Leaders Committee
London 2012 Games Report Item no. 3
Report by: Nick Lester Job title: Corporate Director Services
Date: 11 October 2011
Contact Officer: Anne-marie Pickup
Telephone: 020 7934 9756 Email: anne-marie.pickup@londoncouncils.gov.uk
Summary: This report is to brief update members on areas of activity in relation to
the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• 2012 Games and Impact on Transport
• Public service continuity
• London Events Coordination Calendar
• Torch Relay
Recommendations: Leaders‟ Committee is recommended to:
1. Note the report.
Discuss and agree support for the actions outlined in this report
London 2012 Games Report
Introduction
1. This report is to update members on areas of activity in relation to the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• 2012 Games and Impact on Transport
• Public service continuity
• Resourcing for emergency services at parallel events during the games
• Torch Relay
2. Leaders are asked to discuss the issues raised on issues and decide what, if any action,
they may want London Councils to take on their behalf.
2012 Games and Impact on Transport
3. For issues relating to Parking issues relating to 2012 please see the separate Leaders‟
Committee report, Item 4
4. With more than four million extra people expected in London over the Olympic period next
year, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games will have a dramatic impact on London. In
particular, London‟s public transport and road network will be in acute demand; this is one
area that local residents and businesses will be significantly affected by and boroughs have
an important role to play in mitigating its impact.
5. Transport planning for the Games has historically been managed by the Olympic Delivery
Authority (ODA), with input from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and TfL. Since the start of this year, responsibility for many
aspects of this planning (particularly the ORN) transferred to TfL. This has resulted in
improved consultation and engagement with boroughs, although there is still room for
improvement.
6. Transport and the ability for residents and business to move around the city during the
Games is a high priority for London Councils. London Councils is supportive of the Games,
and we remain convinced that hosting them will leave a lasting legacy for London – not
least in improvements to transport infrastructure. However, there is a balance to be struck
between the needs of the Games and the needs of businesses and residents. At present,
there is a lack of coordination and clarity for both businesses and residents which requires
urgent attention.”
7. On that basis Cllr Catherine West (Executive Member for Transport and Environment) and
Cllr Chris Roberts (Executive Member for 2012) wrote to all borough leaders in July ‟11
asking them to put forward their concerns about transport and 2012. 19 boroughs
responded and we identified some common concerns about current transport planning.
8. Key themes from borough‟s responses were:
• insufficient consultation and engagement with boroughs by LOCOG / ODA / TfL
• the significant delay in the production of the Local Area Traffic Management Plans by
the ODA. The plans were expected late last year, but the ODA have on a number of
occasions delayed launch. These plans, produced by ODA, are designed to plan the
traffic impacts and mitigating measures in the area surrounding venues. These are
clearly of enormous importance to boroughs, who will need to understand their impact
as well as feeding back areas where they feel the plans are unworkable.
• insufficient information regarding traffic and transport impacts, making it hard to
communicate with residents
• lack of engagement with / interest from residents and businesses
• impact on transport-dependent services
• general support for the ORN, but concerns about the implementation – particularly dates
of operation and disproportionate measures
• signalling and gating measures to manage traffic flow around the ORN
• parking – excess demand, need for enhanced enforcement, loss of revenue from pay
and display bays
• the impact of various traffic schemes (ORN, Movement Management Areas etc) on bus
services and other public transport
• current strategy to manage crowding and pedestrian flows around transport hubs e.g.
Kings Cross station
• alterations to train services
9. In addition London Councils has some concerns about the Travel Demand Management
(TDM) programme, also run by the ODA in conjunction with TfL. This programme aims to
reduce background demand for road space and public transport by about a 30 per cent
during the Games. This is to make way for Games-family vehicles (on the road) and visitors
/ spectators (on public transport). While we support the general principle, we are concerned
that there is no contingency in place; all planning has been based on achieving this 30 per
cent reduction. London Councils feels there should be a „Plan B‟ in the event that this
reduction does not materialise. If the TDM measures fail, the only other option available to
TfL will be to manually control traffic lights to give enforced priority to certain routes. This is
more commonly known as „active traffic management‟. In very rare and extreme cases,
such as a burst water main or serious accident, active traffic management can be useful.
Prolonged use, however, could lead to frustrated motorists ignoring the traffic signal through
anger or confusion. This would render the ORN ineffective, and could also lead to
accidents.
10. London Councils is also concerned about the cumulative impacts of different projects.
Planning is underway to facilitate the ORN, road events, movement management areas and
the like. However the planning for these measures often seems to take place in isolation,
and there is little evidence of joined-up thinking by Games Organisers and TfL about their
cumulative effect. For example, road events will occupy the same stretch of highway as the
ORN for several days of its operation.
11. In light of these concerns and using the responses provided by borough Cllr West and Cllr
Roberts met with Peter Hendy (Transport Commissioner) to discuss these concerns.
12. Subsequently TfL and the GLA arranged to meet separately with eleven boroughs in a
series of “transport summits” to discuss specific concerns with borough leaders and
borough chief executives. These summits culminated in a GLA event on the 20th
September.
Public Service Continuity
13. London will be mounting a massive operation to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in
the summer of 2012. London is already a busy, thriving city with millions of people moving
around the capital daily. It is important that, whilst the city is hosting the Games, disruption
to normal public services for residents should be kept to a minimum.
14. Given the unprecedented number of visitors, it is clear that London‟s local authorities will
need to plan how they will deliver essential services during Games time. The challenge is
to:
Plan for these extraordinary demands on local government services;
Ensure our ability to respond effectively to changes in demand for public services; and
Minimise unreasonable disruption in public service delivery for businesses and
residents.
15. The impact on individual boroughs will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
Distance from Games -time venues;
Likely footfall of visitors;
The presence of a major transport interchange;
Potential for increased income to Local Authorities (e.g. Parking charges, License
Fees);
Cultural events; and
Density of hospitality services and other facilities.
16. In the run up to 2012 London Councils has organised seminars called “Meeting the
Olympic Challenge”. These meetings have brought together officers of various services and
disciplines, from event to trading standards officers with the aim of raising the awareness
amongst boroughs of the impact of the Games across London. At the last Meeting the
Olympic Challenge Event London local authorities asked London Councils to develop a
“checklist” for them to use to ensure that they knew what they were being asked to deliver
for the city and the Games but also support them to find ways to deliver these services in an
effective way. For that purpose London Councils has joined up with the Greater London
Authority to produce the document.
17. The Guidance and Checklist covers two distinct areas of 2012 Games activity:
the local authority role in delivering Games specific activity e.g. Torch Relay or
Look and Feel
the delivery of everyday services in the context of additional demand due to the
Games being in London
18. The guidance is intended to be used primarily by London borough Chief Executives to work
with operational service delivery teams to support Olympic Planning within the authority. It
is intended that the document be used as a reference text to help identify work boroughs
are expect to deliver, as well as assist in providing a greater understanding of the overall
impact the games will have within the local area. For boroughs that are well ahead in their
Games planning it is likely that the checklist will serve as an assurance tool.
19. Key issues for boroughs to consider in their planning include:
• Borough business continuity including workforce issues.
• Supply Chain Resilience and the ability of key borough suppliers to deliver during the
Games.
• Meeting the information demands for the Games-times C3 infrastructure.
• Communicating the impact of the Games to residents and businesses including any
changes to the delivery of borough services.
• How the borough can take advantage of the large media presence in London during the
Games to promote local tourism and inward investment.
20. In developing this checklist London Councils and the GLA have engaged with and sought
the advice of the key agencies involved in the delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic
Games including, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), the
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Transport for London (TfL), NHS London, the
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the Olympic Security Directorate (OSD) and the
Government Olympic Executive (GOE). We have also sought the advice of a number of
local authority officers from venue and non-venue boroughs.
21. So far the Guidance and Checklist has been well received by key agencies involved in the
delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the boroughs involved in its
development and the Guidance and Checklist will be officially launched with borough chief
executives at the beginning of October. London Councils will then bring together Chief
Executives in November, once they‟ve had time to use the checklist, for a special one-off
meeting to focus solely on 2012 priorities.
Resourcing for emergency services at parallel events during the games
22. As the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, plans to keep London
working and moving as well as provide a celebratory atmosphere throughout the city are
developing rapidly. There will undoubtedly be more events than normal held across London
in the summer of 2012, many of which will be inspired by the Games.
23. The London Events Co-ordination Calendar (LECC) was set up by the Greater London
Authority, on behalf of key public services to ensure that demand for public services,
particularly emergency services can be managed. The deadline for events to be entered
into the LECC was the 31 March 2011. The data collection phase, up to 31st March 2011,
resulted in over 1,650 events being recorded on the LECC database (proposed for the
period 1st May to 31st October 2012).
24. Since that date an intense period of analysis of the data entered into the LECC has taken
place. A pan-London resourcing group (PLRG) was convened by the GLA to bring together
the agencies (police, transport, health, Fire Brigade and Port of London Authority) with
responsibility for providing services to support safe and successful events.
25. Events data for the key periods in and around Games-time has been (and continues to be)
refined with up to date information from London boroughs and other organisers. The PLRG
agencies have assessed the resourcing needs of the events in the context of centralised
planning of their London-wide resources. This includes the assessment by logistic advisors
of the need for private stewarding and infrastructure.
26. The initial analysis has demonstrated considerable challenges for the resourcing agencies,
notably:
• The Olympic period has most events (48 events) anticipated to put pressure on
resourcing, followed by Torch Relay week (34 events), then the Transition period (33
events), then the Paralympic period (19 events);
• „Baseload‟ events, that is those that run through entire periods currently make the
greatest demand on policing resources (as opposed to the one-off events running for
one or two days);
• There are more one-off (or „discrete‟) resources required in the Olympic and Paralympic
Games period than in Torch Relay week and the Transition:
• Transport could face serious overcrowding at certain times and places, and careful
consideration of parallel events will be required.
• Health – adequate first aid resources could be overstretched.
27. „Hotspot‟ areas have been identified and are the focus of particular attention by the Senior
Responsible Officers‟ group and multilateral working by boroughs, organisers and, in
particular, transport and police. This initial analysis was provided to boroughs in August
2011
28. Next steps in terms of parallel are:
• GLA, in conjunction with boroughs and event organisers, to press on with data refinement
until all known data is available to resource agencies and boroughs.
• GLA to provide further recommendations and guidance – regarding licensing and the role
of Augmented Safety Advisory Groups (ASAG) in working with events organisers prior to
license applications being made so that events organisers design events that do not drain
on public (particularly police or transport) resources. This will suggest that ASAGs look at
issues such as the timing, format, confirmation of suppliers and security for proposed
events, including discussions on those events which have to be moved or modified to
ensure the agencies can support a licence application.
Torch Relay
Torch Relay Route
29. The Olympic Torch Relay will travel the UK for 70 days, arriving into the country on 18 May
2012. The Relay will spend its last 7 days in London, arriving into the capital on Saturday 21
July and entering the Olympic stadium on Friday 27 July.
30. In London, the route is being determined in consultation with a London Advisory Group and
individual London boroughs. The London Advisory Group is facilitated by the GLA and
London Councils sits on this group.
31. In order to be included in the route individual boroughs are required to sign a legal
agreement with LOCOG. The agreement also sets out the expectations that will be placed
on local authorities as part of inviting the torch to the borough, these will include:
• To work with agencies to develop an event plan for the borough
• Arrange and deliver road closures /traffic management (the torch will require a rolling
road closure)
• Crowd management
• Safety and security of crowds (not the Torch)
32. The cost of supporting the Torch Relay to an individual borough will depend on what
boroughs choose to do to welcome the Torch, however the cost of providing even the
basics detailed above will not be insignificant.
33. To date (22nd September) 26 boroughs have signed and returned their agreements
following individual discussions between borough officers and LOCOG.
34. In May 2011 LOCOG announced which boroughs will hold Evening Celebrations in
London, these were
• Waltham Forest
• Bexley
• Wandsworth
• Ealing
• Haringey
• Westminster (Hyde Park)
35. Evening Celebrations will be the last stop on each day and will include a joint
borough/LOCOG celebration. The final route will be announced by LOCOG in November
2011.
Torchbearer Nomination and Selection
36. In May LOCOG announced the Torchbearer nomination process. There will be
approximately 8000 torchbearer spots across the whole of the UK and LOCOG have
committed that 90% of those spot will be available to the public and that at least half would
be filled by people aged 24 or younger as part of the commitment to have the Games
inspire the youth of the country.
37. In total, LOCOG received 28,000 Torchbearer nominations, which equates to an average of
14 valid nominations for every one of our available places. To review these nominations
LOCOG plan to establish selection panels in every nation and region. .
38. Mayor Jules Pipe and Cllr Roberts met with LOCOG to discuss this process in May. At that
meeting they impressed on LOCOG the need for the London selection panels to include
representation from each borough .
39. In August LOCOG wrote to Mayor Pipe to explain their initial thoughts on how the selection
panels would work in London. This included a selection panel to correspond to each day of
Torchbearer activity in London, with six panels in total. Each panel would only review
nominees from the corresponding boroughs that the Torch passes through that day. It was
also proposed that London boroughs have the opportunity to put forward a community
sports representative and a volunteering representative to the selection panels.
40. London Councils felt that the volunteering and sports spots on the selection panel were not
enough to reflect London‟s unique circumstances, including the capital‟s population diversity
and that as proposed would not secure adequate representation for BAME communities or
people with disabilities.
41. On that basis London Councils lobbied LOCOG to agree that each London borough should
also be able to put forward a local councillor to take part in the Torch Relay Selection
Panels. London Councils argued that local councillors elected to represent their whole
communities, would help ensure that London‟s diverse population is taken into account in
the selection process.
42. London Councils also asked LOCOG to clarify whether Londoners selected would be able
to carry the torch in their “home” borough.
43. LOCOG responded to London Council‟s lobbying in October. They agreed with London
Councils that elected members should be offered a spot on the torch selection panels. They
also confirmed that torchbearer will be offered a running spot as close to their home
address as possible.
44. Individual boroughs will now be approached to put forward their selection panel
representatives.
Equalities Implications:
There are no direct equalities implications arising from these proposals
Financial Implications:
There are no financial implications arising directly from this report.
Legal Implications:
There are no legal implications arising directly from this report.