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London Stadium costs could pass one billion

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Andrew-BoffLondon Assembly member Andrew Boff says the London Stadium is a White Elephant which could end up costing tax payers over one billion pounds.

Boff tells the BBC Inside Out investigation tonight: “As far as I can see there is no end to taxpayers’ money being used to prop up this white elephant — they’ve been effectively given this stadium and the taxpayer is paying for it.”

“The money is mounting up. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get rid of  a billion on this thing.” Mr Boff  adds on the show which is shown on BBC1 at 7.30pm tonight.

Rent a gob Barry Hearn also had his say on the London Stadium in the BBC investigation.

HearnAs part of its deal with the London Legacy Development Corporation, West Ham has contributed £15 million to the £323 million cost of conversion, and will pay at least £2.5 million a year as part of its 99-year lease to cover policing, security and other costs.

On Friday the London Mayor published terms of reference for his investigation for spiraling costs. The investigation will look at every stage of the stadium’s design and construction, the key decisions that informed it, as well as the future operation of the stadium. It will make recommendations as to how to make the stadium more profitable, and reduce running costs that currently fall on the taxpayer.

The review will examine the role of French stadium operator VINCI, which has a 25-year deal to run the stadium, and may also consider the stadium ownership structure.

The investigation will also examine the original design decisions, taken by the then Labour Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, Lord Coe, Ken Livingstone  and the London 2012 leadership in not making it suitable for football in the first place.

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I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

0 comments

  • slaven a laugh says:

    boff looks like a spurs supporter to me though i suppose he could be charlton or orient or even, god forbid, millwall.

  • West Ham Fan No 32 says:

    Yeah Kazza played a blinder, I still say when you look at all the investment and regeneration you have to look at the whole package, if the seating costs £8m a year to deconstruct and rebuild and we are paying £2.5m simple maths says you have two options, make it permanent and forget about Athletics, or knock the stadium down and rebuild, in the 99 years we will be tenants it will probably cost 2-3 billion with inflation to continue with the current system and that’s not even factoring in the external costs. It is a no win situation for the tax payer and government as it stands I hope they give us the chance to buy it and remodel it but that would require the nit pickers to not pursue legal action so is about as likely as Lord Lucan to win the grand national riding a unicorn so this will rumble on.

  • Michael Miller says:

    I thought it was perfect when the guy from the London Assembly was trying to shame Karen Brady into admitting that West Ham had a moral duty to stump up more than what had been agreed on to cover the cost of Policing, Karen Brady reeled off what West Ham’s payment is supposed to cover – Policing, Security, Maintenance, Utilities etc – Karen just shrugged her shoulders and says – ‘it is what it is!’. Brilliant!

    The Politicians had created a massive White Elephant, West Ham have bailed them out at an enormous ongoing cost to the Taxpayer – you can understand why Mayor Kahn has got the hump, a seemingly bottomless money pit that he’s inherited from Boris Johnson. There’s undoubtedly a massive scandal in how they got to this position but I honestly can’t see how it’s anything to do with West Ham – they’ve just seized upon the deal of the Century. There’s loads of questions for the Politicians to answer.

  • West Ham Fan No 32 says:

    What a biased load of old claptrap that was, for a stadium we occupy for less than 10% of the year 90% of the blame is aimed at us. West Ham this and West Ham that, LLDC mentioned every now and again, nothing about the fact that other teams applied for teh Stadium we went through two bidding options, the supporters trust fool Richard Head or whatever his name is, would complain about state aid if we bought it, then when we had to rent it complains about that aswell, at least old Bazza can smile about it now and is resigned to just getting on with it (until it suits him to do otherwise). I am glad the club and LLDC refused this rumour mongers any comments, they would just be twisted and abused like the journalists reporting them, as for this Boff a wannabe Larry Lamb impressionist the less said the better. The only one that spoke any sense was the builder who said they would have been better off accepting the cost upfront and knocking it down to be rebuilt for purpose.

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