Caroline's news

On the first day of reduced ticket office opening hours affecting commuters across London, Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commented:

"In 2008 Boris Johnson promised in his election manifesto to keep ticket offices on the Tube network open. Now in 2011 he is closing the very offices he promised to save. The reduction in opening hours means that ticket offices are now effectively closed for many people. Is that really offering passengers a better service?"

The total level of unpaid Congestion Charge by embassies based in London will soar through the £50 million figure this month predicts Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.

At the start of the year £48.7 million was owed to Londoners by embassies. Transport for London (TfL) have now confirmed that as of yesterday the figure had reached £49.4 million and that later this month the total unpaid bill will exceed £50 million.

Caroline Pidgeon commented:

“The amount in unpaid Congestion Charges and Penalty Charge Notices owed by embassies is now so large that it could pay for more than 260 new buses on London’s streets, or fund the significant expansion of the cycle hire scheme, or alternatively reduce fare rises.

“It is disgraceful that £50 million is now being denied to Londoners by embassies that dodge paying the Congestion Charge. The small minority of embassies that think it is acceptable to evade paying the Congestion Charge are insulting each and every Londoner.

The London SE1 website has an article on the Mayor's admission - when questioned by Caroline Pidgeon - that he has suspended plans for a "Blue Light Museum" honouring the history of London's emergency services, which would combine the collections of the Fire Brigade Museum in Southwark, the London Ambulance Service's museum in Ilford, and possibly the police's Black Museum in Scotland Yard.

You can read the full article here.

The Evening Standard reports on the pressure on the Mayor from the London Assembly to restrict free travel privileges to TfL employees themselves - not to anyone that they share an address with.

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the London Assembly Lib Dems, is quoted:

Staff should retain rights to free travel, but it costs £30 million a year to allow TfL employees to nominate a friend or family member to get free travel. This money could go towards holding down fares. It is madness that friends, family members and even lodgers of TfL staff can get free travel.

You can read the full article here.

Caroline Pidgeon was guest speaker at the Lewisham Lib Dem Supper Club in January at a Thai restaurant in Brockley.

Caroline spoke about the transport issues in London where the Mayor has really let Londoners down, and listened to concerns from local members about local issues such as keeping safer neighbourhood teams and the libraries that are under threat from Labour-run Lewisham Council.