The London Olympics juggernaut has been accused of crushing funding to the arts. A grouping of the UK's senior arts and sports administrators warned that the lottery money being diverted from the arts to the Olympics would damage the arts, and reduce participation in sport.
The Voluntary Arts Network, the Central Council for Physical Recreation, Heritage Link and the National Council for Voluntary organisations have also written to MP's; warning them that lottery cuts will jeopardise the legacy of the games at community level. They have asked for an urgent meeting with Tessa Jowell (culture secretary), claiming that arts, heritage and sports charities will lose more than £100m.
Jowell intends to divert an additional £675m from the National Lottery, to fund the Olympics behemoth (the budget for which has spiralled out of control).
Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said:
"There is a spectacular lack of logic in using money earmarked for the arts to plug the holes in the Olympics bills. The money raided from the lottery will largely affect small, innovative, experimental organisations and individuals who are the lifeblood of creativity in the UK. Pulling the carpet out from under them and nobbling their money is undermining the future of our major arts institutions."
Tim Lamb, chief executive of the Central Council for Physical Recreation, said:
"If there is to be a real legacy of increasing participation in sport, it seems ironic, if not perverse, for money to be taken away from community sport to fund the Olympics."
Jowell claims that the diversion of funds will not begin until 2009; a cynic might note that by 2009 Labour will have been kicked out of office, and can therefore wash their hands of the entire sorry affair.
Showing posts with label national lottery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national lottery. Show all posts
Monday, April 23, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Costs of London Olympics 2012 Soar
The Culture Select Committee will launch a scathing attack on the government's incompetent handling of the London 2012 Olympics tomorrow, when they will accuse the Treasury of adding £2BN to the costs.
Costs have already risen as a result of security, construction inflation and a Treasury ruling that the Olympics Development Authority must pay VAT.
However, the committee will tell the Treasury to be more willing to pay the extra costs and not insist that all the extra funding has to be found from the national lottery.
The committee will also note that the Treasury's 60% contingency fund is excessive.
The latest estimates are that the Olympics will cost £8BN. Realists argue that the costs will be more likely to hit £12BN.
One major problem with the Olympics is that is is viewed very much as being one of Tony Blair's pet projects, as such Gordon Brown is vehemently opposed to funding the games.
One thing that is clear from this, is that politicians should not be allowed to run major projects such as the Olympic Games.
Costs have already risen as a result of security, construction inflation and a Treasury ruling that the Olympics Development Authority must pay VAT.
However, the committee will tell the Treasury to be more willing to pay the extra costs and not insist that all the extra funding has to be found from the national lottery.
The committee will also note that the Treasury's 60% contingency fund is excessive.
The latest estimates are that the Olympics will cost £8BN. Realists argue that the costs will be more likely to hit £12BN.
One major problem with the Olympics is that is is viewed very much as being one of Tony Blair's pet projects, as such Gordon Brown is vehemently opposed to funding the games.
One thing that is clear from this, is that politicians should not be allowed to run major projects such as the Olympic Games.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Taxpayers Screwed
As befitting the arrogant incompetence of those who are mismanaging the London 2012 Olympics, Tessa Jowell (whose husband is facing criminal trial in Italy) broke the news to parliament yesterday that the Olympics costs were overrunning and that the taxpayer would be making up the shortfall.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary for Culture Media and Sport, finally had to come clean to the world that the costs were out of control.
Jowell, like all politicians, does not like being caught out; therefore it was a pleasure for many to see her squirm (one must take one's pleasure when one can).
However, this is small compensation for the fact that the British taxpayer (or rather more accurately the London taxpayer) will have to foot the bill for this unwanted white elephant.
Jowell said that she could not rule out funding the shortfall with a further raid on the National Lottery, or by increasing the contribution made by London's council-tax payers.
The original budget of £2.375bn has now been derided as a "fag packet" calculation, and Jowell conceded that the current figure is more like £3.3bn.
This figure is of course nonsense, as the real costs are likely to exceed £8BN.
Why do the organisers keep trying to hide the truth from people?
Answer: because they are incompetent and venal.
Jack Lemley knew the score when he resigned, he saw very clearly that the costs of clearing the toxic waste from the site selected to hold the Olympics would be astronomical.
Why did the organisers choose a toxic dump to hold the Olympics on?
Did they tell the IOC this when they made the bid?
Anyone care to spill the beans on that?
Jowell did her best to blame everyone and everything else for this shambles; rising costs on construction inflation, the doubling of steel prices and a revised figure for public transport links serving the Games site near Stratford. Rather oddly the the original bid figure did not include the £400M cost of hiring the international project management consortium CLM.
Jowell warned that there were further "potential liabilities"; the costs of Olympic security £1BN, the extent of a contingency fund within the budget and a VAT bill of £250M
None of these were in the original budget.
The fact remains a budget is meant to take into account all of the costs.
The organisers have failed, and should be removed from their positions of responsibility.
Whether that happens or not, it is clear that the taxpayers will be screwed as a result of this shambles.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary for Culture Media and Sport, finally had to come clean to the world that the costs were out of control.
Jowell, like all politicians, does not like being caught out; therefore it was a pleasure for many to see her squirm (one must take one's pleasure when one can).
However, this is small compensation for the fact that the British taxpayer (or rather more accurately the London taxpayer) will have to foot the bill for this unwanted white elephant.
Jowell said that she could not rule out funding the shortfall with a further raid on the National Lottery, or by increasing the contribution made by London's council-tax payers.
The original budget of £2.375bn has now been derided as a "fag packet" calculation, and Jowell conceded that the current figure is more like £3.3bn.
This figure is of course nonsense, as the real costs are likely to exceed £8BN.
Why do the organisers keep trying to hide the truth from people?
Answer: because they are incompetent and venal.
Jack Lemley knew the score when he resigned, he saw very clearly that the costs of clearing the toxic waste from the site selected to hold the Olympics would be astronomical.
Why did the organisers choose a toxic dump to hold the Olympics on?
Did they tell the IOC this when they made the bid?
Anyone care to spill the beans on that?
Jowell did her best to blame everyone and everything else for this shambles; rising costs on construction inflation, the doubling of steel prices and a revised figure for public transport links serving the Games site near Stratford. Rather oddly the the original bid figure did not include the £400M cost of hiring the international project management consortium CLM.
Jowell warned that there were further "potential liabilities"; the costs of Olympic security £1BN, the extent of a contingency fund within the budget and a VAT bill of £250M
None of these were in the original budget.
The fact remains a budget is meant to take into account all of the costs.
The organisers have failed, and should be removed from their positions of responsibility.
Whether that happens or not, it is clear that the taxpayers will be screwed as a result of this shambles.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Olympics Bill Soars
The costs of the 2012 Olympics in London are already rising well beyond those originally budgeted for, not helped by the fact that the VAT element had been conveniently "forgotten" by those who put together the original budget.
It is now feared that these rising costs could have a damaging impact on the national lottery's ability to fund good causes.
John Whittingdale, a Tory MP who chairs the culture, media and sport select committee, said:
"The lack of clarity over the Olympic budget is of considerable concern. It is all very murky - the status of the regeneration budget is unclear and the question of VAT on construction work has not been clarified.
The impact on traditional lottery good causes could be horrendous. It is ringing all kinds of alarm bells at every lottery distributor."
Negotiations are taking place between the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to provide new funds for the games.
The long suffering tax payers of London are expected to foot some of the bill, even though they weren't consulted in the first place as to whether they wanted the Olympics.
Additional funding will also come from the national lottery. On the existing budget the lottery has to raise £1.5BN.
Mr Whittingdale said:
"The Olympic lottery games have already top-sliced a lot of money from the main game to the Olympics; if it is top-sliced even more, it will mean further hits to the distribution bodies."
A culture department spokesman said:
"It has always been the case that the lottery would be a major part of the funding package. The Olympics present a fantastic opportunity to get people taking up sport, and [for] regenerating an area."
As ever it will be the tax payer who has to fund the ambitions of politicians.
It is now feared that these rising costs could have a damaging impact on the national lottery's ability to fund good causes.
John Whittingdale, a Tory MP who chairs the culture, media and sport select committee, said:
"The lack of clarity over the Olympic budget is of considerable concern. It is all very murky - the status of the regeneration budget is unclear and the question of VAT on construction work has not been clarified.
The impact on traditional lottery good causes could be horrendous. It is ringing all kinds of alarm bells at every lottery distributor."
Negotiations are taking place between the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to provide new funds for the games.
The long suffering tax payers of London are expected to foot some of the bill, even though they weren't consulted in the first place as to whether they wanted the Olympics.
Additional funding will also come from the national lottery. On the existing budget the lottery has to raise £1.5BN.
Mr Whittingdale said:
"The Olympic lottery games have already top-sliced a lot of money from the main game to the Olympics; if it is top-sliced even more, it will mean further hits to the distribution bodies."
A culture department spokesman said:
"It has always been the case that the lottery would be a major part of the funding package. The Olympics present a fantastic opportunity to get people taking up sport, and [for] regenerating an area."
As ever it will be the tax payer who has to fund the ambitions of politicians.
Monday, November 7, 2005
Camelot CEO To Run Olympics
It is reported that Diane Thompson, the chief executive of Camelot the British lottery operator, has been approached to run Britain's Olympic Games in 2012.
Ms Thompson has been praised for her skills in managing Camelot, whose ticket sales are experiencing their longest period of growth since the national lottery was set up in 1994.
Advertisements for chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) have closed, and formal interviews are due to take place in December.
Camelot already has links with the Olympics. It has been given the job of raising £1.5BN, over the next seven years, from ticket sales towards the games.
This is an "interesting" use of lottery money, as the lottery was originally set up to raise money for the arts, heritage, health and education.
The highly commercialised Olympics is as far removed from these causes as one could possibly imagine.
I fail to see why lottery should be wasted in this way.
Ms Thompson has been praised for her skills in managing Camelot, whose ticket sales are experiencing their longest period of growth since the national lottery was set up in 1994.
Advertisements for chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) have closed, and formal interviews are due to take place in December.
Camelot already has links with the Olympics. It has been given the job of raising £1.5BN, over the next seven years, from ticket sales towards the games.
This is an "interesting" use of lottery money, as the lottery was originally set up to raise money for the arts, heritage, health and education.
The highly commercialised Olympics is as far removed from these causes as one could possibly imagine.
I fail to see why lottery should be wasted in this way.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Olympic Lottery Launched
The first lottery game to raise funds for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics is to be unveiled.
The National Lottery has to raise £1.5BN for the Games.
To this end, a new scratch card game will be launched today.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012, will be joined by Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell and other of gold medal winners to launch the game.
In addition to the scratch card, there will also be internet-based as well as themed around one-off events such as the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Olympic organisers are keen to screw as much money out of people as possible, whilst they are still enthusiastic for the idea of holding the Olympics in Britain.
Once the reality of the costs and disruption sets in, it will be far more difficult to raise money.
The National Lottery has to raise £1.5BN for the Games.
To this end, a new scratch card game will be launched today.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012, will be joined by Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell and other of gold medal winners to launch the game.
In addition to the scratch card, there will also be internet-based as well as themed around one-off events such as the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Olympic organisers are keen to screw as much money out of people as possible, whilst they are still enthusiastic for the idea of holding the Olympics in Britain.
Once the reality of the costs and disruption sets in, it will be far more difficult to raise money.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Auditor Slams Britain's Performance in 2004 Olympics
The National Audit Office (NAO) has issued a report, that states that Britain failed to get full "value for money" from the £83M spent on training athletes for the Athens Olympics.
The report says that UK Sport needs to do more in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it notes that Britain underperformed when compared to targets set by UK Sport.
Specifically, UK Sport expected Britain to finish between 8th and 10th in the medal table; Britain finished 10th. It predicted 39 medals; Britain won 28.
Six targeted sports; gymnastics, judo, triathlon, shooting, taekwondo and weightlifting failed to win any medals at all.
The solution, according to the auditors, is for the funding on underachievers to be cut.
It is expected that the task of raising money for the 2008 Olympics will be more challenging, than for the 2004 Olympics; people don't back losers!
UK Sport CEO, Liz Nicholl, said:
"Athens represented the end of the first full Olympic cycle in which we have benefited from lottery funding and as such there was always going to be a lot to learn - both from what we did well and things we could have done better."
The report says that UK Sport needs to do more in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it notes that Britain underperformed when compared to targets set by UK Sport.
Specifically, UK Sport expected Britain to finish between 8th and 10th in the medal table; Britain finished 10th. It predicted 39 medals; Britain won 28.
Six targeted sports; gymnastics, judo, triathlon, shooting, taekwondo and weightlifting failed to win any medals at all.
The solution, according to the auditors, is for the funding on underachievers to be cut.
It is expected that the task of raising money for the 2008 Olympics will be more challenging, than for the 2004 Olympics; people don't back losers!
UK Sport CEO, Liz Nicholl, said:
"Athens represented the end of the first full Olympic cycle in which we have benefited from lottery funding and as such there was always going to be a lot to learn - both from what we did well and things we could have done better."
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