Northern England Olympics study set for £7m Budget funding

A proposed Olympics across northern England is set to receive £7 million for a full feasibility study in Wednesday's Budget, according to BBC reporting. Chancellor John Healey plans to announce funding to investigate a possible bid for Games in the 2040s, with the work focused on whether and how the North could host the event.

The planned allocation would take the proposal beyond an initial assessment requested by the government in May. UK Sport was asked at that stage to examine the potential costs and benefits of staging the Olympics across the region. Northern mayors advanced the idea, which also attracted backing from former Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey.

The full study will examine the practical requirements of a multi-city Games, including suitable venues and the transport connections needed between them. It will consider how responsibilities could be shared by different cities and what benefits local communities might receive. Estimating the cost and judging the prospects of a successful bid will also form central parts of the assessment.

Government, UK Sport and northern mayors will carry out the work, with the British Olympic and Paralympic associations involved. The funding is for examining a potential bid, rather than confirmation that the Games will take place in northern England. The BBC reported the 2040s as the period being considered, with the feasibility exercise intended to establish a clearer picture of the proposal.

London 2012 provides the most recent British hosting comparison. The coalition government estimated in 2013 that staging those Olympics had cost £8.9 billion. A separate UK Trade and Investment report put the economic boost at £9.9 billion through contracts, sales and foreign investment. That benefits estimate was questioned by organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

The British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport welcomed the government's continued exploration of a future Olympic and Paralympic bid in a joint statement. Healey pointed to London's hosting experience and argued that a northern Games could bring lasting community benefits. Those ambitions will now be examined through the proposed study's work on costs, infrastructure and the likelihood of securing the event.