The organisation is highly dependent on public grants to remain viable, with its largest source of income being City Hall and the Mayor, but has historically refused to publish details of how it spends the cash.

London Assembly members have ordered Transport for London to hand over notes, text messages and/or social media messages sent between senior executives, the Garden Bridge Trust and the Trust’s professional advisors.

Transport for London says the lifts are the “first milestone in a major upgrade of the station” which will also create a new, alternative step-free route.

A report published today by the Assembly’s Environment Committee draws on the experiences of local residents, some of whom complain of being woken “by one flight a minute, starting early in the morning”.

The capital’s passenger watchdog has urged that action be taken to halt the declining proportion who use public transport to get to Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton.