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London 2012: Hunt rejects 'austerity' Olympics | London 2012: Hunt rejects 'austerity' Olympics |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The culture secretary has rejected claims that the London 2012 Games should be an "austerity" Olympics. | The culture secretary has rejected claims that the London 2012 Games should be an "austerity" Olympics. |
Jeremy Hunt told the Daily Telegraph that rather than cutting its budget, the economic downturn meant the event's opportunities must be "harnessed". | Jeremy Hunt told the Daily Telegraph that rather than cutting its budget, the economic downturn meant the event's opportunities must be "harnessed". |
Mr Hunt said voters would not forgive the government if it failed to make the most of the Games. | Mr Hunt said voters would not forgive the government if it failed to make the most of the Games. |
The government has provided £9.3bn for the Games - up from an estimate of £2.4bn at the time of the bid in 2005. | The government has provided £9.3bn for the Games - up from an estimate of £2.4bn at the time of the bid in 2005. |
Mr Hunt said: "You can take two attitudes to the Olympics. You can say: these are times of austerity and therefore we should pare them down as much as possible. | Mr Hunt said: "You can take two attitudes to the Olympics. You can say: these are times of austerity and therefore we should pare them down as much as possible. |
'Positive impact' | 'Positive impact' |
"Or, you can say: because these are times of austerity we need to do everything we possibly can to harness the opportunity of the Olympics." | "Or, you can say: because these are times of austerity we need to do everything we possibly can to harness the opportunity of the Olympics." |
The minister said hosting the Olympics would have a "massively positive impact" on economic confidence. | The minister said hosting the Olympics would have a "massively positive impact" on economic confidence. |
"We're going to be the centre of global attention and it will be the first time that we've had a major sporting event that's watched live by half the world's population. | "We're going to be the centre of global attention and it will be the first time that we've had a major sporting event that's watched live by half the world's population. |
"People would not forgive us if we didn't make the absolute most of this moment. | "People would not forgive us if we didn't make the absolute most of this moment. |
"This is going to be an incredible expression of Britain's culture, Britain's history and Britain's creativity. | "This is going to be an incredible expression of Britain's culture, Britain's history and Britain's creativity. |
"So, we decided that the sensible thing to do is to make sure that we finance it properly." | "So, we decided that the sensible thing to do is to make sure that we finance it properly." |
The government recently more than doubled the budget for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies - from £40m to £81m - after Prime Minister David Cameron saw the plans. | The government recently more than doubled the budget for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies - from £40m to £81m - after Prime Minister David Cameron saw the plans. |
The extra money came from within the £9.3bn Olympic public funding package. | The extra money came from within the £9.3bn Olympic public funding package. |
The venue security allocation has also risen by £271m to £553m after the estimated number of security guards required more than doubled from 10,000 to 23,700. | The venue security allocation has also risen by £271m to £553m after the estimated number of security guards required more than doubled from 10,000 to 23,700. |
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