Snow's gone, but local schools closed...

With tube and London buses at a virtual standstill and train companies advising only travel if absolutely essential, I decided to stop at home today.

True, there was only a light covering of snow on the ground first thing this morning had melted by mid-morning. But experience as a former commuter tells me that it was probably the wrong kind of snow! If I was lucky enough to make it to central London by lunchtime, I might arrive just in time to turn for home!

Right now, it's a beautiful clear winter day, but I understand the worst of the weather is expected to hit Lincolnshire later this afternoon with a forecast of four to six inches of proper snow overnight.

The Stamford Mercury has a list of local schools closed by today's snow.

UPDATE: No sooner has I posted than the snow started - and it seems to be settling...update from Peterborough Evening Telegraph.

UPDATE 2: Two dozen Lincs schools have looked at the forecast and already decided not to open tomorrow (Tuesday).

PM slams Boris on bus blunder...UPDATED

Gordon Brown has added to the pressure on Boris Johnson to withdraw his £100 million-a-year bus blunder which I posted on earlier.

At Prime Minister's Questions a few minutes ago, Gordon Brown said:

Bus usage in London is now at its highest level since 1965, there are more people using buses in London than in any time in forty years.

This would be put at risk by proposals that would cost £100 million if applied by the Conservative Party, that would mean bus fares would rise. It would discourage ordinary people from using the bus service.

We are determined to maintain bus ridership in London, and we are determined to maintain bus services in London.

This follows demands from Transport Minister and London MP Jim Fitzpatrick for the Tories to officially withdraw Boris Johnson's botched Transport Manifesto after his £100 million a year gaffe was exposed.

Before the Prime Minister spoke Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport, said Boris Johnson's bus policy was in tatters. She said:

Boris Johnson's got it wrong and it's time for him to come clean to Londoners.

Boris again avoided commenting on his £100 million gaffe a few minutes later when he asked a question.

Instead, he helpfully provided Gordon Brown with the opportunity to praise Ken Livingstone on delivering 10,000 more police to get crime down.

Gordon Brown said:

There are more police in London than ever as a result of a Labour Mayor.

The PM also highlighted Boris's previous demand for cuts on police spending in London.

UPDATE: Guardian writer Dave Hill digs deeper...

Boris attacks pedestrians and a civil servant after bus blunder…

Boris Johnson’s transport manifesto for London is in tatters as he desperately attempts to divert attention from his spectacular £100 million a year bus blunder...

On the Vanessa Feltz show, Boris Johnson pledged to replace all London’s bendy buses with new vehicles with conductors. He claimed it would cost just £8 million-a-year.

But his £8m claim has been widely rubbished - transport experts calculate the real cost to Londoners would be £112 million a year. That's more than 13 times difference and a massive £100 million-a-year Boris black hole which would inevitably mean steep fare rises.

It will also lead to serious questions about Boris's competence to deliver over £40 billion of investment to modernise London's transport over the next few years. It is crucial for instance that the massive £16 billion Crossrail project is delivered on-time and on-budget.

Today, Mayor Ken Livingstone issued an open email challenge to Boris over his gaping gaffe:

Boris responded by attacking London’s Transport Commissioner, claiming he never used London buses – which is rich indeed coming from Oxfordshire MP Boris!

Then Boris went on the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and uttered this gem:

"…as a cyclist I think pedestrians are the most dangerous features on the road at the moment."

I wonder how many cyclists he thinks have been killed lately by pedestrians on the streets of London...

But Boris's out of touch moment-of-the-day must surely go to Boris’s attempt to try to change the dates of the Bejing Olympics, as reported by journalist Andrew Grice

* More on Boris Johnson’s £100million bus blunder at www.kenlivingstone.com/media