Overview
- The government has set aside £7 million to commission a full feasibility study into a Northern England bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- Officials say the study will be carried out with UK Sport, northern mayors and the British Olympic and Paralympic bodies to map roles and responsibilities.
- The work will examine practical delivery questions such as required venues, transport upgrades, costs and the chances of winning a host selection for the 2040s, with ministers framing the project as a tool for regional regeneration.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has publicly backed the initiative as a unifying project and Chancellor John Healey is expected to use next week’s Budget to make the formal announcement.
- The study builds on a UK Sport evaluation commissioned in May and aims to quantify likely economic impacts by measuring costs, job effects and legacy benefits similar to analyses made after London 2012.