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.
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.
The Mayor and Transport for London have claimed that there will be two new buses in the Borough of Sutton. Unfortunately, as Caroline Pidgeon's questioning of the Mayor revealed, there are no new bus routes – just tweaks to existing ones.
In the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Caroline Pidgeon therefore asked the Met Commissioner to commit to stopping the closure of police stations – which are a core part of our frontline policing system and have been decimated.
Responding to Caroline Pidgeon's questions in the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Baroness Casey admitted she would expect the numbers of officers dismissed for misconduct to be "in the several hundreds".
Caroline said:
"Huge change is needed for the Met Police to become a service for Londoners that we can all have faith in."
Caroline Pidgeon spoke in the London Assembly in support of a motion requesting the Mayor to strengthen London's institutional response to violence against women and girls, and to write to the Home Secretary to call for a register of domestic abusers, and for misogyny to be made a hate crime.
Caroline said:
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.
