Why Are We Giving West Ham Football Club £35 Million

[jake-the-peg]

How did we get here?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21889864

Were there no contracts?

Looks like really bad financial management from where I'm sitting

[Gromit]

Owned by the pornographers, Gold and Sullivan.

[DangerUXD]

as a WestHam fan I thank you all very much! I gladly donate my own 0.005p

[FredPuli43]

What? Sullivan? "The Asian Babes Stadium" ? Surely not.

[ichkeria]

I suppose they'll be paying back in rent over the years.
And at least it guarantees the future of the stadium for athletics, which was my main concern.

[ichkeria]

...and as we all know of course West Ham United is an anagram of "The New stadium" so it could hardly have gone anywhere else :-)

[Gromit]

London Olympic Stadium:

Construction cost £486 million
Conversion to football £190 million
Total = £676 million
Annual Income frome rent = £?
Football ground capacity 40,000

Manchester Commonwealth Games Stadium

Construction cost = £112 million
Conversion for football £42 million
Total = £152million
Annual income from rent £3million
Football capacity 46,0000

Do we need further evidence that Lord Coe should be imprisioned for gross financial negligence with public money?

[Gromit]

An extra 0 crept in there, Ethiad capacity 46,000.

[emmie]

why are we giving them any money at all, if they want to use the Olympic stadium then they should be the ones to cough up,

[DangerUXD]

for misuse of public funds gromit I'd go to the last 40 years of government giving money to our EU enemies for a start. Then there's the 120billion we give to the great unwashed, wonderful! Oh and what about the 4 billion we give to foriegn nuclear powers! You seem a little off focus their mate!

[Gromit]

DangerUXB

It is you who seems unfocused. We are debating a football Stadium, not the EU.

Classic used of the diversion tactic though, well done!

[ichkeria]

The alternative was either lose the stadium or have London tax payers pay for it.

I can't really see the problem. And it p*sses off Barry Hearn so even better :-)

[jake-the-peg]

EU enemies?

Well at least I'm not fighting a war that ended half a century ago!

I'm not criticizing the origianl deal ( although some might )

Point is this deal was meant to have been done and dusted last year as I recall - looks like that wasn't the case - What happened there then?

Looks like the money is coming out of Boris' slush fund - maybe they'll name the stadium after him

[ichkeria]

As I recall Tottenham wanted it, but their idea was to build a new stadium for athletics in South London and have the Olympic stadium just for football. That wasn't acceptable. West Ham's bid has run into opposition from the local club Leyton Orient.

I agree that it is all a bit of a mess, but I don't think it's quite the giveaway it's being portrayed as. West Ham had a bit of a bargaining chip in the form of the expense of the stadium upkeep, but that was always going to be the case whoever took it on.

[Gromit]

Manchester City Football Club pay Manchester City Council (the Stadium's owner) £3million annually.

Will West Ham United FC pay a similar sum back to the taxpayers annually?

And if not, why not?

[LazyGun]

The deal fell apart last year because of some last minute objections, as ichkeria mentioned. I think it was Tottenham who objected, and also Millwall (?) - whichever club Barry Hearns was a director of.

[carrust]

Are they keeping the running track?

[Gromit]

It may not be a done deal yet...

// On March 6 2013 Barry Hearn stated that he would mount another legal challenge as he believed that the rules set out be the LLDC had not been followed. Hearn also said that he felt that Leyton Orient's proposed ground share had been ignored and not properly explored. //

[Gromit]

Apologies to Lord Coe. It is Boris who has overseen this fiasco...

// Daniel Moylan was appointed chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) just over three months ago by Mr Johnson, but it was announced today that he (will now spearhead the Mayor’s new aviation policy unit) has been sacked.

Mr Johnson has said he will take on the chairmanship of the LLDC himself.

He said: “Securing the future of the Olympic and Paralympic legacy and building on the regeneration of east London is a matter of huge importance to me personally. It is vital that I continue to be at the forefront of the decision-making, driving forward the huge task of delivery. The chairmanship of the LLDC will enable me to do just that, building on what has already been achieved. //

Add political meddling to the list of shenanigans here.

[Gromit]

£676million cost.
West Ham will pay £2.5million rent.

So the taxpayer will be paid back in 270 years.

Boris for Pope!

[bazwillrun]

"Football ground capacity 40,000 "

@Gromit

i'd check your facts if i were you
It will have a seating capacity of 54,000