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Boris Johnson has won the backing of Conservative leader David Cameron in his bid to cut costs on the 2012 Olympics.
London's Mayor said Mr Cameron is "very encouraging" of his campaign to save taxpayers £32million on the 2012 budget through a shake-up of venues.
Mr Johnson's proposals failed to win approval at a meeting of the Olympic board, comprising the British Olympic Association, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell and organising committee Locog chief Sebastian Coe, earlier this month.
He told the Standard: "They are not only going against the directly-elected Mayor of London if they pursue this, they are going against potentially the incoming UK government. I have discussed this with David Cameron and he has been very encouraging."
Mr Cameron's support signals a Tory government would campaign as strongly on Olympic costs as they did in opposition as they seek to avoid a breach of the £9.3billion Games budget.
It is bound to cause unease for two Olympic board members, Lord Moynihan and Lord Coe, both Tory peers and former MPs. City Hall says it can save £32million by moving shooting from the Royal Artillery barracks in Woolwich to Barking, and badminton and rhythmic gymnastics into Wembley Arena.
Ahead of a crucial board meeting on the issue next month, Mr Johnson warned he would not be "bullied" or "cajoled" into accepting alternatives - thought to be a swipe at Locog, and the British Olympic Association.
He added: "I've come up with proposals to save money since I was Mayor and every time there's an elaborate case why it can't happen. [The board] are too terrified of the sports federations." The row began a year ago when 2012 chiefs proposed to cut costs by scrapping a planned temporary arena in Greenwich for rhythmic gymnastics and badminton. Sports bodies argue that Wembley Arena is too far away from the Olympic village in Stratford.
Mr Johnson said: "It's absolutely crazy not to use Wembley arena as it is a distinguished home of British sport."
But he is ready to reject proposals to use the Barking site for rhythmic gymnastics and badminton in a purpose-built 6,000-seat arena - an option favoured by Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, who wants shooting to remain in Woolwich.
Reader views (13)
LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC SHOOTING VENUE
We note, in complete agreement, The Mayor's comments, as he seeks savings by urging LOCOG to move the shooting venue away from Woolwich.
Woolwich fails on four counts:
1. It is not big enough for the fall of shot and therefore totally unsafe
2. It is a suburban, Grade II listed site, totally unsuitable for live shooting
3. The costs of solving these issues (a safety fence and a massive clean up operation) raise the total cost to wholly unreasonable levels.
4. The venue is wholly temporary and not one iota of legacy will be left behind.
If the venue remains at Woolwich, London will be faced with a financial and PR disaster. Firstly you will be spending up to £20m more than you need to in a recession, and second, you, LOCOG and the Government will spend the next 3 years explaining why you are flouting the most basic of shooting safety rules.
That a multi million pound 20m fence obscures the Barracks and thus the entire point of being there is one matter; the fact that it doesn’t stop all the shot from falling on public roads and houses is quite another. The vandalism perpetrated on one of London’s prestigious listed heritage sites is also a matter of extreme concern.
London 2012 has been looking for a shooting venue which is safe enough, large enough, near enough, accessible enough, cheap enough and spectacular enough and the answer has been available to them all along.
DARTFORD CLAY SHOOTING CLUB
- Mjm,, Dartford, UK, 09/10/2009 14:28
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The shooting venue should never have been Woolwich in the first place. Even Sir Richard Dannat, head of the British Army at the time said so in this newspaper and the Telegraph at the outset. It will affect army operational capacity, but lets not worry about that when we can't protect 'our boys' on the frontline so you can forget about when 'back home'.
It will also affect access to a local hospital A & E unit, but fingers crosssed no-one has an accident or gets ill in that part of London for a few months before and after the games.
Woolwhich does not have adequate safety zones to meet with the safety templates all such ranges require; try as Coe and Co. might, you cannot alter the scale and topography of the place. They are applying pressure to get the rules 'amended' just for this venue for the games, but what is right here should then apply everywhere. HOW many shotgun ranges have you ever seen set up in a built-up area??
And, lead shot raining down on living quarters and their surrounding environs; make semnse to anyone? No, thought not. Perhaps Seb and Tessa will get their dust-pans and brushes out after the games to save the massive lead removal costs that holding the shotgun events there would create in cleaning up afterwards.
Thank goodness Boris and David Cameron are talking sense; it really is time that someone did.
Maybe we shall learn one day the REAL reasons why common sense has been over-ruled thus far; should make interesting reading if and when it does.RA
- Richard Atkins, Worcester. England, 02/10/2009 14:07
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Once again residents of Woolwich and the surround area will be dumped on the scrap-heap, by Boris and his pals. First he cancels the Gateway Bridge, which would have eased the traffic congestion into the city. Next he cancels the transit scheme that would have given the people of Woolwich, Thamesmead etc vital transportation links. Now he is going to cancel the site in Woolwich proposed for the Olympic Shooting, this would have brought in much needed jobs and boosted the economic prospects for the residents which is very much needed in the area. Thanks for nothing Boris
- Sharon40, Woolwich, 01/10/2009 15:39
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What about Ally Pally as Olympic venue for smaller sports? This would deliver a genuine legacy through sorely needed investment in an iconic London landmark.
- Ed Faulkner, London, UK, 01/10/2009 14:02
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RF from York - Your not even funding this as most of the money for the Olympics is through LONDON taxpayers!
You make a good point about money being wasted paying peopel in suits and pointless buildings which will be used only for 2 weeks.
We need to grow sports at grassroots level and build up sporting facilties for the youngsters so if they are inspiried by sporting succees they can actually then go and take part.
- Mark, Watford, 01/10/2009 00:49
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I thought Wembley was an going to be a new Olympic site. Considering the history of the old stadium (hosted the Olympics in 1948) and that it is quite new isn't it the perfect choice.
- James, kent, 30/09/2009 21:26
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I am pleased about this suggestion which proves that there are still some politicians who are endowed with commonsense
- Heather Alibakir, Lincoln UK, 30/09/2009 18:31
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Sebastian Coe should be more careful with our money, especially as we are all feeling the effects of the credit crunch. Some of us are working hard and having to save money wherever possible.
- Elaine Brown, London, 30/09/2009 18:23
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Save even more money by moving the Equestrian events out of Greenwich Park: LOCOG will not answer questions properly about the finances here and is hiding behind commercial confidentiality ; so this is a clear indication that it WOULD make sense to move the event to another location.
If they really were saving money they would say so and that wouldn't be "confidential"!
There will be no legacy at all by holding equestrian events there, (apart from the ecological damage to a World Heritage site of course.)
- Sally, Ipswich, 30/09/2009 18:16
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If TfL expect their staff to travel in every day, from places like Wembly, Harrow and Pinner, to their new home in North Greenwich, then why would it be unreasonable to ask athletes to travel to Wembly for a few days. The 30 million pounds saving would have helped prevent hundreds of redundancies incurred by TfL in their cost cutting exercise.
- Thomas The Taxi, London, 30/09/2009 15:50
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I think this is a good idea. It makes alot of sense in this economic climate. Surely any reduction in the amount of tax payers money spent in this area is a good thing.
- Sylv666, Bexhill, uk, 30/09/2009 14:13
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This is great news and shows that the Conservatives are fully in favour of the poorer communities and those who are really struggling right now. They get it. Well done to Cameron for coming out in support of the London Mayor. It will be very welcome amongst Londoners. Savings like this will make such a difference at this difficult economic time. After all, we don't want bread and circuses or fat cats wasting our hard earned, heavily taxed incomes on egos. Nice one Boris and Dave. Cameron is certainly proving himself to be a very sound leader and Boris is a very worthy Mayor. No more waste equals my vote. This is good news for London.
- Athlete'S Foot, London UK, 30/09/2009 13:41
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Tax payers will NOT provide another penny for this debacle. Let Coe and Jowell fund it as they are two of the very few who wanted London to win the bid. This country is bankrupt and a few "has been" athletes want to project themselves back onto the front pages of our newspapers for a mere three weeks at a cost of NINE BILLION POUNDS. Hopefully David Cameron will cancel the whole thing.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK, 30/09/2009 13:18
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