UK Budget to include £7m for Northern Olympics feasibility study

Chancellor John Healey to announce funding for full assessment of potential 2040s bid

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published24 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Chancellor John Healey will announce a £7 million fund for a full feasibility study into a potential Olympic Games hosted across northern England, as part of the Budget next Wednesday. The study, backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and a group of former Olympians, will examine venues, transport, cost, and the likelihood of a successful bid, with a target of the 2040s.

The government is set to allocate £7 million for a comprehensive feasibility study on bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games to northern England, the BBC has learned. The funding will be announced in Chancellor John Healey's first Budget, due next Wednesday.

The study will explore how different cities could share the Games, what venues and transport links would be required, how communities could benefit, and crucially, how much it might cost and the chances of a bid succeeding. It follows an initial assessment by UK Sport commissioned by the government in May.

The idea, dubbed the "Northern Games," was put forward by Northern Mayors and backed by Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC: "Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly." He added that the Games would unlock opportunity across the country and be something everyone could get behind.

Chancellor Healey said: "Olympic legacy lasts way beyond the celebration of sport over the summer. The North hosting an event as big as this would be truly unforgettable." He noted that Britain's experience of London 2012 was proof the country could host the world.

The last UK Olympics, London 2012, was estimated by the coalition government to have cost £8.9 billion. A subsequent UK Trade and Investment report estimated a £9.9 billion economic boost through contracts, sales, and foreign investment, though that figure was met with scepticism from groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

The feasibility study will be conducted by the government, UK Sport, the Northern Mayors, and the British Olympic and Paralympic associations. The British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB, and UK Sport issued a joint statement welcoming the funding: "We welcome the government's continued support for exploring the potential of a future bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the UK in the 2040s. Building on the success and legacy of London 2012, we look forward to working in partnership to explore this exciting opportunity and the benefits it could deliver."

Analysis

Why This Matters

A Northern Olympics could reshape major infrastructure investment and sports funding across England, with decisions on venues and transport links affecting multiple cities.
The feasibility study represents a concrete financial commitment from the government, moving the idea from campaigning to active policy consideration.
Lessons from London 2012 show both potential economic gains and risks of cost overruns and disputed benefits, making the study's findings critical for public debate.

Background

London 2012 cost the UK government an estimated £8.9 billion, while a later UK Trade and Investment report claimed a £9.9 billion economic boost. That claim was challenged by business and research bodies. The UK has not hosted an Olympics since. The Northern Games proposal has been championed by regional mayors and former Olympians. The Budget will mark the first official funding for a full assessment.

Key Perspectives

Prime Minister Andy Burnham: "Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities." Chancellor John Healey: "Olympic legacy lasts way beyond the celebration of sport over the summer. The North hosting an event as big as this would be truly unforgettable." British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB, and UK Sport (joint statement): "We welcome the government's continued support for exploring the potential of a future bid... Building on the success and legacy of London 2012, we look forward to working in partnership."

Sources

Between quick wins and big dreams lies Burnham's biggest test · BBC News
Plan for Northern Olympics to get £7m in Healey's Budget · BBC News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

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SupportedThe UK Budget will include £7 million for a feasibility study on a possible Olympics in northern England.BBC News: “A £7m fund to explore how the Olympics could be brought to northern England will be announced in John Healey's first Budget on Wednesday”
SupportedChancellor John Healey is due to announce the funding in his first Budget next Wednesday.BBC News: “A £7m fund to explore how the Olympics could be brought to northern England will be announced in John Healey's first Budget on Wednesday”
Partly supportedThe study is backed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and former Olympians.BBC News: “The idea had been put forward by Northern Mayors and backed by a group of former Olympians including Dame Laura Kenny and Dame Sarah Storey.”
SupportedThe study concerns the possibility of a Games in northern England in the 2040s.BBC News: “If successful, it could see the games held in the North in the 2040s.”
SupportedBurnham told the BBC: “Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly.”BBC News: “Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC: “Few things bring a country together quite like the Olympics. I want people to feel that sense of excitement again, and to experience it in their own towns and communities, not just watch it on the telly.””
SupportedHealey said: “Olympic legacy lasts way beyond the celebration of sport over the summer. The North hosting an event as big as this would be truly unforgettable.”BBC News: “Healey said: “Olympic legacy lasts way beyond the celebration of sport over the summer. The North hosting an event as big as this would be truly unforgettable.””
SupportedThe study will assess venues, transport links, how cities could share the Games, community benefits, possible cost and the chances of a successful bid.BBC News: “It will consider the kinds of venues and transport links required, how different cities could share the games, how communities could benefit. Crucially it will also examine how much it could cost as well as assess the chances of a bid succeeding.”
SupportedThe study follows an initial assessment by UK Sport that the government requested in May.BBC News: “In May the government asked UK Sport to carry out an initial assessment of the idea, looking at the possible cost and benefit of a bid to hold the Olympics across the North.”
SupportedThe London 2012 Olympics were estimated by the coalition government to have cost £8.9 billion.BBC News: “The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government said in 2013 it estimated hosting in London had cost £8.9bn.”
SupportedA 2013 UK Trade and Investment report estimated a £9.9 billion economic boost from contracts, sales and foreign investment, and the estimate was questioned by some groups.BBC News: “A report in 2013 by the UK Trade and Investment, which has since been replaced by the Department for International Trade, said it had sparked a £9.9bn boost to the economy through new contracts, sales and foreign investments. But the estimated amount was queried by some, including the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).”
SupportedThe government, UK Sport, Northern Mayors and the British Olympic and Paralympic associations will conduct the study.BBC News: “The new feasability study for the Northern Games will be done by government, UK Sport, the Northern Mayors and include the British Olympic and Paralympic associations.”
SupportedThe British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport issued a joint statement welcoming the funding.BBC News: “News of the funding for the study was welcomed by the British Olympic Association, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport. “We welcome the government's continued support for exploring the potential of a future bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the UK in the 2040s,” they said in a joint statement.”