Cost of policing the 2012 Olympics in the Lee Valley estimated to be £740,000

[richard]

THE cost of planning and policing the London 2012 Olympics at the Lee Valley White Water Centre is expected to top £740,000.

The taxpayer will not be forced to foot the bill, and instead Government grants will be used to fund the measures.

In addition to providing police officers to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) the constabulary will also be policing the canoe slalom competition at the Waltham Cross venue. The Olympic Torch will pass through the county in July.

The cost of officers provided to police the London events will be reclaimed as mutual aid from the MPS.

In a Hertfordshire Police Authority report it said: "The cost of planning for the games and policing the Hertfordshire event is expected to be in the region of £740k for which we have in place signed grant agreements with the Home Office.


Source
By Gemma Gardner
www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk

[smallbore]

The statement is incorrect that the funding for officers supplied for London events is being paid by the MPS. The policing cost is actually being funded by the Home Office directly.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) are receiving the Mutual Aid (under Section 24 of the Police Act 1996), but the funding is coming from the Olympic budget already allocated for this purpose. No net loss to either the force supplying Mutual Aid officers or the MPS. The taxpayer is actually paying the bill, one way or another.

Best regards
smallbore

[richard]

Hi smallbore and welcome to our UNOFFICIAL London 2012 forum.

Thank you for clarifying the funding issue, and you're quite right, no matter how the funds are paid for, and which pot of 'magic money' is used, it will always be the taxpayer who ultimately foots the bill - unless the right honourable members of parliament are digging deep into their own pockets which is somewhat doubtful in the current climate. 'We're all in it' only applies to taxpayers picking up the bill