Search questions

• Reference: 2003/0304
• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

How will local communities across the capital be involved in developing the bid and delivering the Games? .

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

Thank you, Chair. I have two quick points. One is the size of the stadium, because there is some speculation that because it is only required to be so large for the opening ceremony that if the opening ceremony were done differently then the stadium could be smaller. I wonder if you can comment on that possibility or where your thinking is on that? Secondly, there is the issue of legacy funding, particularly for sporting groups in London. I know it is not a requirement for the technical bid questionnaire for January, but have you had any thoughts yet about...

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

I just want to persist with this question of the opportunity to complement what is happening with engaging more people and many more young people in sporting activity and making much better use of the existing facilities. We have lost 27 of London's 39 lidos. We have lost nine swimming pools. We have lost six square kilometres of playing fields. We are still losing these sorts of facilities at the moment. It is very important to know from you how you will promote the use of existing facilities and what share of the £1.2 billion we will get.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

Thank you, Chair. The answer was very encouraging and dealt with a lot of our interests. Chair, you mentioned that we were in Brent last night for People's Question Time. The audience of several hundred people were asked what they thought was London's strongest asset. The answer, by what I think was a very substantial margin, was its people, by which I think we mean the cultural diversity and so on. If that is London's greatest strength - and I think many of us think it is - how will you be able to link that into the bid and...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

Thank you very much. Can I now turn to training facilities, which we talked about earlier. I think you mentioned in your introduction that 10 boroughs will actually have sporting events taking place in them. I must say I had not realised there would be that many. What about the other 22 boroughs? Obviously, they cannot have sporting events taking place there, but what about using their facilities for teams to train at?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

Actually TfL are visiting Hackney next week. I just want to bring it back to the IOC questionnaire that has to detail any opposition. Perhaps Barbara could comment on that?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

Absolutely. Sorry, I do not want to interrupt you, but I understand that and I know what is going on enough to be able to communicate to people who contact me. But there is no reason why they cannot know the information that was all shared with us at the two-day session last week, for instance.

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

But even up to and before then, every time I went to a briefing there was information, but it is about it being out there in the public domain. If it is not out there people worry that there are these hidden secrets.

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

With regard to the future Candidature Committee where you have to identify members in the questionnaire, have you thought about how to involve the people? One of the strengths, which again the Mayor has highlighted, is the unique selling point of London having a diverse community and people need a place in it. I like the `friends of the bid'. Have you given any contemplation, or can I talk to you further, about the idea of a mutual set up where people buy a membership of the company in effect?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 15 October 2003

I mentioned earlier about the IOC questionnaire and the general support locally, but there is an information gap locally. I appreciate what is being done, but out there people are not getting answers to basic questions. The questions they are asking me and other local representatives are things that are in the public domain. Ms Cassani, I appreciate that you have said you are concentrating on winning the bid and I think that it is absolutely right that you do not get too bogged down in the political detail. But it is more than political detail; it is important, if...