Andrew Dismore

West Ham have managed to escape over £43,000 in policing costs for their recent home game against Stoke, new figures show. The information was provided by Sadiq Khan in response to a Mayor’s Question from Labour London Assembly Member Andrew Dismore AM.  Mr Dismore blasted former mayor, Boris Johnson, for the deal done between West Ham and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) under his mayoralty which sees the football club pay nothing towards policing costs.

 

£43,350 was charged for Special Policing Services for West Ham vs Stoke on 5^th November. Clubs are liable for charges for policing inside the stadiums or on their land. However, under the deal done between the LLDC and West Ham during Boris Johnson’s time at City Hall there is no provision for West Ham to meet the costs of policing.

 

An estimated £426,170 has been spent on deploying officers to policing operations around West Ham since 4^th August, according to figures from the Mayor of London. After just 6 home games, costs have almost already hit the total amount spent on policing West Ham games at Upton Park last season (2015/16), which reached £525,526. The cost is picked up by the Met, with no legal right to recover costs to the Met for policing incidents outside the ground and dealing with travelling supporters.

 

Last month (November) the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced he would conduct a review into the Olympic Stadium. His announcement came after it was revealed that the cost of retractable seating for the stadium had increased from £300,000 to an estimated £8m.

 

Labour London Assembly Member, Andrew Dismore AM, said:

 

“Taxpayers are going to be really angry to hear that West Ham aren’t even having to contribute to policing costs within their stadium under Boris’ sweetheart deal. With the costs for policing these games creeping up it’s bizarre that the former mayor entered a deal where West Ham don’t even pay their fair share.

 

“This botched deal goes from bad to worse, and all because Boris Johnson didn’t take the time to look at the detail. Not only did we see the costs of the stadium conversion rocket, taxpayers were then told they’d be paying through the nose for retractable seating. We wait with baited breath to see what else the review will uncover.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes

• An invoice has been raised for £43,350 for Special Policing Services for West Ham vs Stoke on 5^th This information was provided by the Mayor of London in response to Mr Dismore’s Mayor’s Question below. This also sets out the cost of policing West Ham fixtures at London Stadium to be £426,170 and confirmation that there is no provision for West Ham to meet the costs of policing:

 

West Ham and security at the Olympic Stadium [2]

Question No: 2016/4402

Andrew Dismore

How much has been, or is expected to be,  refunded by West Ham to the Met with respect to policing their home games at the Olympic Stadium since the start of the football season; and what has been the total policing cost of these games?

 

Written response from the Mayor

As the owners of London Stadium, E20 Stadium LLP, a joint venture between LLDC and Newham Council, are responsible for security arrangements at the venue; the concession agreement does not have any provision for West Ham United FC to meet the costs of policing.

 

Since the start of the football season, London Stadium 185 (the stadium operators) have only been provided with Special Policing Services for West Ham vs Stoke on 5^th November for which an invoice is being raised for £43,350.

 

Estimated police officer costs (excluding overtime) for wider policing of West Ham fixtures at London Stadium since 4^th August is £426,170. Until 5^th November officers have only deployed onto land owned, leased or controlled by the stadium in response to crime and disorder.

 

Police can only charge where officers deploy on land owned, leased or controlled by the stadium in a preventative capacity.

 

• The cost of policing West Ham last season (2015/16) was £525,526. This information was provided by the Mayor of London in response to a Mayor’s Question from Andrew Dismore AM, below:

 

Policing football costs [4]

Question No: 2016/3404

Andrew Dismore

What is the best estimate of the total actual cost of policing each Premier League London Football club in each of the last 3 financial years?

Written response from the Mayor

The cost of policing Premier League clubs over the last three football seasons is set out below. 

 

Club	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
	£	£	£
Arsenal	985,660	957,931	672,922
Chelsea	663,820	833,450	761,598
Crystal Palace	382,631	399,239	427,447
Fulham	283,186	435,363	n/a
Queens Park Rangers	n/a	348,380	n/a
Tottenham Hotspur	579,193	881,664	740,874
West Ham United	414,983	429,284	525,526

 

• Sadiq Khan announced a review into the Olympic Stadium finances earlier this month.
• In 2012, the High Court ruled that clubs can only be charged for policing inside the stadiums or on their land. This can be found here.
• The cost of retractable seating is estimated to have risen from £300,000 to £8m.

 

• Andrew Dismore AM is the London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden