Commons review into stadium farce

Picketts Lock: Prompted the government review

The government is to launch a major review into the way high-profile sporting events are planned in England and Wales.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell told MPs that Number 10's performance and innovation unit will look at recent events and compare them with "best practice" in other countries.

The review follows the decision to abandon plans for a world-class athletics stadium at Picketts Lock, north London.

Jowell told the House of Commons' Culture Select Committee that she was not willing to see Britain stage "a sub-standard event".

The relationship between government and sport is fairly arms length and needs to be far more hands-on.

David Moorcroft

UK Athletics boss David Moorcroft and Sport England chairman Trevor Brooking also faced the committee, as MPs demanded answers on the recent stadium fiasco.

And Moorcroft blamed the "fragmentation" of British sport for the demise of the Picketts Lock project.

The stadium was to have hosted the 2005 World Athletics Championships, but the government scrapped the plans as costs spiralled above £100m.

Moorcroft said the "fragmented and polarised" way in which sport is governed had not helped.

Tessa Jowell: Faced fellow MPs

"You probably would not create the system we have got in this country if you started again... we don't work together as well as we could."

But the UK Athletics chief executive added: " It could be a catalyst for change.

"We all support the same aims but you get bogged down and this has illustrated that in the extreme."

Later however, under interrogation from the committee members, Moorcroft turned the spotlight on government.

He said: "The majority of sports bodies work well together and when 100% of the decision-making process is within that group it works quite well.

"The relationship between government and sport is fairly arms-length and needs to be far more hands-on.

"I actually think we are moving in the right direction but we need to speed up that reform."

Trevor Brooking was quizzed over money

Culture Secretary Jowell told the committee: "I am well aware the decision we made (to scrap the Pickett's Lock plan) was unpopular in some sporting circles

"But I am absolutely convinced it was the right decision to take."

Jowell said Tony Blair had backed her request to commission a review of major events policy, which will be presented to the House of Commons.

'Not viable'

Sport England chairman Brooking, whose organisation also came under fire over Picketts Lock, claimed a stadium built solely for athletics would not be viable.

"You can't have a stand-alone athletics stadium, it wouldn't pay for itself," claimed the former West Ham and England footballer.

Brooking also highlighted fragmentation as a problem.

"You must get a certain authority who can drive it through all administrative levels," he said.

Brooking also said Sport England had always estimated the cost of the Picketts Lock stadium at around £100m.

He added that a further delay while the government investigated the cost of the plans proved to be highly damaging to the project.

"There was a certain relief that our figure was confirmed (by the report) but those 18 months delayed everything."