Plan for Northern Olympics to get £7m in Healey's Budget

- Published

A £7m fund to explore how the Olympics could be brought to northern England will be announced in John Healey's first Budget on Wednesday, the BBC has learned.

The chancellor plans to allocate the money for a full feasibility study on the possibility for a bid for a "Northern Games".

If successful, it could see the games held in the North in the 2040s.

The last time the UK hosted the Olympics was London 2012. A UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) department report estimated in 2013 it boosted the economy by £9.9bn, although the amount was met with some scepticism.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC: "Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly.

"The Games would unlock opportunity across our towns and cities for the whole country. From north to south, it would be something everyone could get behind and be proud of.

"We know we can put on the greatest show on earth. Now we want to explore how we can do it again, with the whole country behind it."

In May the government asked UK Sport to carry out an initial assessment of the idea, looking at the possible cost and benefit of a bid to hold the Olympics across the North.

The idea had been put forward by Northern Mayors and backed by a group of former Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey.

As part of next week's Budget the government will announce the next step - a "full feasibility study".

The report will look in closer detail at how hosting the games could work.

It will consider the kinds of venues and transport links required, how different cities could share the games, how communities could benefit.

Crucially it will also examine how much it could cost as well as assess the chances of a bid succeeding. The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government said in 2013 it estimated hosting in London had cost £8.9bn.

A report in 2013 by the UK Trade and Investment, which has since been replaced by the Department for International Trade, said it had sparked a £9.9bn boost to the economy through new contracts, sales and foreign investments.

But the estimated amount was queried by some, including the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).

The new feasability study for the Northern Games will be done by government, UK Sport, the Northern Mayors and include the British Olympic and Paralympic associations.

Healey said: "Olympic legacy lasts way beyond the celebration of sport over the summer. The North hosting an event as big as this would be truly unforgettable.

"Britain's experience of London 2012 is proof we can host the world. I'm picking up the pace on our work to potentially bid for these prestigious games. It will lift communities, create opportunities and give the UK a huge boost."

News of the funding for the study was welcomed by the British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport.

"We welcome the government's continued support for exploring the potential of a future bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the UK in the 2040s," they said in a joint statement.

"Building on the success and legacy of London 2012, we look forward to working in partnership to explore this exciting opportunity and the benefits it could deliver for the nation, and for the global Olympic and Paralympic movements."