Southend West Conservative MP David Amess has launched a series of questions about the impact of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Yesterday, Mr Amess fired off a round of written questions to Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, in an attempt to find out how much research had been done into the specific impact of the Games on Essex and Southend, and how much preparation for that impact had been undertaken.
Mr Amess wrote to ask Ms Jowell: “what assessment the Government Olympic Executive has made since December 2008 of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics on Essex and Southend West constituency.”
In reply, Ms Jowell wrote:
“The Government Olympic Executive has not made a specific assessment of the economic effects of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics on Essex or Southend West.
“However, the East of England stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 games.
“These include businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and improved skills and employment opportunities.
“The games, including pre-games training camps, will enable regions to attract inward investment and showcase themselves on an international stage, and UK Trade and Investment are helping businesses to use 2012 as a springboard for export.
“We are already seeing progress in a lot of these areas, for example 23 of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s suppliers are businesses registered in Essex.
“Additionally, 66 facilities from the region, including Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre in Essex are included in the official London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.”
Mr Amess requested information on what work had been done by the Government Olympic Executive with Southend Borough Council to “enable it to participate fully” in the Olympics and “receive a legacy” from the event.
Ms Jowell wrote in reply:
“Although the Government Olympic Executive has had no direct discussions with Southend borough council about the legacy of London 2012 in Southend, I meet regularly with the chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) and my officials work closely with their LGA counterparts.
“We are fully committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK can be part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
“The Legacy Action Plan which I published in June last year sets out more details on how we propose to deliver this vision.
“I am especially keen for regions to identify what is important to them.
“At a regional level this work is being taken forward by the Nations and Regions Group (NRG) who are working hard to optimise local benefits of the games.
“In December 2008 I addressed the LGA conference which had an Olympic focus.
“I regularly attend meetings with the London councils and meet the five London host borough representatives.
“I also undertake a programme of regional visits where I meet with local representatives and businesses to highlight the potential benefits and opportunities of London 2012.”
Having dealt with business, culture and inclusion, Mr Amess finished his round of questioning by asking about caravans for attendees of the Games, to which Ms Jowell replied:
“There are no plans for spaces for recreational caravans in the Olympic Park.
“However, we recognise that motor home and caravan users may wish to attend the 2012 games and we expect that, closer to the time, the Olympic Delivery Authority will wish to follow up initial discussions it has had with the Caravan Club to explore the potential for games-time integration of public transport provision and licensed caravan sites.”
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[...] May 2009, CouncilBust.com reported that Mr Amess had written to Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, asking if the government had made provisions for caravan users attending the 2012 [...]