Member Article

Boris Johnson called to reveal full details of West Ham stadium deal

A fan coalition has called on Boris Johnson to publish the full details of West Ham’s deal regarding its move to the Olympic Stadium.

The Information Commissioner has called for the full details of the deal to be published after a freedom of information request by the coalition of supporters from fourteen trusts.

The coalition, which includes fans of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, are hoping the Mayor will reveal the details of the agreement between the east London club and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

The London fan coalition has called on Boris Johnson to accept the Information Commissioner’s decision to publish full details of West Ham’s deal for the Olympic Stadium.

The group of fourteen supporters’ trusts, which includes Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham fans, have been successful in their attempts to shed greater light on the agreement between the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and the east London club.

The coalition said: “The Information Commissioner’s decision could not have been clearer, and it is equally clear to us that publication must follow,

“This campaign is publicly backed by 25,000 individuals, football supporters’ trusts from around the country, and the public interest in the issue is there for all to see.

“We call on the mayor not to use the appeal system to delay publication of this document further. If he does it will open him up to the suspicion that he has something to hide.

“This is an issue about the use of public money to, apparently, subsidise a commercial football business. It seems the taxpayer will be paying the cost of a series of overheads which every other club, rightly, has to pay for themselves.

“It is important that the taxpayer is allowed to know exactly what has gone on here, and to judge whether it is a responsible and fair use of public money.”

The news comes just a month after the BBC revealed that the club would live ‘virtually rent free’ as the running costs for the newly-developed stadium will be met by the tax payer,

The London Legacy Development Corporation published some details of its rental agreement with the East London club after ex-Leyton orient chairman Barry Hearn asked for full public disclosure of the deal in June.

The contract showed a large number of “facilities and services” will be paid for by the grantor (taxpayer) and not the club, this includes the cost of stadium utilities, security and maintaining the pitch.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .