West Ham lead in the final lap of the Olympic Stadium race with Olympic bosses poised to back their bid. Despite their bid offering a poorer return for the taxpayer than that from Spurs, West Ham have played their political cards well.
West Ham lead in the final lap of the Olympic Stadium race with Olympic bosses poised to back their bid. Despite their bid offering a poorer return for the taxpayer than that from Spurs, West Ham have played their political cards well.
Baroness Ford, the chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, and Andrew Altmann, the chief executive are expected to recommend the West Ham bid to a meeting of the OLPC’s 14-strong board tomorrow. There is expected to be a full debate, but the board is likely to go along with the recommendation.
The recommendation then has to be approved by Culture, Media and Sport secretary, Eric Pickles, Communities secretary Eric Pickles and London mayor Boris Johnson. They are unlikely to veto the recommendation. ‘Bozza’ in particular is aware that a poll has shown that the overwhelming majority of Londoners back the West Ham bid.
There are still some concerns about the financial sustainability of West Ham’s bid in the long run, despite the club’s plan to use the stadium for a variety of events.