effect of the Olympics on Hackney

Last night I spoke at a meeting organised by Hackney Environment Forum about the impact of a bid to host the 2012 Olympics in London.

The meeting was well attended and I was joined on the panel by representatives from the Mayor of London's office, Lea Valley Park, Hackney Council and by a Labour member of the London Assembly.

Some very positive commitments were given by the Mayor's office, including a commitment that no permament or temporary development would take place on Hackney Marshes or London Fields. When pushed about the exact meaning and geographical boundaries of this commitment, a degree of uncertainty crept in, but there is a promise to make a definitive statement in the near future - something I will report here when it is made.

However, on many of the key issues of social, economic and environmental impact, such as transport links, the creation of long-term rather than temporary jobs and the development of low-impact facilities with a genuine value to the community long after the games are finished, the responses were peppered with far to many "ifs" and "aspirations" for my liking and for the majority of the people at the meeting.

It is one thing to state that a London Olympics must improve on the standard set by Sydney's "Green Games", but it is quite another to deliver. From the audience response to my comments compared with the response to those of the Labour politicians and the Mayor's advisor, it was clear that many people are not yet happy with the assurances that are being made.

The Mayor's advisor stated that "if we can't convince the people of East London that the games will deliver long-term economic, social and environmental benefits to their area then we will not win the games." Last night's meeting showed that the bid if a long way from meeting those criteria. The consultation process will go on until November and the bid will be submitted in January 2004, it is vital that individuals and other local groups engage in the formal consultation structure and arrange independent meetings like the one last night to make sure that if this bid id to go ahead it does so for the benefit of the people of East London and not for the benefit of corporate sponsors like Nike, McDonalds and Coca Cola.