In May's Mayor's Question Time, Caroline pressed the Mayor on scrutiny mechanisms for the Metropolitan Police. A positive step was the confirmation that outside expertise will be an important feature of the new Policing Board – as Caroline has called for in the past.
Responding to comments by London Mayor Sadiq Khan at Mayor's Question Time, where he refused to support repealing the Public Order Act, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Police & Crime Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“The new powers in the Public Order Act are dangerous, unnecessary and illiberal. The recent arrests of republican protestors at the Coronation this month only demonstrated the array of problems within this legislation.
As the cost of the Greater London Authority's move to Royal Docks passed the £30m mark, Caroline Pidgeon criticised the decision to move.
“Moving City Hall has saved very little to the public purse out of the Mayor’s annual £20 billion budget. The new building is not fit for purpose and even more money is now having to be spent to make it work for the GLA staff who are based there.
“This was a foolish decision by the Mayor, leaving the iconic, purpose-built City Hall building empty next to Tower Bridge.”
Responding to the news that Sadiq Khan’s expansion of ULEZ will face a judicial review, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Deputy Chair of the Transport Committee Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“We all agree tackling air pollution is one of the most important issues for Londoners. Poor air quality is literally costing lives.
“However, any expansion of ULEZ should come with investment in public transport to offset the costs for communities in outer London.
With the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion imminent, Caroline Pidgeon pushed the Mayor to reinstate the buses that were cancelled in Richmond during the pandemic – but he could not commit to even reviewing the issue.
Caroline said:
Residents in Outer London will be really concerned. They want more buses, not fewer, across London.
Responding to the announcement of the ‘Superloop’ bus network of express buses in outer London, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member and Transport Spokesperson Caroline Pidgeon AM said:
“As someone who has been proposing orbital routes in London for the best part of 15 years in the Assembly, I’m broadly supportive of today’s announcement.
“However, we need to see the details and a key test of whether or not this will be a beneficial policy is if these are genuinely additional bus routes, or a rebranding of old routes.
At People's Question Time, Caroline set out the Liberal Democrats' practical proposals to make the Ultra Low Emission Zone work for Londoners.
Caroline said:
Caroline Pidgeon AM has criticised the Mayor for rejecting the London Assembly's motion calling on him to help outer Londoners with the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone by investing in bus services and expanding the car scrappage scheme.
Caroline said:
On Thursday, the Assembly debated Sadiq Khan’s budget for London for 2023-2024. The Liberal Democrat Group secured an historic amendment to the Mayor’s budget – it is simple, affordable and will be effective in helping people in Outer London to cope with the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion.
The Lib Dems proposed:
At Mayor's Question Time, Caroline pressed the Mayor on the issue of noise levels on the Tube. At the worst hotspots – such as South Wimbledon and Canning Town – passengers are subjected to the equivalent of a rock concert or a plane coming in to land.
