the Department for Transport and the Mayor need to prove they had properly planned for any future problems without extra calls on public money.

Wealthy football teams should pay the full costs for the policing of games

At a time when the Met is facing serious budget pressures London’s football teams are forcing the Metropolitan Police Service to pick up a policing bill of over £4 million a year.

Following a written question to the Mayor of London it has been revealed by Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, that between the start of last year’s football season and May of this year the cost of policing outside football stadiums generated a bill of £4.2 million for the Met.

Bus company penalty system must prioritise safety

As Transport for London released figures showing that London bus accidents cause a death every three weeks, Caroline Pidgeon said:

“There is something seriously wrong when the penalties facing bus companies are stacked towards tackling lateness when safety should be the very first priority.

“Bus companies must face stiff penalties if they take any risks with passenger safety.”

Defend the Freedom Of Information Act

Writing for Liberal Democrat voice on the government's threats to the Freedom Of Information Act, Caroline Pidgeon said:

The announcement this Summer that Ministers are now seeking to ‘review’ the freedom of information act had a most depressing ring to it.

...

I suggest that instead of putting the Act under scrutiny we should start now putting its critics under the microscope.

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