Caroline's news

The Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group has presented a radical alternative to the Mayor’s draft budget, focused on creating 37,000 new jobs, safeguarding London’s fire and police services, and investing
£1.7 billion to build 55,000 new homes.

The proposals involve reponsible borrowing to invest, along with reversing the Mayor's proposed cut of council tax - by 7 pence per week.

At the same time the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Members have shown how extra resources can be found by cutting out long-standing wasteful and unnecessary expenditure, such as chauffeur driven cars for senior Met police officers.

Caroline recently attended a RoadPeace vigil dedicated to all cyclists and pedestrians who have been killed by lorries on our streets. The event was held near to Moorgate, at the London Wall junction with Copthall Avenue. It is the location where RoadPace Chair Cynthia Barlow's daughter Alex was killed by a lorry in 2000.

It is now a year since RoadPeace launched their new campaign: See Me Save Me. The See Me Save Me campaign is dedicated to reducing lorry danger and saving lives, and calls for the elimination of the blind spot through the use of HGB safety technologies such as sensors and cameras.

The Evening Standard has an article exploring the problems faced by commuters trying to use the cycle hire scheme, but finding there are no bikes available, or nowhere to dock them at the end of their journey. As the London Liberal Democrats have discovered, in May 2012 an astonishing 381 stations were entirely empty for more than an hour each day on average, and that 83 stations were empty for six hours or more each day — rendering them futile for long periods.

Caroline Pidgeon AM and Stephen Knight AM were delighted to meet some members from Enfield Liberal Democrats following the Mayor's Question Time on Wednesday 30th January.

The team sat in on questions to the Mayor on issues such as police cuts, affordable childcare and rail devolution

Caroline recently gave her full support to London's bid to host the 2018 Gay Games when she attended a parliamentary reception launching the campaign. Joining her in supporting the bid were Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire and the Minister for Women and Equalities, and Stephen Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP for St Austell and Newquay.

Explaining why she is supporting the bid Caroline said:

"The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were an immense success. The organisation, sporting infrastructure, transport system and most importantly the welcome provided by Londoners were factors that all received international acclaim. These important factors, combined with the incredible diversity and inclusive nature of London, will help ensure the 2018 Gay Games obtain similar levels of success.