DON'T ADD MORE BUREAUCRACY TO THE OLYMPICS

3.53.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Jul 2007

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee yesterday published their report into the Olympics. They fear that there is a lack of monitoring arrangements, and no clear responsibility for risk management. The Committee's report also reiterated concern over the tripling of the Olympic budget, and over the legacy usage of the Olympic Park and venues.

Commenting on the report Dee Doocey, Liberal Democrat Olympic Spokesperson on the London Assembly, said:

"This report says that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) should 'develop a framework of timely progress and risk reporting'. But this would just add yet more bureaucracy. The key to controlling expenditure is monitoring and reviewing progress on a regular basis and Tessa Jowell promised that the National Audit Office would do this. We need people who are independent, who understand big projects and big expenditure. Both the Olympic Delivery Authority and the organising committee (LOCOG) have their own milestones and risk management in place. The National Audit Office should monitor these rigorously and report regularly to Tessa Jowell. This is a massive project which needs to be monitored by professionals not politicians."

"We need less bureaucracy not more. The best people have been hired to deliver the Olympics, and they should be allowed to get on with it."