Garden Bridge boss blasts 'biased' report calling for project to be scrapped

Garden Bridge: A highly critical report called for it to be axed
Rashid Razaq13 April 2017

The chairman of the Garden Bridge Trust has claimed a report recommending the project should be scrapped is “biased” and “one-sided”.

Mervyn Davies said the recommendation in a report written by MP Margaret Hodge to Sadiq Khan to pull the plug on the £200m scheme was based on “little factual analysis.”

Lord Davies told the Financial Times: “She did not spend any time with us on issues such as fundraising, she refused to get a presentation on the design, benefits and rationale, she didn’t meet the fundraising committee so I query the validity of some of her conclusions. So we will fight on.”

Ms Hodge said she had spoken to Lord Davies and Bee Emmott, the executive director of the trust, and three other board members.

However Lord Davies said Ms Hodge had not discussed the key issue of private fundraising and was confident the £69m already pledged could be increased due to the “extraordinary community of donors” in the UK.

Lord Davies said he was disappointed with the report which he described as “very one-sided (and) full of negativity. Not in any sentence does she go into the benefits. It’s just her personal view with a disregard for the facts.”

Mr Khan has expressed support for the proposed crossing, which was started under his predecessor Boris Johnson, but vowed not to spend any more public money on it.

Ms Hodge told the FT that she had not yet seen Lord Davies’ letter and declined to comment further.

The Evening Standard has contacted Ms Hodge for a comment.

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