altNOVEMBER 1 - BRIAN COLEMAN (pictured), chairman of the London Assembly has today written to Jack Lemley asking him to explain at an extraordinary meeting on November 15 his fears that London’s Olympic venues will be late and over budget.

 

Lemley, who resigned as Chair of the Olympic Delivery Authority last month, blamed disagreements about the long-term use of the Olympic Stadium and too much local politics for confusing and frustrating progress.  He said, “I went there to build things, not sit and talk about it”.

Coleman said:  “Jack Lemley’s remarks completely undermine the warm words and vague reassurances the Assembly has heard from the ODA about progress towards 2012. 

 

"I am minded to call an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly to provide an opportunity for Mr Lemley to explain his remarks, by video link if necessary, and to afford ODA chief executive David Higgins an opportunity to shed public light on what is going on behind the closed doors of his organisation.

 

"London council taxpayers are entitled to know if their money is being spent effectively, the London Assembly is determined to find out."

 

The Sports Minister Richard Caborn said: "I am disappointed by Jack. The IOC came over here and gave us a clean bill of health.

 

"The board he was on was one of the strongest we put together. It is made up of top industrialists. They are not politicians, they are top executives. I have every confidence in the board. There is no political interference."

 

Angie Bray, Leader of the London Assembly Conservatives claimed his decision was in fact down to political infighting rather than "health" reasons, as was originally suggested.

“ We asked questions as to the real reason behind Jack Lemley’s resignation only last week, simply to be told it was on health grounds." she said. "The true reason is that, just six months after he finally took control, this man, widely regarded as a world leader in delivering projects on time and to cost, felt an abject lack of confidence in the ability of the ODA to actually achieve that goal.

 

“Lemley has walked away to protect his reputation – but what now the reputation of London? This is an absolute debacle. We have always maintained that these problems would arise, and our greatest fears have now been realised. And the fact we find out through an American newspapers is contemptible. All Londoners are stakeholders in the Olympic Games - yet why are we kept in the dark ?. “

“ We must ensure that this games does not turn into a national fiasco – therefore immediate action is necessary to address the circumstances which contributed to his resignation. A failure to do so, will hamper any attempts to replace with him, and lead to yet further delays. We simply cannot allow the important position he assumed, albeit briefly, to deteriorate into a poisoned chalice. “

“ Staging, and delivering a successful Olympic Games will be one of the biggest challenges London will face this century – and given all the money that Londoners are contributing we urgently need to listen to Lemley’s criticisms and to actually start doing things, rather than sitting around talking about them. “

 

Darren Johnson, a Green Party member of the London Assembly said: “It’s a cause for great concern that someone is such a senior position is already expressing doubts.

“While there were grand plans in the bid documents for a legacy for East London and the environment, my concern is that when costs start to spiral these plans will get jettisoned.” 

“This is what happened in Athens, when the environmental plans were dropped at the last minute.

“We need to have proper accountability and clear objectives to be followed, to ensure that the promises laid down in the bid documents are followed through.”