19 September 2003
The chair of London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, Barbara Cassani, has warned ministers she will not shirk from 'speaking up' if the project gets bogged down by political wrangling and departmental inefficiency.
Cassani also revealed that she is in discussions with the new owners of the Millennium Dome – situated close to the proposed Olympic village in east London – to determine whether the site could be used to host events such as basketball and gymnastics.
Privately, MPs said such a deal could help the government recoup public cash used as leverage in the sale of the site to US developers Anschutz last year. Anschutz has signed a profit share deal that could pay up to £550m back to the government over 20 years.
Speaking before the Commons' culture, media and sport select committee on September 16, Cassani said she understood fully the potential stumbling blocks involved in co-ordinating a bid across government departments, local authorities, development agencies, quangos, the Greater London Authority, sports bodies and private firms.
Cassani reiterated: 'We don't have a lot of time to get stuck between departments,' adding that she would be quick to contact ministers directly to ensure the project proceeds smoothly.
She also responded to MPs' fears that the games would only benefit London. Cassani this week brought in Derek Anderson, chief executive of Wolverhampton City Council, to advise the bid team on wider, regional benefits, such as the development of 'training camps' at other major UK cities, which could leave legacy facilities.
But MPs warned that Cassani must carefully monitor the project's finances. Michael Fabricant, Conservative member of the committee, told Public Finance: 'We're all behind this bid. But the games are like a supernova – very bright and full of brilliance for a short time. The last thing we want, however, is for London to foot the tax bill years after the event.'
Under current plans, the games are expected to cost up to £2bn of public cash, funded largely through council tax rises in London and an Olympic Lottery.
Cassani has appointed former Conservative MP and double Olympic gold medallist Lord Coe as joint vice-chair of the bid. However, she has not yet found a suitable chief executive and admitted that London's bid has already fallen behind the likes of New York and Paris in the race for the games.
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