Labour London Assembly member Bassam Mahfouz has urged Mayor Sadiq Khan to consider selling the London Stadium to West Ham, calling the rental deal “disastrous” for taxpayers. The stadium’s losses are about £19m a year and are ultimately met from public funds.
West Ham’s 99-year deal was signed in 2013. Since the club’s relegation to the Championship, it has paid up to £2.5m a year in rent, while the stadium covers stewarding, policing and pitch maintenance. The operator has applied to Newham Council to raise its annual concert limit from 10 to 24; West Ham has priority during the football season.
Stadium chief Lyn Gardner told the London Assembly in July that converting the venue back to a football ground after other events can take two weeks, and that West Ham’s say over naming rights had scuppered sponsorship deals. The mayor’s spokesperson said he would consider any credible proposal offering value for taxpayers and protecting the public interest. Mahfouz said any sale should preserve athletics; West Ham declined to comment.
