Glasgow 2014 contracts worth £510m to local economy

Contracts associated with staging last year’s Commonwealth Games have provided the Scottish economy with a £510m boost.

Figures released by Glasgow City Council (GCC) this week – six months after the Games – show that companies and organisations from Glasgow secured £423m worth of Tier 1 contracts (out of a total of £669m). Scottish companies outside Glasgow were given £87m worth of Tier 1 contracts.

As well as hosting a successful sporting event, creating financial benefits from the event for the local economy was a cornerstone of GCC’s Glasgow 2014 Legacy Framework.

As part of the framework, community benefit clauses were added to contracts for regeneration initiatives in the city. The clauses created employment and business opportunities for local companies and were designed to enhance accessibility and sustainability in Glasgow – providing the city with a greater international profile and outlook.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of GCC, said: "The Games were always about much more than 11 spectacular days of sport and cultural festival, however wonderful and memorable. What matters most are the lasting benefits for the people of Glasgow.

"It's enormously heartening to read these hugely impressive figures about the jobs, apprenticeships and contracts gained by Glasgow people and businesses as a result of our Games.”

• The financial figures were released in the same week as a survey showed that the Scottish public saw the opening and closing ceremonies as the most inspirational moments of the Games. A total of 58 per cent of respondents chose the ceremonies as their favourite moment, followed by the friendly atmosphere in Glasgow during the games (51 per cent).