Plan for Northern Olympics to get £7m in Healey's Budget

The £7m is not funding the Olympic Games themselves. It is paying for a detailed feasibility study into whether northern England could develop a bid for a “Northern Games” in the 2040s. This matters because a bid would involve major decisions about money, venues, transport and local benefits.

The study will examine what facilities and transport links would be needed. It will also consider how different cities could share events and how communities might benefit. UK Sport, the Northern Mayors, government and the British Olympic and Paralympic associations will take part.

The study is the next step after an initial assessment requested in May. Its findings will help determine the likely cost and whether a bid could succeed. The £7m therefore supports planning and evidence-gathering, not construction or the staging of the Games themselves.

A feasibility study is a detailed investigation into whether a proposed project can work. It tests practical issues, likely costs, possible benefits and major risks before decision-makers commit to the next stage. For an Olympic bid, that evidence is especially important because the Games would require many venues, strong transport links and cooperation between places.

The Northern Games study will examine how different cities could share events. It will identify the kinds of venues and connections needed, consider how communities could benefit and calculate the likely cost. It will also assess the chances of a bid succeeding.

The government has already asked UK Sport for an initial assessment. The £7m study goes further. Its findings could show whether a bid is realistic and provide a stronger basis for deciding whether to proceed. The article does not say when any final bid decision will be made.

A multi-city Games would spread Olympic events across the North instead of concentrating them in one host city. Different towns and cities could provide different venues, while transport links would connect athletes, spectators and event locations. This approach could involve more communities in hosting the Games.

The planned study will examine which venues and transport links would be required. It will also look at how different cities could share the Games and how local communities could benefit. These details are essential because the plan depends on places working together rather than operating as separate hosts.

The article does not identify specific host cities, venues or events. It also does not confirm that the Games will happen. For now, the government, UK Sport, Northern Mayors and Olympic and Paralympic bodies are investigating whether this shared model could support a successful bid in the 2040s.

The proposed project could be geographically large because it would involve the North’s towns and cities rather than one host location. The feasibility study will consider the venues, transport links and communities needed to stage events across different places. That makes the project a regional network, not a single-site competition.

The study will examine how cities could share the Games and how communities could benefit. However, the article gives no number for venues, transport projects, participating communities or events. It therefore does not yet establish the project’s precise scale. Those details are part of the work still to be done.

The possible timetable is also long. If the bid succeeds, the Games could be held in the North in the 2040s. At this stage, there is only funding for investigation, and no successful bid or final hosting plan has been announced.

London 2012 provides the main financial comparison for the proposed Northern Games. The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government estimated that hosting the London Olympics cost £8.9bn. That figure is presented as the cost of hosting the Games, not the amount being requested for the Northern feasibility study.

A 2013 UK Trade and Investment report estimated that London 2012 created a £9.9bn boost to the economy. It attributed this to new contracts, sales and foreign investments. UKTI has since been replaced by the Department for International Trade.

The £9.9bn figure was not universally accepted. The Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research questioned the estimate. That uncertainty matters because the Northern study must assess possible costs and benefits carefully, rather than relying on an uncontested claim about London’s economic impact.

The £9.9bn figure came from a 2013 UK Trade and Investment report. It described an economic boost linked to new contracts, sales and foreign investments after London 2012. However, the estimate was not accepted by everyone, so it should not be treated as an undisputed result.

The Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research questioned the reported amount. The article does not give their detailed reasons or provide an alternative figure. It only establishes that the claimed boost attracted scepticism from these organisations.

This matters for the Northern Games proposal because economic benefits would be part of the case for hosting. The new feasibility study will assess costs and benefits in closer detail. Its purpose is to produce evidence about the Northern bid, while recognising that earlier claims about London’s impact were contested.

Supporters say a Northern Games could bring lasting benefits beyond the sporting events. John Healey said hosting could lift communities, create opportunities and give the UK a huge boost. Andy Burnham said it could bring excitement to northern towns and cities and give the whole country something to support.

The possible mechanism is investment around venues, transport and event delivery. Different cities could share the Games, allowing more communities to take part. The government will study these requirements and compare them with possible benefits. London 2012 was linked to a reported £9.9bn economic boost, although that figure was questioned.

Taxpayers would face scrutiny because the proposal could require substantial public spending. The feasibility study will examine how much the Northern Games might cost. The Conservative shadow sports minister said the costs need careful scrutiny. No Games have been awarded, and the current commitment is to investigate a possible bid.