A couple of days ago, I wrote that – given the massive costs attached to the 2012 Games – taxpayers will want to see that the Government’s promise to deliver a lasting “Olympics legacy” isn’t an empty one. Well, if a survey on the matter by Opinion Research is anything to go by, then there’s not much confidence on that front. A third of respondents think that the Olympics will deliver no significant, long-term benefits, and that the money should be spent on other public services. And only 12 percent of people believe the Olympics will come in on budget, or within ten percent of budget.
The public mood is understandable – after all, the latest news is that London’s main Olympic stadium could be demolished after the 2012 Games, and the land sold on to a Premiership football club. But it’s a shame that it has to be that way. After all, the Opinion Research survey also finds that people are getting more excited about 2012, in the wake of Team GB’s success in Beijing. Yet the government’s potential for mismangement threatens to cast a pall over all that.
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