‘Play the game’ Olympics plea
Apr 4 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
THE Minister for the North East is being told by city leaders, fed-up with seeing cash taken from local sports to fund the Olympics, to keep a watchful eye on funding for the London Games.
Liberal Democrat controlled Newcastle City Council is to write to regional minister Nick Brown demanding he takes a stand against future budget raids on groups such as Sport England who are having to subsidise the cost of the 2012 Olympic Games.
The MP will be asked to ensure Cabinet ministers are warned against taking any more cash from organisations which fund youth sports.
The action comes after it was revealed the North East faces losing £102m in Lottery funding because the London 2012 Olympics budget has run “scandalously out of control”, according to senior Lib Dem MPs.
This also comes after The Journal revealed Sport England North East lost more than £4m in its last budget as cash was sent to fund London’s £9bn preparations.
Sport England North East will get its new budget in 2009 and councillors have been told to expect cuts.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has already announced that Sport England and other good causes will lose £250m from 2009.
Coun Greg Stone won backing for a strongly-worded letter to Mr Brown following a motion before a full city council meeting.
Mr Stone said: “For a region as far away from London as the North East, the cost-to-benefits ratio of the Olympic Games is weighted against us.
“It is extremely unfair that money allocated to us here will instead be diverted to the Games.
“We know there will be some benefits to the region but these are relatively small and Nick Brown’s job in this is to ensure we do see real benefits and not just funding shortfalls. As long as this Government is in office, the region will continue to get the wooden spoon and not the gold medal.”
Lib Dem councillor Gerry Keating said it was important to remember that “the modern Olympics are awarded to a city and not a country” and called on the Government to acknowledge this in future funding assessments.
As well as authorising the council to write to Mr Brown, the motion also noted that “any further reduction in funds will have a severe impact on grassroots sport projects in the region at a time when the Comprehensive Spending Review is likely to reduce public spending and there is continued concern over the future of the Northern Rock Foundation”.
Mr Brown has previously insisted that the North East will see the benefits of London hosting the Games.
And he has promised in the House of Commons to take any regional concerns to the Olympic co-ordinating committee.
To read more Journal stories on this subject, click the links below
Sporting chance of a share in Olympics
North poor relation for lottery funding
Olympic cash should be a loan and repaid, say MPs
