Failed Garden Bridge in London to cost taxpayers a further £5.5 million
AN ADDITIONAL £5.5 million of public money will be spent on the failed Garden Bridge project in London, it has been revealed.
Transport for London (TfL) said the money is needed to meet the cost of winding up the charity set up to build and run the crossing in the centre of the capital.
This will bring the amount spent by the public sector to around £43 million, consisting of £24 million from TfL and £19 million from the Department for Transport.
London mayor Sadiq Khan killed off the controversial plan for a bridge covered with trees and flowers in August 2017, after a damning report by Dame Margaret Hodge found it could have ended up costing more than £200 million.
Former mayor Boris Johnson claimed his successor had “killed it out of spite”. The initiative had been championed by Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley but was abandoned amid bitter recriminations over the use of taxpayers’ cash.
The Garden Bridge Trust previously described the cancellation of the scheme as a “sad day” for London because it sent a “message to the world that we can no longer deliver such exciting projects”.
TfL’s director of city planning Alex Williams said: “As part of our continuing commitment to transparency, we have published the final financial breakdown for the Garden Bridge project, on behalf of the Trust, as well as all evidence sought as part of this review.
“We worked to ensure that the cost to the public sector has been kept to a minimum.”