Olympic Games bosses find jobs for only 115 of the unemployed

Only 115 unemployed east Londoners have had jobs on the construction of the Olympic Park, it emerged today.

Figures from the Olympic Delivery Authority show that 20 per cent of the 4,101 workers at the Olympic Park are from the five surrounding boroughs - and of these, just 115 were unemployed.

Ministers have claimed the Games will regenerate the five "Olympic boroughs" - Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest - which include some of Britain's most deprived neighbourhoods.

Dee Doocey, Lib-Dem London Assembly spokeswoman on economic development, said: "The work the Olympic Delivery Authority is doing in training is superb but the targets they have set for local unemployed people put back into work are too low."

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the 2012 organising committee, has asked the International Olympic Committee to break with the tradition of calling the Games the "best ever" to make sure it delivers its legacy promises.

Lord Coe spoke at a meeting of 400 residents in Walthamstow, also attended by Mayor Boris Johnson.

He said: "Come back to this city five years later and declare them truly a great games when they see what we have done to drive sports participation and legacy."

Last night's meeting at Walthamstow Assembly Hall aired questions on the use of £1billion of taxpayers' money to build sports venues, local sports facilities and poor public transport links.

The Mayor's new Olympic legacy chief, Baroness Margaret Ford, answered audience concerns by guaranteeing access to sports facilities after the Games.