LLDC ordered to make public details of West Ham/Olympic Stadium deal

The body which owns and runs London's Olympic Stadium has been ordered to publish the terms of its lease with West Ham United.

The Premier League club has been granted a 99-year lease on the stadium starting next season.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and the Hammers had wanted the details of the agreement to remain private, with the former appealing against an earlier decision ordering full financial terms to be published.

The LLDC still has one more right of appeal in a bid to overturn the decision of the Information Commissioner.

Among the information not yet made public is:

How much has the stadium cost West Ham to hire?

What are its maintenance costs?

What happens if the club is sold by its current owners?

The LLDC will now decide whether to make one final appeal against the decision of the Information Commissioner.

An LLDC spokesperson said: "We are disappointed by the Tribunal's decision. We have already published the vast majority of the contract and only undertook this appeal following very clear legal advice that to release the remaining details could significantly impact the Stadium's ability to act competitively. 

"The ruling will result in significant challenges given the commercial realities of a highly competitive market, which could amount to many millions of pounds being lost over the term of a 99-year deal. 

"We are considering the judgement very carefully before we decide on the next steps to take."

However, West Ham insist they are happy for the publication of the lease while reiterating the positive impact the move will have on the local area.

A West Ham United spokesman said: "We have always been clear that we have nothing to hide and, aside from the private details of our shareholders, we would be happy for the whole contract to be published.

"Although today's ruling against the LLDC does not affect West Ham United in any way and we were not party to the original application or indeed the appeal, we understand the LLDC's concern that it could impact on their ability to negotiate future contracts.

"It should be remembered that West Ham United were named anchor concessionaire of the Stadium after a fair, transparent and robust process open to any organisation in the world. We were unanimously chosen as we offered the best deal for the taxpayer and the only option for a true and lasting legacy for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

"Our increase in capacity to 60,000 means we will bring 1.5 million visitors to the park each year, demonstrating the unique and vital role we will play in the Stadium's ongoing success.

"Put simply, without West Ham United, the former Olympic Stadium would cost the taxpayer millions of pounds a year, with us it will return hundreds of millions of pounds to the public purse over the course of the contract."

Both Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient had objected to the use of the stadium by West Ham, while the LLDC has denied that taxpayer's money will be used to cover a number of the day-to-day costs required to run the concern.