Conservative walk-out axes debates on air pollution and cycling safety

Another day at the London Assembly, another Conservative walk-out which blocks motions being debated. Today the topics would have been air pollution in London and the hotly debated question of speed limits and safety for cyclists on Blackfriars Bridge.

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem leader at the London Assembly, has criticised the Conservative walk-outs before, saying after a Tory walk-out that even blocked one of their own intended motions that:

The walk out this week was not just a bad day for democracy in London, but for anyone who actually believes power should be devolved downwards. The Conservative Assembly Members are doing exactly what some Labour councils did in the 1980s by bringing local government into disrepute.

It is time the 11 Conservative London Assembly Members stopped giving local democracy a bad name.

Quite.

UPDATE: Barnet blogger Matthew Harris has taken fingers to keyboard on this story too as has Gary Malcolm.