West London Partnership for 2012
The West London Partnership for the 2012 Games (WLP2012) was established in 2005 and consists of a group of key organisations which are working together to secure as many benefits as possible for West London as a result of the staging of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
The reason for this approach was the belief that the Games will provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to invigorate strategic and policy objectives for West London and that the dynamism in the build up to the games should be captured through the development of a coherent partnership strategy which would complement and develop the economic, cultural and community objectives of West London.
Following on from a stakeholder engagement event (with over 400 organisations) in 2005, the WLP2012 developed the following priorities to focus its programme of work up until, and after, 2012:
- Increasing participation in sport and physical activity
- Increasing cultural audiences and building capacity of creative and cultural organisations
- Developing stronger communities
- Inspiring young people
- Increasing the number of people accessing skills and training opportunities
- Levering inward investment by maximising business and tourism opportunities
- And more recently has included the following objective:
- To ensure business continuity for boroughs, organisations and businesses in West London throughout 2012
A dedicated 2012 officer, Helen Fisher, has been in post since 2007 to drive the work of WLP2012.
The West London Partnership for the 2012 Games continues to bring partners together to deliver legacy benefits for West London and address issues which could affect business continuity during 2012.
The programme coordination is supported by the West London 2012 Officer (working 3 days per week) and will soon also be supported by an intern who will work on the programme until July 2012. All of the key partners, particularly the boroughs, have identified lead officers who are in regular contact with the West London 2012 Officer.
Although many of the Olympic and Paralympic events are being staged in East London, West London and in particular Brent, will play host to Olympic football finals, rhythmic gymnastics and badminton at Wembley Stadium and Wembley arena respectively. The cycle road race will also pass through Hammersmith & Fulham.
This will have implications on transport, human resourcing, security, mutual aid and front line services and planning has begun to look at issues which could affect business continuity. Boroughs have developed internal groups of key officers to assess local issues and manage the impact.
There will also be a number of opportunities from the hosting of these events and other events linked to the London 2012 Games, which WLP2012 is keen to maximise.