Legacy Chair Resigns Over Stadium Probe

London Mayor's inquiry prompts Edmonds to step down

Aerial view of the Olympic Park showing the Olympic Stadium with the Orbit to the left. Picture taken on 16 April 2012.

David Edmonds, Chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), has resigned amid continuing controversy over the cost of the Olympic Stadium conversion.

Made public on Wednesday 2 November, Mr Edmonds’ resignation came two days after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced there would be a detailed investigation into the conversion of the former Olympic Stadium, now occupied by new tenants West Ham United.

Mr Edmonds had been at the LLDC since its inception in 2012 and was Deputy Chairman before he took on the role of Chairman in September last year. He also chaired the Board of E20 LLP, the joint venture between the London Borough of Newham and the LLDC. He has played a leading role in delivering the post-Games legacy programme.

Responding to the resignation, LLDC Chief Executive David Goldstone said that Mr Edmonds “has made an enormous contribution to the legacy of the London 2012 Games and he has helped to steer the organisation through some extremely challenging issues. We thank him for all his hard work and wish him well in the future.”

The Mayor’s investigation concerns the rise in the overall cost of the conversion of the stadium, which was originally quoted at £272 million but has since risen to £323 million. The probe has been welcomed by lobby group, Olympic Stadium Coalition: “this is a breakthrough in our long campaign to highlight the intolerable burden on taxpayers of the rebuilding of the Olympic Stadium to the specification of a well off Premier League football club.”

Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales is also supportive of the Mayor’s intervention: “I fully support the Mayor of London’s call for an independent review into the cost overruns of the London Stadium’s transformation works.” Newham Council is a co-owner of the stadium with a £40 million investment.

Current occupiers West Ham have contributed a one off payment of £15 million to help with redevelopment costs, along with a yearly charge of £2.5 million for the lease of the stadium. West Ham gained the rights to occupy the stadium in March 2013, moving to the recently named London Stadium this summer after 112 years at the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park.

 

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