Creating a career service giving young people more opportunities is among the aims of London mayoral hopeful Caroline Pidgeon.

The Liberal Democrat candidate said that attracting new employers would be a key part of her remit, should she be elected in May.

Mrs Pidgeon also vowed to ensure that regeneration spreads across Barking and Dagenham.

“The borough is going through major developments and Barking and especially the Barking Riverside are really where the focus is rather than Dagenham,” she told the Post.

“Barking and Dagenham Council has done some really interesting things to build new homes and I would like to work with them and use that energy in Barking and in Dagenham to continue to build new homes.”

Building up a political career in London for the past 18 years, Mrs Pidgeon says she wants to show Londoners she has a “credible” plan to improve their city.

“I know City Hall inside out and I know first hand the issues of Londoners are facing,” she said.

A councillor in Southwark for 12 years, Mrs Pidgeon has worked eight years in the London Assembly, where she specialised in transport and policing and crime matters.

Keen to make the city more cycling friendly, Mrs Pidgeon wants to reduce the number of vehicles on London roads, starting with the number of lorries crossing the capital during rush hour.

She would introduce a tax on diesel vehicles driving through the congestion charge zone in central London and look at rolling it out to all boroughs.

She would also ensure two youth workers are present in all A&E departments across London.