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IT ALL COMES BACK TO BORIS, FRIENDS, AND FRIENDS OF FRIENDS (Mayor, TfL, TfL Director, Consultants, Key Personalities etc., all caught so far up in a big fantasy, it became too late to turn back), SO SAYS THE NAO Summary - Extracts Below:

Its time now for an Audit of Friends, Friends of Friends, and Comrade Boris.

"2. In its assessment of the business case, the Department concluded that there was a significant risk that the Bridge could represent poor value for money.
3 The Department agreed to make the £30 million investment in spite of its concerns about the value for money of the Bridge.
4 Providing the funding through the TfL grant left the Department with limited oversight of its support to the Trust. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Transport grant is not ring-fenced and does not require TfL to provide a detailed breakdown of how it spends this funding.

The Department relied on regular meetings with officials from TfL and the Trust for oversight of its £30 million contribution

"10 Since June 2016, the Department has received written monthly updates from the Trust on the status of the project and the steps being taken to address the main risks. These reports have included a narrative update on the way the Trust has managed key risks and some have contained a risk register. They have not contained standard project performance information such as progress against schedule and budget, nor have they contained information on the Trust’s progress against fundraising targets (paragraph 3.26)"