Category Archives: Caroline Pidgeon

Tories, LibDems and Labour vote against City Hall transparency

Londoners are entitled to ask ‘what have they got to hide’ after the majority of Assembly Members voted down a Green Party motion which will have required them to publicise their meetings with lobbyists and other interest groups In an … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Andrew Boff, Caroline Pidgeon, Caroline Russell, Elly Baker, Leonie Cooper, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Marina Ahmad, Murad Qureshi, Shaun Bailey, Sian Berry, Susan Hall, Unmesh Desai | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mayor Khan delivers another TfL fares freeze through to 2025

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is freezing all fares on Transport for London services until 2025, City Hall announced this morning. Mayor Khan’s office says people could save up to £90 a year under the plans, part of a £123million investment … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 London elections, Boris Johnson, Caroline Pidgeon, Commuting, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Neil Garratt, Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

LibDems’ 450 bus survey shows election campaign has begun

Political Editor WALTER CRONXITE spots the tell-tale signs of a bit of political opportunism – and valuable data-scraping At a time of global conflicts, humanitarian catastrophe and, here at home, homelessness and cost of living crises, whether a suburban London … Continue reading

Posted in 2024 General Election, 2024 London elections, Caroline Pidgeon, Claire Bonham, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport, ULEZ, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tram passengers face 6.5% fare rise as TfL feels the squeeze

London’s Tube, bus and tram fares are to be increased by an average of almost 5per cent, the biggest annual jump in Transport for London fares since 2012, when Boris Johnson was London Mayor. The daily tram and bus cap … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Caroline Pidgeon, Christian Wolmar, Commuting, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sian Berry, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thameslink can’t blame covid for service cuts, says Pidgeon

Swingeing cuts to rail services by Govia Thameslink Railway have caused one London Assembly Member to declare that she is “totally unsatisfied with the timetable GTR are providing”. Among the worst-affected are those who used to travel from Purley and … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Commuting, Coulsdon, East Croydon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Purley, Selhurst, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Greens and LibDems team up with the Tories at City Hall

Less than a week since Assembly Members were elected to City Hall, a Labour party strop has left the London Assembly hobbled in its work of holding the capital’s devolved government to account, as the Greens and LibDems have forged … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Caroline Pidgeon, Caroline Russell, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Sian Berry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nearly 1,000 catalytic converter thefts in borough in 2020

Official police figures published today show that Croydon is the second worst-hit borough in London for catalytic converter thefts, while the number of arrests for the crime remain “pitifully low”, according to a London Assembly Member. Crime stats show that … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Crime, London-wide issues | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

We need urgent return to real community policing in London

CROYDON COMMENTARY: It was Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the Metropolitan Police, who said that ‘the ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval’. Assembly Member CAROLINE PIDGEON, pictured right, says that there’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Crime, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tories accused of ‘playing childish political games’ over TfL

JEREMY CLACKSON, transport correspondent, on the latest last-gasp arrangement forced on the capital by anti-London Dominic Cummings and his government Croydon South MP Chris Philp and his Tory government have consigned the whole of London to significant Council Tax rises … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Caroline Pidgeon, Chris Philp MP, Commuting, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Paul Scully MP, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London’s free school travel to end in October, Tories insist

The Conservatives – the party of “Maggie Thatcher – Milk Snatcher!” when they took away kids’ school milk in the 1970s – is now pushing ahead with demands to remove free travel on London’s buses, Tubes and trams for most … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Caroline Pidgeon, Commuting, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Threats of libel action as Sutton election campaign turns nasty

EXCLUSIVE: Chuka Umunna, Jo Swinson, Caroline Lucas, even Bianca Jagger, have all taken at face value allegations made by a Liberal Democrat General Election candidate, and so now could now be dragged into a bitter legal action. Our Sutton investigations … Continue reading

Posted in 2019 General Election, Caroline Pidgeon, Hina Bokhari, Paul Burstow MP, Paul Scully MP, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tim Crowley, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Transport expert asks RAIB to re-open tram safety investigation

Transport for London has been accused of covering up a second safety report into fatigue among tram drivers – when driver tiredness thought to be one of the prime causes of the 2016 Croydon tram crash, in which seven people … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayor Khan under growing pressure over tram fatigue cover-up

A former senior adviser to two London Mayors will use the transport committee meeting at City Hall tomorrow to call for an independent investigation into how TfL censored a safety report at the request of the tram operators, and then … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, Mayor of London, New Addington, Sadiq Khan, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TfL ‘scandal putting passengers at risk’ over driver fatigue

Three years on from the Croydon tram crash, London’s transport chiefs’ reluctance, or failure, to act decisively on the issue of driver fatigue on the capital’s buses and tram network is “a scandal that is putting passengers at risk”, according … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Commuting, Croydon Central, London Assembly, Mayor of London, Sandilands derailment, Sarah Jones MP, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Documents show TfL censored safety audit after tram crash

Long-standing suspicions that there has been a cover-up over safety reports relating to the tram network following the 2016 Sandilands crash appear to be confirmed today, with the publication of a file of documents which show that reports critical of … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mayor refuses to say if Barwell was questioned over Grenfell

Unlike most people when newly out of work, gaffe-prone Gavin Barwell didn’t spend his first day of unemployment looking for a new job. The £150,000 per year Downing Street chief of staff until Boris Johnson’s coronation on Wednesday, Barwell spent … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Gavin Barwell, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Policing, Sadiq Khan, Steve Reed MP | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tory Bailey manages just a single question for Mayor Khan

Shaun Bailey, the Conservative Party candidate in next year’s London Mayor elections, is so hard-working that he managed to put up just a single question for last month’s session of Mayor’s Question Time. Bailey, who has been a London Assembly … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Caroline Pidgeon, Caroline Russell, Fiona Twycross, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Steve O'Connell | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bonham selected by LibDems to seize Assembly seat chance

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE reports that while Labour in London is sitting on their hands over next year’s Assembly elections, their polling booth rivals are already getting to work Chuka Umunna, who was elected as the Labour MP for Streatham … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Claire Bonham, London Assembly, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Sutton Council | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

LibDem by-election candidate whose businesses left £9m debts

EXCLUSIVE: Campaigning in the Wallington North council by-election in Sutton is well underway, with the Liberal Democrats championing a candidate who has a recent record of business failures that have left his employees and the taxman hugely out of pocket. … Continue reading

Posted in Barry Lewis, Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Nick Mattey, Policing, Ruth Dombey, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pidgeon critical of TfL plan to shorten 11 Croydon bus routes

A London Assembly Member has joined local community passenger groups in accusing Transport for London of having already accepted tenders for some of the 11 routes through central Croydon which are set to be curtailed and shortened. TfL’s consultation on … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Commuting, East Croydon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Transport, West Croydon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

LibDems’ Mayoral candidate shows that Khan is a shoo-in

WALTER CRONXITE on the latest low-powered London election selection London’s Liberal Democrats are gathering in a phone box in Canary Wharf this morning for their annual conference, where their candidate for Mayor in  2020, Siobhan Benita, will give her first … Continue reading

Posted in 2021 London elections, Brian Paddick, Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

O’Connell’s ‘reap what you sow’ remarks branded ‘terrifying’

Political editor WALTER CRONXITE on how a Tory councillor has been forced into a climbdown after appearing to voice support for right-wing thugs after their assault on peaceful protesters There was cross-party condemnation last night for Steve O’Connell, the Croydon … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Policing, Steve O'Connell, Tom Copley | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Now Mayor Khan takes an axe to his tree-planting programme

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has effectively cried “Timber!” to his promise to plant 2million trees along the capital’s roads. Such is the pressure on Transport for London’s budgets that it no longer has a dedicated amount of money … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, Environment, Health, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, TfL, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More questions after TfL is forced to publish tram fatigue report

Transport correspondent JEREMY CLACKSON on an intriguing turn of events over a previously suppressed Transport for London report Within days of Inside Croydon highlighting the failure of Transport for London to share a safety audit report into driver fatigue with … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, London-wide issues, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Residents expect to be safe travelling on public transport’

Politicians at Croydon Town Hall and in City Hall this afternoon called for all of the recommendations in the RAIB report to be implemented as soon as possible. The Rail Accident Investigations Branch report published today followed an investigation into … Continue reading

Posted in Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly, Sandilands derailment, TfL, Tony Newman, Tramlink, Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment