Shaun Bailey this morning began a 32-hour bus tour of London as part of a final election campaign ahead of next week’s election.
Starting in West London, where he grew up, the Conservative candidate will travel to all London boroughs to “bring politics to the streets” and “solve the problems of local people”.
The first stop this morning was Hammersmith Bridge, which has been closed since April 2019 due to safety concerns.
Mr Bailey told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he had a “three step plan” to resolve the situation.
He said, “Number one: make the ferry free. Forcing people to cross the river, I think, is wrong because obviously the bridge has not been loaded.
“Number two is to install a temporary bridge. Either Beckett Rankine’s or I’m obviously in favor of the Bailey Bridge just so the locals and emergency services can cross.
“And third, you have to pay money to help build a replacement bridge. This should have been the plan in the first place. I don’t know why we are still arguing about this. The money is there, we just need to act. ”
But Mr Bailey has been criticized for his claim that Sadiq Khan “refused to pay” the reparations with “£ 2.1 billion in reserves”.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan’s campaign said: “As someone aspiring to be mayor, the Conservative candidate needs to know that TfL needs to keep money in the bank to pay its staff, contractors and others. its lenders. The fact that TfL had £ 2 billion in cash balances at the start of the pandemic allowed it to continue operating for two months without resorting to the government.
“The answer for Hammersmith Bridge is for government ministers to put their money where they want. Sadiq will continue to work with TfL, the councils and the government to find a way to share the costs fairly and resolve this appalling situation once and for all.
Recent opinion polls have seen Sadiq Khan maintain a double-digit lead over his conservative rival just a week before the election.
But this morning, Shaun Bailey said that “the only ballot that matters is election day” and that he is “confident” before May 6.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-29 18:30:00
