Olympic legacy body to appeal ICO ruling on West Ham stadium deal

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is to lodge an appeal against the Information Commissioner's order that it should disclose parts of the concession agreement it entered into with Premier League football club West Ham.

In a statement the LLDC said: “We are lodging an appeal against the Information Commissioner’s judgment. This follows careful consideration, informed by legal advice, and is limited to a smaller number of redactions.

“The appeal relates only to information which if released could significantly reduce the level of financial return to the taxpayer as it would undermine negotiations with future users of the stadium and other partners.”

The Olympic legacy body said it had listened to the Commissioner’s comments and as a public body was committed to maximising transparency.

“As a result we will shortly publish more details of the agreement with West Ham United in all areas that fall outside the scope of our appeal,” it added.

The background to the case is a request for a copy of the agreement which allows West Ham to use the Olympic Stadium from the 2016/17 season onwards.

In response the LLDC provided a redacted version, withholding certain information under various exemptions.

The ICO only considered the commercial aspects of the agreement. The Commissioner concluded, amongst other things, that the LLDC and West Ham had failed to demonstrate the specific way that the information at issue could be exploited by a competitor and/or how disclosure would place either party at a commercial disadvantage.

A coalition of 14 supporters’ trusts for rival clubs were behind the FOI request.