By Tim Parsons-
Thousands of pounds have been spent on hiring extra police officers and security guards to address hooliganism of Wes Ham fans, the London Legacy Development Corporation revealed during a London Assembly meeting.
During the meeting, LLDC head Lyn Garner told the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee that it wasn’t just West Ham United who had seen an “uptick” in hooligan-related trouble since the end of Covid restrictions – but a number of Premier League football clubs.
Spending has also increased because of rising energy costs and inflation, amounting to an estimated £4.6m this year, which is almost a third of the club’s total budget.
Ms Garner said she aimed to get the costs to the taxpayer down to between £8m and £10m in the next few years.
In October 2022, riot police flooded the venue after fans from the Belgium club Anderlecht threw out seats and began throwing them at West Ham fans during the Europa Conference League.
According to Ms Garner, West Ham did pay for damage done to the seating and stadium toilets, but do not need to pay for the extra costs of policing and stewarding that are now in place, the BBC reported.
Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives for the London Assembly, has demanded Ms Garner write to the Premier League club and ask them to cover some of the cost of stewarding.
She said: “It is concerning that not only has there been an increase in issues with fan behaviour at West Ham, but that London taxpayers may have to foot the bill for this.”
The LLDC was launched in 2012 and is responsible for the regeneration of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and oversees the running of the Stratford site.
The club signed a 99-year lease and pay an annual rent of nearly £4 million a year to play there. The move has been dubbed “controversial” partly because of how much costs spiralled out of control when the Olympic stadium was to be transformed into a football venue.