MP calls for ‘The People’s Games’

Meg Hillier today called upon Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone and the Olympic organisers to give Hackney residents a say in the delivery of the Olympic Games.

Meg called for both the Mayor of London and the Olympic Delivery Authority to support an initiative led by the Co-operative Party which suggests a way to reconnect the Olympics with its most important stakeholders; the council tax-payers of London, and sporting volunteers.

The Co-operative Party is proposing the set up of a membership based community mutual, The People’s Games, which will unite the shared ambitions of the key organisers, the people of London, and sports enthusiasts.

Meg said ‘Transparency is what my constituents and the rest of the country want for these Games. People want to be part of what will be a once in a lifetime event. Let’s not forget that the diversity of London has played a key-role in the winning of the bid; the best we can do for these Games is to allow all the people involved to be represented.’

The People’s Games will give Londoners and UK citizens the right to become individual members. It will be structured so that all stakeholders have a voice, in addition to the key Games partners: Government, the Greater London Authority, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

It will allow for citizens to feel part of the Games, by enabling them to elect their own representatives onto the Olympic Delivery Authority, ensuring that public support is carried from day one to the end.

The People’s Games will provide a genuine forum for informing and where appropriate, consulting with citizens. It will run a comprehensive series of events to ensure that citizens remain fully informed of the organising work progress. It will be a focus for ensuring that the link with UK citizens remains strong.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

The People’s Games was published by the Co-operative Party on Monday. The publication proposes implementing a mutual structure that would allow all volunteers and council tax payers a voice. The organisation would have a one-member one-vote system through which all stakeholders would elect representatives to the ODA. A similar approach has already been implemented in the world of sports, through Supporters Direct.

The People’s Games is available at www.party.coop/pdf/dat_90media_file-5.pdf

The Co-operative Party is the fourth largest party in Parliament. Each of the party’s 29 MPs had to win selection by both the Co-operative Party and the Labour Party in their local area.

Meg Hillier MP is a Co-operative party MP