MPs review Picketts Lock and Wembley

Building work has yet to begin at Picketts Lock

The project to build a national athletics stadium in north London is to be investigated by a powerful Commons committee.

The Picketts Lock scheme will be studied by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee when MPs return to the House of Commons in October.

The committee will also consider the continuing saga of replacing Wembley football stadium.

I do not believe one single penny of taxpayers' money should go into Picketts Lock or Wembley stadium

Gerald Kaufman

Committee chairman Gerald Kaufman said that Picketts Lock, which is expected to cost more than £90m, could become the Millennium Dome of Labour's second term.

"The Government got into problems over the Millennium Dome and I don't want to see that happen to this project," Kaufman said.

Building work has yet to begin on the site in Enfield, which is supposed to be the venue for the 2005 World Athletics Championships.

Stressing that he was expressing a personal view, the former Labour minister said the project should not be bailed out by the Government.

Losing the championships would be preferable, he said.

"It would be deeply embarrassing but better to cut that Gordian knot now than in 2003," Kaufman said.

Kaufman: No public money for stadiums

"I do not believe that one single penny of taxpayers' money should go into Picketts Lock or Wembley stadium.

"I'm opposed to governments paying for stadiums."

The project is currently being reviewed by troubleshooter Patrick Carter, who is also investigating the Wembley fiasco.

Reports on both stadiums are expected to be made public before the end of the month.

A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the government had a manifesto commitment to host the prestigious event.

"The government is totally committed to staging the 2005 World Athletics Championships," he said.

The spokesman added that the department could not comment specifically on Picketts Lock or Wembley until Carter's reports had been completed.

However, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell hinted that the Government might not be prepared to bail out prestige projects such as Wembley or a national athletics stadium at the expense of grassroots sport.

Jowell told a meeting of sports practitioners in Essex that prestige events and facilities would have to prove their "lasting legacy."

"Every penny spent on bailing out an expensive project which goes over budget is money we can't invest in the grassroots," she said.

"We need to take a long cool look at the way that we approach prestige events and facilities as well.

"They have to prove what their lasting legacy will be after the bunting has been taken down and the medals podium has been turned into matchwood."