In October 2016, the Mayor of London appointed Right Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP to review the Garden Bridge project, with support from officers in the Greater London Authority (GLA). The Review was intended to look in detail at whether value for money had been achieved from the taxpayers’ contribution to the project, and investigate the work of Transport for London (TfL), the GLA, and other relevant authorities, going back to when the project was first proposed. [1]
The review was published in April 2017, and recommended that the Mayor should not guarantee the ongoing maintenance costs.
In August 2017, the Garden Bridge Trust announced that it was no longer possible to construct the Bridge. The Independent Review and the Mayor refusing to underwrite the maintenance costs were major catalysts for the scrappage of the project.
The GLA Oversight Committee will tomorrow discuss the process and impact of the Independent Review into the Garden Bridge and raise specific issues, including:
- Reaction to the Independent Review
- Cancellation costs
- Senior staff and the private sector
- How TfL has changed its procurement processes and governance
The guests are:
- Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
- Mike Brown – Commissioner, TfL
- David Bellamy – Chief of Staff, GLA
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, 11 October from 2:00pm in Committee Room 5 at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE via webcast or YouTube
Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #GardenBridge
Notes to editors
- https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/review-to-be-conducted…
- Agenda Papers
- Len Duvall AM, Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee, is available for interview – see contact details below.
- Read our work on the Garden Bridge to date
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.