Brent + London-wide stories
Jubilee Line fiasco must lead to new policy on tube upgrades
12 August 2010 - 9:44pm — AdministratorCaroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on today’s apology by London Underground for the years of suffering faced by passengers on the Jubilee Line and the announcement that there will still be 15 weekends of full or partial closures before Christmas, said:
"This is grim news for all the Jubilee Line passengers who have suffered so much disruption over months and years. There is no light at the end of the tunnel just more and more closures.
Caroline welcomes cancellation of August Northern Line closures
28 July 2010 - 10:03pm — Administrator
Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat Assembly Group and transport spokesperson, commenting on Transport for London’s sudden decision to cancel most weekend closures on the Northern Line during the month of August after their review of required weekend closures, said:
Brent still has three of London's worst bus routes
25 July 2010 - 7:15pm — AdministratorThrough questions to the Mayor in the London Assembly, Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon AM has revealed that around a third of the capital’s worst bus routes run through Brent.
The 220, 452 and 228 all fell within the ten worst performing routes in London, according to independent watchdog TravelWatch. The service on the 228 was singled out for particular concern by the Chair of London Travelwatch.
Fun and games in Brent!
25 July 2010 - 5:26pm — Administrator
Caroline Pidgeon AM joined Brent Liberal Democrats at their summer barbecue in Kingsbury on Sunday 18th July. Caroline was invited by Leader of the Lib Dem Group Cllr Paul Lorber and Deputy Leader Cllr Daniel Brown, with whom she worked in the 1990s.
Caroline joins Lib Dems from across London and the UK at Pride 2010
19 July 2010 - 9:21pm — Administrator
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the London Assembly Lib Dems, joined senior Lib Dems including Lynne Featherstone MP, Sarah Ludford MEP, and party president Ros Scott, at the Pride London 2010 event on Saturday 3rd July - the UK's largest annual LGBT event.
£8,000 wasted on unused Help Points at Neasden station
10 July 2010 - 4:15pm — Administrator
Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem leader in the London Assembly, has joined Brent Lib Dem councillors in criticising Transport for London's waste of £8,000 installing Help Points at Neasden tube station - and never putting them into use for passengers.
The Mayor recently confirmed in answer to a question from Caroline that Neasden is the only tube station to have had Help Points fitted which are then not used. He also confirmed that "on average the cost is £4,000 for the unit. The two disused Help Points at Neasden could have cost around £8,000 of taxpayers’ money.
The national Public Accounts Committee found that £410 million had been wasted by the former Labour Government by failing to properly risk manage of having various parts of the management of the Tube leased to the private sector on 30-year leases.
Caroline Pidgeon receives pledge that a new approach will be considered for upgrading the Northern Line
23 May 2010 - 6:01pm — AdministratorCaroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson, today received an assurance from the Mayor that following the end of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for London Underground he will now “look at all options” over how to upgrade the Northern Line.
Caroline Pidgeon, who has been a long-standing advocate of the use of temporary blockades to complete the upgrades, said:
Five-point plan for a better Northern Line upgrade
8 April 2010 - 9:43pm — Administrator
Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem chair of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, has proposed a five-point plan to get the Northern line upgrade completed with the minimum possible disruption to residents and businesses who rely on the line.
In a letter to Ed Fordham, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, Caroline makes these proposals:
- All current upgrade plans be immediately suspended for 3-4 months, allowing a full consultation to be conducted, enabling local residents and businesses to have their views heard.
- Replace months of early evening and weekend closures with short, sharp bursts of work on sections of the Northern line (blockades lasting several weeks).
- Keep the Northern line open when the London Overground rail network or the Jubilee Line are closed for upgrade work.
Tories rely on disgraced councillor to pass fire budget
21 March 2010 - 7:33pm — AdministratorLiberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon and Councillor Ed Butcher, Lib Dem Fire Leader, walked out of today’s budget meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). This was in protest at the decision of the Tories prohibiting the filming of the disgraced Councillor, Bertha Joseph, who was present and voting for the half billion pound budget.
Caroline Pidgeon commented:
“The Tories want to hide their shameful secret from the public that today’s Budget was passed due to the support of Councillor Joseph – someone who has been found guilty of serious wrongdoing and is unable to act as a councillor in her own borough.
“This is simply wrong and the Liberal Democrats want no part of this. It brings the Authority and the Mayor into disrepute.
“It is time that the Mayor took decisive action and sacked Bertha Joseph.”
The Jubilee Line deserves later opening hours
21 March 2010 - 7:28pm — AdministratorThe Mayor has been urged to deliver on his pledge to Londoners to extend the tube’s opening hours on Friday and Saturday nights, starting with the Jubilee Line, at today’s Mayor’s Question Time (Wednesday 17th March).
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, reminded the Mayor of his specific election pledge to extend the opening hours of the whole tube network for one hour later on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Speaking after her question to the Mayor she said:
“The Mayor was elected promising to extend the opening hours of the whole tube network. It is now time he honoured his pledge, starting with the Jubilee Line, where the upgrade works be completed this year.
“Everyone who uses this line has already faced months of inconvenience and many traders that rely on weekend and evening business have been hit for six. If there is one line that deserves to benefit from longer hours it must be the Jubilee Line.
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