Disappointment over lack of Olympics budget details

3.40.58pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Apr 2007

The London Assembly today expressed its disappointment that the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) continues to refuse to reveal details of the costs of the 2012 Games, and called on the ODA to provide a budgetary breakdown without further delay.

Following questioning of key representatives from the ODA, the Assembly supported an amended motion as follows:

This Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked but wishes to put on record our disappointment at the lack of detail provided.

This Assembly has a duty to scrutinise work on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but without detailed information on individual budget headings within the Olympic Delivery Authority's budget, it is not possible to do so, or to hold the Olympic Delivery Authority to account.

We therefore call upon the Olympic Delivery Authority to provide the Assembly, without further delay, a budgetary breakdown of all venues, transport, and other costs within the Olympic Delivery Authority Core Costs, to enable full public scrutiny and build public confidence that the proposed budget will not be exceeded.

Dee Doocey AM, who proposed the amendment to the motion said:

"The true costs of the 2012 Games remain shrouded in secrecy. It is totally unacceptable that the Olympic Delivery Authority refuses to be transparent and accountable given the enormous amount of public money involved. The excuse that revealing budget estimates for individual programmes would jeopardise commercial sensitivity simply does not add up as other public bodies have no problem revealing this information as part of the normal tendering process."