The London Assembly has unanimously voted for the rental agreement between the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and West Ham United to be published in full.
The Olympic Stadium Coalition, a coalition of 14 supporters trusts – including QPR1st – has been meeting London Assembly members and MPs to push for the details of West Ham United’s deal for the Olympic Stadium to be made public.
QPR1st supports this because there is concern that the stadium deal may give West Ham an unfair financial advantage over other clubs. Only full publication of the deal will reveal whether the deal is fair in terms of football – and to the taxpayer who is footing the bill for rebuilding, maintenance, staffing and much of the costs of the stadium that would normally be met by the football club.
Assembly members made a direct reference to the ‘considerable public interest’ in the issue.
The stadium coalition coalition has offered its thanks to Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat members of the Assembly, all of whom have refused to allow this issue to disappear off the agenda. It has asked them to continue to press London Mayor Boris Johnson to back with actions his stated view that the terms of the deal should be published.
The Information Commissioner has said the LDDC must publish the deal after its secrecy was challenged under the freedom of information Act. The Mayor, as the person who oversees the LLDC he has the power to force them to cease challenging that verdict and to publish.
The Assembly agreed:
“This Assembly notes the considerable public interest in the Concession Agreement between the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and West Ham United FC for their rental of the Olympic Stadium.
“This Assembly believes the LLDC was wrong to redact the released document, and was wrong to appeal the Information Commissioner’s ruling that the document should be published in full.
“This Assembly therefore calls on the LLDC to drop its appeal against the Information Commissioner’s ruling and to publish the Concession Agreement in full.”