The Guardian has reported that a number of charities whose money was used to help construct the London Stadium ahead of the 2012 Olympics are yet to receive re-payments.
The venue, which is of course now home to West Ham United who pay a mere £2.5 million per year for it, was built using a share of lottery funds – money that was intended for charities – and while successive governments have promised to re-pay the funds, those non-profit organisations who had suffered financially for the creation of the stadium are still doing so.
Over £400 million of Big Lottery Funds grants was used to create the infrastructure of the London Stadium, money was supposed to be used to benefit charities and help local communities, and while is was supposed to have already been re-payed, the current government have affirmed that such organisations may have to wait till as late as 2020 and further for re-payments to even begin.
West Ham have themselves come under heavy criticism for the measly annual fee paid for the use of the Olympic asset while charities, many of whom volunteered to make the London 2012 games happen, continue to suffer because of their presence and annual payments.
A campaign for already over 4,000 registered supporters, the Big Lottery Refund campaign, led by the Directory of Social Change, is calling on the prime minister to relocate her previous moral compass, put her words into action and give charities and community groups their well overdue money.
