After her final Mayor's Question Time before standing down from the London Assembly, Caroline Pidgeon said:
"16 years, 160 oral questions to the Mayor, 8,300 written questions & countless committees later I've just asked my final question as a London Assembly Member.
The London Assembly has approved Caroline Pidgeon's motion calling for the Mayor to do everything possible to support Hammersmith & Fulham Council in repairing Hammersmith Bridge, and for the Government to accept its responsibility in the delays to date, and finally release the funding needed.
As Transport for London admitted that daily disruption on the Central line is likely to continue until the summer, Caroline Pidgeon said:
"The Mayor of London needs to focus less on pre-election gimmicks and more on the day job. Funding the Tube network properly needs to be a priority.
"We have already seen warnings this sort of disruption could spread to the Northern, Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines if this issue is not gotten to grips with."
The latest data on the ULEZ scrappage scheme shows that only 40 per cent of applications have been accepted so far.
The Liberal Democrats have pointed out this is yet more evidence that the Mayor should have accepted their Budget amendment last year that would have opened the scheme to everyone from day one, without means testing – and furthermore, that the current scheme should be open to retrospective applications.
Labour and the Conservatives have blocked the London Assembly Liberal Democrats' proposal to pilot a London Erasmus-style programme for young people across the capital.
Caroline Pidgeon has welcomed the freeze in London transport fares for 2024, but warned of the need to ensure that Transport for London has stable and sustainable funding.
Caroline said:
"Any fare freeze is obviously good news for those reliant on public transport in the midst of an inflationary crisis.
"However, many will be wondering why they had to wait until an election year to take place.
In January's Mayor's Question Time, Caroline raised the issue of the extremely poor service many Dial-a-Ride users across London are experiencing.
Caroline said:
"Under Sadiq Khan, the number of buses for Dial-a-Ride has been cut by 63%.
Caroline Pidgeon has described Sadiq Khan's budget for 2024/25 as a "sticking plaster" that does not address the need for long-term investment in infrastructure.
Caroline said:
“This is a sticking plaster budget from the mayor in an attempt to try and see himself through the upcoming election.
As the cost of shoplifting in London over 2023 was estimated at £110m, Caroline Pidgeon stressed the need for the Metropolitan Police to go "back to the basics" and invest in community policing.
Caroline said:
“The increase in shoplifting across London is unacceptable.
"The Met Commissioner and Sadiq Khan need to get to grips with a problem that is quickly becoming endemic. The fact that the rate of shoplifting has risen so much in London compared to the rest of the country is a real concern.
