London Stadium probe reveals fresh details

A freedom of information request obtained by Claret and Hugh has revealed negotiations between the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and PAI  Capital over a long lease for the London Stadium stretched back to January this year.

The public body has been forced to hand over 86 pages of Email exchanges between the two parties as they tried to negotiate a lease in advance of a failed takeover of West Ham.

The freedom of information reveals:

• LLDC insist the meetings between the LLDC and PAI were only exploratory and no minutes were taken of them.
• LLDC appointed legal firm Pinsent Masons in February 2021 to advise them on a long lease of the Stadium to a private company.
• LLDC confirm they hold no record of London Stadium stakeholders including West HamUnited, UK Athletics and/or Delaware North being briefed or engaged in discussions about PAI before 5th August when a public statement was published by the public body.
• Stadium owners E20 held an update meeting on 12 July 2021 where the long lease of the London Stadium situation was discussed however it is claimed it was a verbal briefing. The following people were in attendance at that meeting: David Bellamy, Nicky Dunn, Keith Edelman, Shanika Amarasekara, Gerry Murphy, Nathan Homer & Lyn Garner
• LLDC admitted at the time of the Freedom of Information request, the London Assembly and its members had not been briefed. The Mayor of London was not directly briefed, however, a representative of the Mayor’s Office ‘David Bellamy’ his chief of staff attended the E20 Update meeting on 12 July.

Much of the financial details of the long lease offer have been redacted under commercial interests exemption but Claret and Hugh will seek to challenge these redactions as they are not in the public interest.