City Hall “may not be providing taxpayer value for money”, says report

By Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter

City Hall may not be providing taxpayers with value for money and there is “reason to be concerned” over its procurement activities, a new report has found.

The Greater London Authority (GLA), which includes Transport for London (TfL), spends about £10 billion a year handing out contracts for infrastructure projects and redevelopments.

But a new report from the GLA Oversight Committee has warned that taxpayer money may be going to waste, with procurement arrangements “not being followed in all cases”, leading to a “significant amount” of single-source tender agreements.

Recent high-profile projects, including the Bond Street Crossrail station and the Silvertown Tunnel, have been the subject of much controversy over the tender processes.

Lib Dem London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, who was chairwoman of the GLA Oversight Committee during the writing of the report, said that “a number of procurements have given this committee reason to be concerned”.

Jonathan Patrick, TfL’s chief procurement officer, said: “We regularly review our robust procurement procedures and assurance processes to ensure that we can learn from previous procurements and further ensure value for money as well as our commitment to transparency.”

Pictured top: A walkway for the Elizabeth Line at Bond Street station in central London (Picture: PA)