Former Labour minister Richard Caborn was critical of the deal:
"This is the biggest mistake of the Olympics and lessons should be learned from this. West Ham are basically getting a stadium costing more than £600m for just £15m and a small amount in annual rent [£2m]."
It never ceases to amaze me how politicians of all parties treat taxpayers money with such contempt, and so casually.
This wretched game, football, awash with dubious money for dubious reasons, cannot pay for it's own infrastructure. Or the politicians like to appear football friendly because the votes of the unthinking tribalists are riding on such easy decisions. A plague on football, and the politicians.
Posted by: Arthur | March 23, 2013 at 09:00 AM
If West Ham is going to receive -- well, let's be polite and call it an "investment" -- surely it should give the government shares and pay a suitable proportion of future dividends back to the treasury?
That would, of course, constitute partial nationalisation, which I would be very much opposed to. Therefore, they should not have sought this money elsewhere.
Posted by: Y Rhyfelwr Dewr | March 23, 2013 at 09:03 AM
Professional football is a straightforward commercial business, except to the extent that it inspires a brand loyalty far beyond any other type of commercial product or service.
That's fine but it is certainly no justification for subsidizing a commercial company to gain new premises.
Posted by: Ken Stevens | March 23, 2013 at 09:16 AM
You couldn't make it up! Absolutely astounding that taxpayers' money is yet again being frittered away. We should allow the electorate to make decisions on these things by pressing the 'red' button from their living room armchair - this way we would have a bigger say and hopefully less political involvement in this kind of business deal.
Posted by: Gwen | March 23, 2013 at 09:48 AM
And West Ham are keeping the proceeds of the sale of their existing ground, to 'reduce their debts'! You couldn't make it up.
Posted by: Bill Bailey | March 23, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Why on earth should taxpayers help fund a football club that is a private enterprise?
The answer is THEY SHOULDN'T.
Own goal, Johnson.
Posted by: boudicca | March 23, 2013 at 10:05 AM
This arrangement is a total disgrace. To use taxpayer's money to support any club when football is awash with money and paying obscene amounts to players is absolutely mad. If any future sale allows the directors to walk away with massive gains, the Government signatories should be charged with fraud or theft.
Posted by: Derek Green | March 23, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Londoners will want to know how much they will have to cough up, given the vast amounts that the tax payer has already contributed, and also how much West Ham will be contributing.
http://glaconservatives.co.uk/blog/west-ham-stadium-deal-londoners-deserve-to-know-how-much-theyll-have-to-cough-up/
Posted by: AndrewBoff | March 23, 2013 at 12:41 PM
And to think this man has aspirations to be Prime Minister.
Posted by: ToryToryTory | March 23, 2013 at 06:25 PM
Yes, of course I am against public subsidies and benefit payments - well, unless they are to my friends. Boris is a c0ck.
Posted by: Dave Hollins MBA | March 23, 2013 at 08:40 PM
It is outrageous to squander public funds in this way - is the stadium we just paid £600m for really only worth £15m or so? If so, the perpetrators of the Olympic spending contest should be fired and sued to recover the wasted £585m.
How bad has the country got when even Labour politicians are complaining about the profligate mis-spending?!
Posted by: James Sutherland | March 24, 2013 at 09:24 AM