Olympic organisers are to receive more than £220,000 for providing tickets to the survivors and relatives of the 7/7 bombing victims.
The tickets are being provided to those who “suffered the most severe and life changing injuries and the next of kin of the 52 individuals that were killed”.
A promise of free tickets was first made by Ken Livingstone following the 2005 attacks and successor Boris Johnson committed himself to delivering the promise following his election in 2008.
The offer also enjoys the support of all parties on the London Assembly.
However it has emerged that in order to fulfil the promise City Hall is having to pay the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games £221,000 for the tickets.
The cost of providing the tickets was confirmed in a Mayoral Decision published on the Greater London Authority website.
According to the document, of the 270 tickets, LOCOG have supplied just three “free seats” for the companions of wheelchair users.
Commenting on our story, Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs said: “I fully support the survivors and victims’ family members being able to go to the Olympics, they have been through an awful experience and this is just a small token.
“To find out that the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) are charging the taxpayer over £220,000 for these tickets is outrageous, they should be providing them free of charge. LOCOG are receiving a large amount of money from the taxpayer and from ticket sales, surely they can afford to provide these tickets for free?”
“The cost works out at over £800 per ticket, this is a disgraceful amount to charge, LOCOG have full flexibility over ticket prices. I think all Londoners would agree that this is completely unacceptable and is thoroughly distasteful behaviour.”
Last week the London Assembly heard that Olympic chiefs at the IOC were opposing requests to hold a one minute silence in honour of the 11 Israeli athletes who were killed at the 1972 Munich games.
LOCOG have been asked for a comment on this story.
This story was updated at 14.16 on 28th May 2012 to add a comment from Labour AM John Biggs
Peter Hulme Cross says
For once I agree wholeheartedly with what Assembly Member John Biggs has to say.
In paragraph 1.9 of the Mayoral decision document linked above it says “LOCOG’s ticket
pricing strategy is fair and in line with other major events”. This is rubbish. Charging around £800 per ticket could be considered profiteering by LOCOG. If they can’t make the tickets available free of charge for some reason then they should charge only a very small nominal amount.
Robin says
Greed bread and Circuses and Tax bills for Most