Games chief resigns as row grows over legacy stadium

A key figure in shaping the future of London’s Olympic Park quit today amid concerns about the legacy of the main Games stadium.

The resignation of Andy Altman, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, comes weeks after his chairwoman Baroness Ford left the organisation. The LLDC has come under fire over its handling of the future use of the £500 million stadium.

Earlier this year the LLDC was forced to scrap a plan to award the tenancy to West Ham United after legal complications. Recently it has emerged that the deal to secure its future has been put back again until after the Games.

Shortly after Boris Johnson’s re-election he sidelined Lady Ford and replaced her with Daniel Moylan, the former head of Kensington & Chelsea council.

West Ham remain frontrunners to move in to the 80,000-seat venue after the Games. However, concerns remain as to whether football fans will adapt to watching the game with a running track around the pitch because an athletics track must remain after the Games as a contractual legacy commitment.

Mr Johnson said: “Andrew Altman has delivered an inspiring vision and a momentum for investment in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”