Few locals want to see the MSG Sphere entertainment venue built, but Newham council has little power to stop it
- Lyn Brown is the Labour MP for West Ham
When London bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, we were driven not just by sporting desire, but by a vision for a regenerated east London after decades of deindustrialisation and deprivation. We were promised not just new infrastructure and economic growth, but the opportunity to genuinely improve the lives of local residents, including those who suffered dislocation and disruption to create the new Olympic venues. Most local people passionately supported the bid and the Games on this premise. Yet, while the Games did bring significant investment into Newham, there have been clear failures to benefit local people in the years since the closing ceremonies.
Delivering a lasting, positive legacy for the Olympic site was a job entrusted to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), established by Boris Johnson, then mayor of London, with the promise that local people really would benefit from the impact of the Games. For the most part, the opportunities created have remained out of reach for most local people. Rents and living costs have risen rapidly in the area but these have not been matched by sufficient wage increases or enough accessible new jobs, let alone enough affordable and social housing.
