NAO will audit building of new Wembley
The National Audit Office has being given the go-ahead to audit the building of the controversial new Wembley Stadium.
Comptroller and auditor general Sir John Bourn will have the final say about the propriety and efficiency of the project being driven forward by Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of Wembley National Stadium Limited.
The review powers of the NAO have been written into an exchange of letters between Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, and Walker over the new scheme, which must contain some provision for holding athletic as well as football events if it to avoid repaying a £20m National Lottery grant.
Jowell issued the letter setting out the government’s intentions after Walker requested a formal statement to show his backers.
The culture secretary set out four key points which the football association and WNSL need to address satisfactorily, including the need to ‘agree that all the papers relevant to the project are made available to the NAO and the C&AG’
There must also be ‘a report which satisfactorily demonstrates the value for money to public sector standards’, a restructuring of the board of WNSL and confirmation that financial support is adequate and fully committed.