West Ham’s deal to use the Olympic Stadium from next season includes provisions for a number of services to be financed by the taxpayer, including medical staff, cleaners and the majority of stewards and security staff.
The Premier League side, who are scheduled to leave Upton Park at the end of the season for their new home, have signed a 99-year lease for the stadium in Stratford, east London.
Last month, the information commissioner ruled the terms of the deal between the London Legacy Development Corporation and West Ham should be made public, although the LLDC has since appealed.
However, the planning authority for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has released a copy of the contract with fewer redactions than originally published, which reveals the club will have to pay a different amount each year depending on where they finish in the league. That includes an additional fee if they win the FA Cup or qualify for the Europa League or Champions League, while the stadium could also be used for NFL matches under the terms of the deal.
The document also reveals that the rental agreement requires taxpayers to foot the bill for cleaners, medical staff, turnstile operators and ticket checkers, as well as some security personnel and catering staff.
It is already known that West Ham will pay only £15m of the £272m needed to make the 54,000-capacity stadium suitable for Premier League football, athletics and other events. The annual rental agreement on the 99-year lease is believed to be around £2.5m, although the true figure has never been confirmed.
A spokesperson for the LLDC said that the deal with West Ham would not come at a net loss to the taxpayer: “Once the transformation of the stadium is complete it will not require continuous subsidy from the taxpayer and will see a return to the taxpayer through future profits due to the agreements in place with the operator Vinci and concessionaires West Ham United and UK Athletics. The stadium will contribute to the ongoing and hugely successful regeneration programme already being delivered at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”
