2022 Games bid opened up to Parliamentary objections
The Government is seeking out any objections to its support of Birmingham’s bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Parliament returned from recess with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport notifying both Houses of its intention to provide around 75% of the net budget costs of delivering the Games.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said the bid “has the full backing of government”, which will also underwrite the full costs of hosting the sporting event.
She added: “[It] will not only help grow the economy in the West Midlands and beyond, it would also leave a strong sports legacy by upgrading facilities to benefit both elite athletes and the local community.”
MPs and members of the House of Lords have been given until October 31 to raise any objections.
The Commonwealth Games Federation reopened the bidding for the 2022 Games last weekend after it decided Birmingham’s bid is not “fully compliant”.
The Midlands city had been the only bid submitted before the original September 30 deadline. There is now a fresh deadline, of November 30, giving more time for bids from Malaysia, Canada and Australia, who had all expressed an interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games in five years’ time.
The selection of a host city for the 2022 Games has been chaotic because it was originally awarded to Durban, South Africa, in 2015, only for the right to be withdrawn earlier this year.
Birmingham, along with Liverpool, had been building a business case for the 2026 Games but then accelerated the process once 2022 became an option. The UK Government then selected Birmingham as its preferred bid before subsequently deciding it was prepared to underwrite the plans.
