Games delivered successfully and under budget

The 2014 Commonwealth Games cost the public sector £37.2 million less than budgeted. The project had strong leadership and organisations worked well together. Clear legacy plans are in place and the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council now need to build on these to ensure long-term benefits are achieved.

A report published today for the Auditor General and Accounts Commission says early evidence shows the Glasgow event compared favourably to previous games. Around 1.2 million tickets were sold, over 4,800 athletes took part and £118 million was raised from ticket sales, sponsorship and other private funding.

The Organising Committee and Police Scotland had good financial control over their budgets. Public funding for the Games totalled £424.5 million, £37.2 million less than expected. The use of income from sources such as ticket sales and sponsorship brought the total cost of the Games to £543 million, around £32 million less than the agreed budget of £575 million in November 2013.

Accounts Commission Chair Douglas Sinclair said:

"The Games have been widely seen as a success, and our report adds to this positive picture. Strong controls and good planning resulted in a £37.2 million underspend of public money, money which will now be returned to the public sector.

"The partner organisations and businesses worked very well together to make the Games a great success. As this is a really strong example of successful partnership working it's really important for learning from this project to be shared within the public sector, to help future work."

Auditor General Caroline Gardner said:

"Working to ensure a legacy has been part and parcel of planning for the Games, and we've seen a good start on this. With ongoing pressures in public sector budgets it is all the more important for the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council to ensure the planned legacy benefits are achieved.

"They need to continue to evaluate the impact to ensure the Games achieves their longer-term aims such as a healthier population and better life chances for people living in the East End of Glasgow."