THE taxpayer has forked out an EXTRA £51million for West Ham to play at the London Stadium this season.
New Mayor of London Sadiq Khan ordered a probe after it emerged the cost of making the 2012 Olympic venue fit for football has gone up from the estimated £272m to £323m.
The total bill for the Hammers’ new home since it was planned for the Games is already £752m to the public purse. That is just £5m less than the much-criticised Wembley.
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And the retractable seats fitted to get Hammers fans closer to the action will cost £8m EVERY season to dismantle for concerts and athletics meetings.
West Ham agreed a £15m contribution to the conversion costs and are paying just £2.5m per season to rent the stadium, with the taxpayer responsible for the cost of fixtures and fittings, including the corner flags.
TaxPayers’ Alliance chief exec John O’Connell added: “For too long the details of this shabby deal were kept in secret and lacked proper scrutiny so Sadiq Khan is absolutely right to look again at the case.
“But instead of focusing our anger on West Ham for taking advantage of this ludicrously generous taxpayer funded subsidy, we should instead be demanding explanations from those that signed off on this agreement and ask how they ever thought that this offered value to those of us footing the bill.
“It’s now down the those in charge of the inquiry to get to the bottom of how West Ham were gifted the deal of the century while ensuring their investigation doesn’t end up costing the taxpayer as much as the stadium.”
London Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe said: “We need to make sure the stadium runs on a sustainable basis and is affordable to London.”
West Ham home games have been blighted by hooliganism this season.
And Hammers chiefs promised to ban 200 thugs captured by CCTV after trouble marred last week’s EFL Cup win over Chelsea.
But controversy over the stadium will grow after it emerged in a Sky News investigation the cost of moving the seats and replacing them each summer has gone up from £300,000 to £8m.
They also take 15 days to change — three times longer than intended.
Rather than sliding on wheels or airbeds, like at the Stade de France in Paris, the stands have to be broken up and shifted by hand.
The original contractor, Alto Seating Systems, has gone into liquidation and the whole issue threatens the stadium’s summer concerts — including Depeche Mode on June 3 — as well as athletics in 2017.
It could also mean a delay to West Ham’s return for the 2017-18 season.
The Irons’ first two matches are understood to have been scheduled to be away from home but building work could prevent them playing at the London Stadium until September.
They also take 15 days to change — three times longer than intended.
Rather than sliding on wheels or airbeds, like at the Stade de France in Paris, the stands have to be broken up and shifted by hand.
The original contractor, Alto Seating Systems, has gone into liquidation and the whole issue threatens the stadium’s summer concerts — including Depeche Mode on June 3 — as well as athletics in 2017.
It could also mean a delay to West Ham’s return for the 2017-18 season.
The Irons’ first two matches are understood to have been scheduled to be away from home but building work could prevent them playing at the London Stadium until September.
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