sports
How Would John Healey's Budget Fund a Northern Olympics Bid?
Chancellor John Healey will allocate £7m in his first Budget on Wednesday for a full feasibility study on hosting the Olympics in northern England, the BBC has learned. The study would examine whether a formal bid for a "Northern Games" could succeed, with the 2040s cited as the earliest realistic target if the idea advances.
What is the £7m actually for?
The money funds a detailed follow-up study, not construction or a bid itself. UK Sport, the government, Northern Mayors and the British Olympic and Paralympic organizations will carry out the work, examining venues, transport links, how multiple cities could share hosting duties, and the chances of a bid succeeding, according to the BBC. The study builds on an initial assessment UK Sport was asked to produce in May.
Who is pushing the idea?
The proposal originated with Northern Mayors and drew backing from former Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC: "Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly." He added that the Games "would unlock opportunity across our towns and cities for the whole country" and said the goal now is to "explore how we can do it again, with the whole country behind it."
What did London 2012 cost, and what did it return?
The UK has not hosted the Olympics since London 2012. The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government estimated at the time that hosting cost £8.9bn. A separate 2013 UK Trade and Investment report put the economic boost from new contracts, sales and foreign investment at £9.9bn — a figure that drew skepticism from groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, per the BBC.
What is the political reaction?
Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said hosting an Olympics would "likely provide a positive boost for the country" but that any proposal would need "careful scrutiny" of its cost. He argued Healey should prioritize lowering everyday costs rather than spending "millions in taxpayer cash on reheated announcements made by his predecessor," and pointed to Labour's tourism tax as a potential deterrent to visitors attending a Northern Games.
What happens next?
The feasibility study announced in the Budget is the next formal step after UK Sport's initial May assessment. It will determine venue and transport requirements, how costs would be shared among northern cities, and whether a bid is viable before any formal submission to the International Olympic Committee is considered. No timeline for a decision on an actual bid has been set beyond the 2040s target floated for a potential Games.
By the numbers
- £7m — funding for the full feasibility study announced in the Budget
- £8.9bn — UK government's estimated cost of hosting London 2012
- £9.9bn — UK Trade and Investment's 2013 estimate of the economic boost from London 2012, a figure some economists disputed
Full reporting: BBC News
Questions
How much money is Healey putting toward the Northern Olympics plan?
£7m in his first Budget, announced Wednesday, to fund a full feasibility study on hosting the Games in northern England, according to the BBC.
When could a Northern Olympics actually happen?
The BBC reports a successful bid could see the Games held in the North in the 2040s, pending the outcome of the feasibility study.
Who supports the Northern Olympics bid?
Northern Mayors proposed the idea, with backing from former Olympians Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham has publicly endorsed it, per the BBC.