Westminster Labour Councillors are calling for an independent inquiry into the growing fiasco of the £2 million Marble Arch Mound commissioned by Conservative Westminster Council. 

There are a number of urgent questions which must be answered:

• Why is the finished design lower than originally intended and at what point it was known that the view from the top of the Mound would not clear the tree line?

• Why did publicity materials promise ‘striking views of London and the park’ and Council Leader Cllr Rachael Robathan and lead Cabinet Member Cllr Melvyn Caplan praise the views?

• Who at the Council signed-off the project as ready to open when the café was not open, the exhibition not setup and the site was left scruffy with bins and cables everywhere?

• When did the Council know the project was going to be unable to deliver the level of greenery promised in the promotional material?

• How much could local tax payers lose if the council fails to deliver its expected 280,000 paying visitors?

• Can any money be recouped from the contractors?

The Council’s Conservative leadership is planning to spend a further £150m on Oxford Street. It can’t be allowed to mark its own homework after this very public failure.