Olympic boroughs criticise lack of legacy plan
Host boroughs of the 2012 Olympics have criticised the Government for stalling over a legacy plan.
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales, who is chairman of the five Olympic boroughs unit, said West Ham United might have taken up permanent residence at the Olympic Stadium if legacy work had been pushed ahead earlier.
The unit led by Sir Robin was at City Hall on Tuesday answering questions from a London Assembly committee about the boroughs' Strategic Regeneration Framework paper, released in November.
The Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee focused on why a paper on legacy was published after most of the Olympic Delivery Authority's budget was spent.
The Host Borough Unit's director Roger Taylor told the committee: "I would hate for you to go away with the idea that somehow the five boroughs have dragged their feet and waited to produce something about legacy.
"It's been a national government responsibility but they made absolutely no effort to think about legacy until the boroughs took it on 18 months ago because nobody was doing anything about it.
"We are still of the very firm view it's a national responsibility.
"We've just put together a coherent, exciting, challenging articulation on what needs to be done to breath some life into those words which are in the Olympic bid."
When asked by City and East Assembly member John Biggs what could have been done better if a concrete legacy plan had been made earlier, Sir Robin cited West Ham.
He said: "If West Ham were there that would have been better. In Manchester they did it following the Commonwealth Games and got a recognisable legacy. We certainly have missed a couple of things.
"Maybe West Ham will still go there but that depends on one or two issues."
The committee was critical of the paper on its details, especially on plans to get east Londoners taking up sport.
Chairwoman of the committee Dee Doocey said: "No other games in any city have inspired the people there to take up sports and keep doing them. Even Sydney tried and failed."
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Sir Robin Wales the Dictator of Newham has only one interest. He wants to be remembered thats it. The sooner the better when people in Newham realise what kind of politics that goes on the our borough the better. It's scary to think that a man like this has a voice and the sort of power that he throws around without a care for the wider community.