Dee Doocey’s Olympian Tasks

Redbridge Liberal Democrats — including seven local councillors — gathered at the library in Barkingside this evening, to hear Dee Doocey outline what she gets up to on the GLA, not just as one of the List members (and therefore with London-wide responsibilities) of the Assembly, but notably as Chair of the Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee, which is the lead committee on the GLA scrutinising the Olympics. Dee cheerfully admitted that she is not particularly interested in sport as such (with the notable exception of the para-Olympics and provision for the disabled), but she is deeply committed to trying to ensure that London gets the legacy from th 2012 Olympics that has been promised. That includes a degree of regeneration in the five Olympic boroughs (amongst which is Tower Hamlets, where I live), not least 9,000 new homes (once the athletes have moved out), about 50% of which are intended to be affordable. The GLA commissioned the University of East London to make a study of how previous Olympic cities such as Sydney and Athens had fared afterwards, and believes that London can learn from best practice in a number of areas. And even if Dee and her colleagues often find much to criticise Ken Livingstone about, she is convinced that the London Mayor is as committed to social housing as the LibDems are, as well as to keeping the additional precept for London council tax payers at 38 pence a week. ‘If we get the legacy, Londoners will get a fantastic bargain,’ Dee declared.