Mr Bacon said today:

“Many government projects have run into trouble because key people have moved on at the wrong time and their skills have been lost.  The Olympics is too important to become a ‘merry-go-round’ for civil servants’ careers. Those in key Olympic posts should now stay put until the 2012 Games are over”. 

“It is worrying that we still don’t have a clear idea who will own the Olympic venues after the Games and what they will be used for. The government must resolve its plans for these venues and above all avoid a repeat of the Millennium Dome, which has only now found a use after years of sitting idle”.

“The government cannot afford a weak approach to managing risk.  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport must keep its 17 lead bodies on a tight leash, ensuring they work to time and that risks to delivery are reported diligently”.

Mr Bacon was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report on preparations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  According to the report, strong progress monitoring and risk management arrangements are essential for the Games’ success, but are not yet in place.  The large number of bodies involved is also found to present significant risks to timely decision-taking.

The report also finds there is a lack of clarity about how venues will be used after the Games, with concerns that the design of Olympic venues will fail to reconcile the needs of the Games with those of subsequent users.  

10 July 2007

See also:
PAC REPORT: Preparations for the London 2012 Games