Andrew Boff slams nonexistent Olympic legacy

Outspoken Andrew Boff, speaks out on nonexistent Olympic legacy.

Today marks the fifth aniversary of London being awarded the right, to host the 2012 Olympics, but Andrew Boff, London Assembly Conservative spokesman for the Olympics, is speaking out on the ‘emptiness’ behind the promises of a legacy for east London.

Commenting, Mr Boff said:  “Five years ago, the Olympic bid presented us with an extraordinary vision in which five of the most deprived boroughs in the country would be transformed by the 2012 Games.  The people of east London were told that the Olympics would increase sports participation, improve education outcomes, drive up housing conditions and increase life expectancy.

“Today, we can see the hollowness of those promises – not one of them has been fulfilled.

He questions: “Have we paid £9.3 billion merely to build the Olympic stadium and the sports venues?  Unfortunately, leisure facilities alone are not enough to regenerate east London.  The Olympic authorities use the word ‘legacy’ in every sentence they utter, yet they never bothered to plan the legacy or invest any of the money in the local communities next to the Olympic site.”

Boff who ran as a Conservative mayoral candidate for Hackney in the last elections, has been very vocal  and critical of Hackneys public expenditure and is a strong proponent, of grassroots enterprise .