What will the Olympic Park look like in 2020?
Sometimes our politicians miss the story. And most of them did the other day at the when they were quizzing about the .
Ford is the head of the and is therefore in charge of making sure that the Park works for the local community for decades after 2012.
What she admitted to the Assembly is that nobody has worked out yet where the money is coming from to pay for the key changes which will be needed after the Games.
The bill is expected to be around £450 million.
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What we're talking about is the cash for things like pavilions, playgrounds, public toilets and bridges to allow the local community into the Park easily.
Now they may sound insignificant. But they are going to make the difference if the Park is to become a place for Londoners to enjoy every day.
That's important because the people I talk to in east London are worried that the Park could become a centre for crime, if it is not managed properly.
Now, if you live outside of east London, you probably won't care much about this. But I would politely suggest you should.
The Legacy Company wants to make this Park as attractive to visitors as and - a place where visitors to London will want to go to see an Olympic Museum and enjoy the memories of the 2012 Olympics.
What image will it give of Britain if it looks cheap and scruffy? How the Park looks in 2020 is, therefore, just as important as how it looks on July 27 2012 when it will be dressed up for the opening ceremony.
Ford says the £450 million isn't included in the . She's going to have to ask the Government and the London Mayor Boris Johnson to find the money.
That could be tough in the next few years when whoever wins this year's will be looking to make cuts in public expenditure.
So there is a good chance Londoners are going to be asked to pay for most of it. Is that right?
Plenty of people outside of London will say 'yes' to that question and Boris Johnson - and taxpayers - may find themselves being asked to find most of the £450 million.
Most of the members of the London Assembly - apart from Conservative - didn't seem very interested in probing Ford for an answer on that the other day. I'm sure they will when they get their heads around the story.
I'm 91Èȱ¬ London's Olympics Correspondent, which means I report on every aspect of the preparations for 2012. I'm going to be telling you what people are saying about London's preparations - both in the Olympic corridors of power and on the streets of the capital - and I want to hear your views.
Comment number 1.
At 14th Mar 2010, Euloroo wrote:But I understand the the £9.3B doesn't include revenue for the sale of commercial and residential assets after the games? I which case it seems reasonable that some of this revenue is reinvested into legacy?
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Comment number 2.
At 25th Mar 2010, Simon Sonic wrote:I read in your report that the locals are concerned that the "park" will turn out to be a crime mecca. Well, should fit into the surroundings quite well then shouldn't it? The Legacy company really have set themselves high targets then haven't they, "as enjoyable as Regent's Park". Well a bulldozer and a couple of packs of grass seed should do the job then. I have not managed, as you suggest that there is, to find a public toilet in Regent's park - neither have the dogs for that matter.
Perhaps if the ODA had kept a lid on the gross expenditure that some of these buildings have cost we wouldn't be arguing about the odd £400m. The grotesque waste of money that has been justified by the Baghdad Bully to create a monument to her self indulgent architectural ego that is the aquatics centre - swimming pool to you and me - is a classic tale of how the waste has been allowed to spiral out of control.
Anyway, typical of those in so called authority, "That's another fine mess that you've gotten me into". Perhaps in any remake of films of that period the ODA could play the Keystone Cops.
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