McMILLAN QUESTIONS OLYMPICS SCOTTISH IMPACT

Stuart McMillan MSP has questioned the benefits of the London Olympics to the West of Scotland after receiving a Parliamentary answer which does not indicate any benefits to Greenock & Inverclyde.

Asking what benefits the London Olympics will have for the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency the answer only mentions sportscotland’s National Centre at Inverclyde which is actually based in Ayrshire.

Commenting on the answer Stuart said “This answer highlights a very worrying trend for the benefits of the London Olympics to Scotland and Greenock and Inverclyde in particular. The London Olympics are spiralling out of control. From an initial estimate of £2.37 billion it is feared it could now reach £10 billion and eat into lottery funding for grass roots sport in Scotland.

I wish the games well and think they could be an opportunity for Scotland but revelations like this make me question why what are the benefits to Scotland. I also find it concerning that lottery funding is to be used to subsidise a project that clearly will never break even, never mind make a profit. Given the funnelling of lottery money from Scotland to an event in London that will have few tangible benefits for Scotland and apparently none for Greenock, I must ask why we Scots must help to subsidise the event?”