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Boris and the 2012 legacy
Evening Standard comment7 May 2008
The International Olympics Committee inspection team is coming to London in two weeks. The Mayor, Boris Johnson, will make a speech, his first official Olympics-related duty. It will be an opportunity for Mr Johnson to demonstrate his commitment to the Games. But it is not just the inspectors who will want to know about his 2012 agenda - Londoners do, too.
Ken Livingstone was closely associated with the 2012 bid and its success - but by his own admission, he "ensnared... billions" out of the Government to support the bid, by setting the original £2.4 billion budget deceitfully low. It now stands at £9.3 billion and, with property prices falling, may well rise further. The latest project to fall behind budget is the Olympics village, with a shortfall of £200 million.
Mr Johnson's manifesto outlined three priorities for the Olympics - budget, legacy and security. His first priority must be to ensure that the Games remain within budget. The extraordinary inflation in the original cost is not just an imposition on the taxpayer - including, obviously, Londoners - but a betrayal of public trust. Londoners and this paper supported the Games on the basis of the original estimate, not as an open-ended call on public funds.
But plainly, the legacy of the Games will be the real justification for 2012. And here we need a real sense of a coherent vision which is at present lacking - the Commons Culture Committee recently criticised the Government for failing to provide detailed legacy plans. While John Armitt, head of the Olympics Delivery Authority, and David Higgins, its chief executive, are capable men, Mr Johnson should give serious thought to appointing one individual with responsibility for the legacy of the Games. Perhaps his discussions with Tom Russell, who worked on the Manchester Commonwealth Games, are a step in this direction. This is one area on which his mayoralty will be judged.
Reader views (1)
Funny how with the Olympics it's called a 'legacy' as if it's some kind of gift you haven't had to pay for. As far as I'm concerned it's like a mugger giving you some change back after he's emptied your wallet and bought what he needed.
- Jack Walters, Hackney, UK, 10/05/2008 15:46
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