Mayor fails to provide leadership on ending perks for senior police officers - Dee Doocey (Newham Borough Liberal Democrats)

Newham Borough Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Mayor fails to provide leadership on ending perks for senior police officers - Dee Doocey

November 11, 2009 1:12 PM
Originally published by London Assembly Liberal Democrats

Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly policing spokesperson, commenting on the Mayor's reply to her question at today's London Assembly Plenary urging him to ensure that chauffeur driven cars are ended for senior Met police offices said:

"Once again the Mayor has failed to provide clear leadership on this issue. Why can't he simply answer the question as to whether he wants to see the end of chauffeur driven cars for senior Met officers?

"The perk at present is costing taxpayer's nearly £2 million a year. This is a shocking level of waste, which could instead pay for an extra 30 police officers.

"The Mayor spends his time writing articles calling for Government Ministers to have their cars taken away but then fails to provide any guidance on an issue that is actually under his control."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Removing chauffeur driven cars from all senior Met officers (of ACPO rank), with the exception of cars required for security and operational purposes would save an estimated £2 million a year.

2. The Mayor devoted the whole of his paid Daily Telegraph column of the 31st August 2009 to the need to remove Ministerial cars.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/6116598/David-Camerons-first-task-should-be-to-get-his-ministers-out-of-their-cars.html

3. At September's Mayor Question Time the Mayor stated: "I was very pleased, by the way to see the leader of the opposition yesterday take up the idea which I think I floated that we should get rid of all these ridiculous Government cars that they have. Why not? Absolutely.

I think it is unbelievable that all these - not just Ministers but civil servants. Not just civil servants, huge numbers of people on the taxpayers' payroll are ferried around London in cars."