Overspend has nothing to do with the ODA according to MPs

The cost of staging the 2012 Olympic Games is heading £1.7bn over budget to £11bn but the expected overspend has nothing to do with the “exemplary” Olympic Delivery Authority, which managed construction of the Games venues, according to a committee of MPs.

Margaret Hodge MP, chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said a “staggering” increase in security spending and expected increases in Games and legacy delivery costs were to blame for the expected overspend.

The committee also raised concerns about the lack of clarity on who was accountable to parliament for delivery of the Games’ legacy benefits.

Hodge said the government had dispersed responsibility for legacy delivery “across many different parts of government” and this had rung “alarm bells”.

She warned the Olympic stadium “must not become a white elephant” after legacy plans for it fell through.

The committee also called on the government to provide clarity on how much public money would be set aside for the east London boroughs’ legacy plans.

The government originally allocated £9.3bn for the construction, delivery and legacy costs of the Games.

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