Commonwealth Games venues are up to three years behind schedule

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 21:30

CONTRACTORS have fallen behind schedule in the race to get Glasgow ready for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

• National indoor sports arena: 21 months late. Picture: PA

The Holyrood spending watchdog has revealed the delayed projects include the new national indoor sports arena and the revamp of the national swimming centre in Glasgow.

The announcement comes just days after the budget for the Games increased by 81 million, from 373m to 454m, and has prompted opposition in Holyrood to call for a parliamentary statement.

The Tory Glasgow MSP Bill Aitken said yesterday: "Unless a firm hand is exercised, this project could spiral out of control.

"Taxpayers need to know which budget will bear the costs and what else will be cut to pay for the increased costs. All eyes will be on Scotland in 2014.

"The Commonwealth Games is one of the most prestigious events anywhere in the world. We simply cannot afford to get it wrong."

While none of the projects is scheduled to miss the event, which gets under way in July 2014, new venues, such as the national indoor sports arena and the velodrome, are running behind completion estimates of March 2010 by 21 months.

The Cathkin Braes cycling course is now expected to be complete in March 2012, almost three years late. The completion of the refurbishment of Glasgow Green hockey complex has slipped from September 2011 to March 2013 and of the Kelvingrove bowls complex from September 2010 to August 2012.

Refurbishment of Glasgow's national swimming centre has been delayed from December 2011 until June 2012.

Although not delayed, refurbishment of Hampden Park, hosting track and field events and the closing ceremony, and Strathclyde Country Park, due to host the triathlon, will not be ready until March 2014, four months before the Games start. The athletes' village is not due to be ready until February 2014.

The report notes that Hampden Park, Strathclyde Country Park and the athletes' village "present a higher risk if there is any delay to their current timescales because they are not due to be completed until a few months before the Games".

The report adds: "The experience of previous major capital projects is that there is a high risk of slippage, therefore these should also be closely monitored."

And procedures to monitor spending on the Games budget have yet to be "developed or tested".

Government auditors said financial reports should be considered at every meeting of the strategic group which approves budgets.

But the report said: "The strategic group believes that this is not necessary because all partners are represented on the organising committee board and receive regular financial reports through this forum."

Caroline Gardner, deputy auditor general for Scotland, said: "In the current economic climate, public sector finances are already under pressure and it is essential that the organisers keep costs under control.

"They need to continue to monitor and review the budget assumptions regularly."

Last night, Lord Scott, chairman of the Games organising committee, said: "The organising committee worked closely with Audit Scotland during their fieldwork earlier this year and is satisfied with the conclusions of the report issued today. Planning for the Games is well on track.

"A number of areas highlighted in the report were already well under way at the time and have been implemented or approved in the interim. These include the budget review, the Games master plan and roadmap and the Games risk register."