London 2012 Hackney Citizens’ Diary: Day 13
Graffiti in Hackney Wick. Photograph: Hackney Citizen
MP Meg Hillier is heard saying:
Meg Hillier tells Sky News that the “real gold medal” will be jobs and skills for local people in Hackney.
— politicshomeuk (@politicshomeuk) August 9, 2012
But not everyone agrees. Tim Donovan writes on the BBC website:
“Delays, underspends and unrealistic targets have blighted London Mayor Boris Johnson’s attempts to secure an Olympic jobs legacy for the unemployed, the BBC has learned.
“In contrast to his success as a public cheerleader for London during the 2012 Games, his key employment projects have stalled and struggled.
“It has meant chances were missed to get unemployed people into jobs during the Olympics and beyond.
“Two years ago the mayor declared that using the Olympics to tackle London’s high unemployment was “top priority” as he promised £20m to provide job advice, training and skills.
“Details of the disappointing progress of his Olympic projects are not yet publicly available. The mayor’s Investment and Performance Board, which has been monitoring them, meets in private and a number of reports and minutes are missing from the public record of the meetings on the mayor’s website.
“However, both the two key schemes – set up by the mayor in 2010 – are falling short of their targets.
“The 2012 Employment legacy project, costing £4.5m, pledged to provide jobs during and after the Olympics for unemployed people from across London.
“The Host Borough Employment project, with a budget of £15m, focused on the long-term unemployed in the six Olympic authority areas: Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Greenwich, Waltham Forest and Barking & Dagenham. Their jobless rates are among the highest in the country.
“The 2012 legacy project was meant to start in April 2010, with a target of getting 1,400 people into work and keeping them in their jobs for at least a year. The project only got off the ground last autumn, missing the opportunity to capitalise fully on the Olympics because employers had by then already recruited, or made plans to do so”.
In other news, Hackney continues to attract media attention:
Dutch Olympic delegation delighted by visit to BMXtreme in Newham learning about legacy
— Access Sport (@AccessSport) August 9, 2012
There’s a media guy with a mic interviewing locals abt
#london2012 nr Hackney Wick Stn He was surprised by my positive views lol!#bless— Natalie(@TreatsFromEast9) August 9, 2012
George Allagiah getting off the train at Hackney Wick, tie slung over his shoulders, presumably here to join the fight against Piers Morgan
— Chris Sawyer (@ahchrissawyer) August 9, 2012
And Welsh police officers:
Yesterday, I got to ask some (very obviously lost) policemen if they were in need of directions.
— Gideon Hallett (@_gmh_) August 9, 2012
They replied that they were fine, and were patrolling. First time I’ve ever seen ten policemen from Powys patrolling a reservoir in Hackney.
— Gideon Hallett (@_gmh_) August 9, 2012