London taxpayers face £2.5m bill for West Ham United's failings this season: report

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The terms of West Ham's lease at the London Stadium mean that an extra burden would fall on the taxpayer if the Hammers drop into the Championship

West Ham are on course for relegation
West Ham have a lot of work to do if they are to avoid relegation (Image credit: Getty Images)

Relegation from the Premier League always comes at a significant cost - but the ramifications of this season's battle to avoid the drop could end up impacting the general London public.

West Ham United are currently on course for the Championship after a dismal season so far.

Taxpayer expected to foot £2.5m bill if (or when) West Ham are relegated

West Ham have spent the past decade at the London Stadium

West Ham moved into the London Stadium in 2016 on a 99-year lease (Image credit: Getty Images)

And as The Standard explain, West Ham's lease agreement with City Hall contains a clause whereby the club's rent would be slashed in half should they drop into the Championship.

The deal was agreed in the wake of the 2012 Olympics, when West Ham were only recently returned to the Premier League.

West Ham decamped from Upton Park in 2016

West Ham's move to the London Stadium has been unpopular with both fans and the public (Image credit: Getty Images)

The running of the London Stadium is already part-subsidised by London taxpayers, as the rental fee of £4.4m per year does not cover stewarding costs.

If West Ham were to be relegated, West Ham would have four more guaranteed home games - a total of 23 - compared with in the Premier League (19), which may require greater stewarding costs to be accounted for.

Just to compound matters, the commercial revenue generated by the stadium would be expected to fall should West Ham drop into the EFL.

All told, relegation for West Ham would be estimated come at a cost of around an extra £2.5m per season to the London taxpayer.

The London Stadium was adapted for football following the 2012 Olympics

The London Stadium was originally constructed for the 2012 Summer Olympics (Image credit: Getty Images)

Local politicians are unhappy with that prospect, but believe it would be difficult to extricate themselves from the 'ball and chain' contract as it does not contain a break clause.

There have been calls from the council for West Ham to stump up and pay a greater share of the rent should they be relegated.

However, that is believed to be extremely unlikely to happen given they are under no obligation to do so and would face an enormous revenue drop themselves if they wound up in the second tier.

West Ham are currently in the Premier League relegation zone and seven points adrift of safety following their 2-1 defeat to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Steven Chicken
Steven Chicken

Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.

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