West Ham released a statement claiming to pay the LLDC £10M per year in total revenues.GETTY IMAGES
The "brittle" relationship between EPL side West Ham United and its landlord "appears to have fractured completely" after the club accused the London Stadium’s owner of "deliberately misleading the public" over the amount of money it received, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. West Ham "responded furiously" to an appearance by Lyn Garner, the CEO of E20 -- also known as the London Legacy Development Corp. -- at the London Assembly, where she said that West Ham’s £2.5M ($3.2M) annual rent did not come close to covering costs. Garner said, "The elephant in the room is the fee they pay us for usage costs does not cover the event-day costs." The club has issued a rebuttal, insisting that the LLDC receives £10M ($13M) annually in rent and associated income. In a statement, the club said, "West Ham United are concerned that this is deliberately misleading the public and, more importantly, taxpayers. West Ham now pay £3 million ($3.9M) in rent due to additional annual fees that have been introduced since our agreement in 2013, and a further £6 million ($7.7M) was received by our landlord from the food and beverage sold at our matches. With additional fees we pay for services and the London Stadium, the total revenues received from West Ham United and our activities is £10 million ($13M) a year" (LONDON TIMES, 9/8).
