Boris slammed for Olympic cuts

LONDON Assembly member John Biggs has criticised Boris Johnson for withdrawing funding promised to make improvements to one of the East End s main routes ahead of the Olympics. Funding of �2 million to spruce up Whitechapel Road, Mile End Road and Bow Roa

LONDON Assembly member John Biggs has criticised Boris Johnson for withdrawing funding promised to make improvements to one of the East End's main routes ahead of the Olympics.

Funding of �2 million to spruce up Whitechapel Road, Mile End Road and Bow Road, dubbed High Street 2012, has been scrapped, along with the �1.6 million skills and jobs scheme for the five Olympic host boroughs and a �170,000 scheme to support the disabled in Olympic jobs.

London Assembly Member for City and East London John Biggs said: "The whole purpose of the London bid for the Olympics and Paralympics was to support east London.

"We were promised schemes to help local people and local businesses to take advantage of all the opportunities the Games presented. Next we are told that the Mayor is slashing these projects or massively cutting their funding.

"This isn't good enough. I will be making the case for east London and demanding that the Mayor explain why he targeted these projects in particular."

The funding cuts were made after it came to light that the Mayor's London Development Agency had failed to notice a shortfall of �160 million in its budget.