'There is nothing inevitable or god-given about the legacy of the 2012 Games', Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell told an audience at the Fabian Fringe in Manchester.

It was up to those involved to 'make it and create it', said Jowell. But she also claimed that 'it is easy to underestimate the scale of the regeneration of East London. By 2015 the lower Lea Park will be a city in itself equivalent to the size of Leeds'. She outlined the potential of a 'magnificent legacy', providing 'homes, jobs, inward investment, turning the community from one of the poorest in the country to one of the proudest and aspirational'.

At the Fabian fringe event 'What social legacy will the 2012 Games deliver?', Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell was joined by Sir Howard Bernstein, of Manchester City Council, Barry Camfield of TGWU and Lyn Brown, MP for West Ham. The discussion was chaired by Nick Mathiason of the Observer.

The regeneration benefits of the 2012 Games were a key aspect of the discussion. Both Tessa Jowell and Howard Bernstein noted the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona as the best example of the potential regeneration benefits to the hosting city. Yet Lyn Brown cautioned against complacency. She argued that we need to 'understand the current scale of deprivation in East London – 40% of children are living in poverty. What they think they will be getting is a whole new quality of life, houses they need, jobs that enable them to come off benefit, education improved. Some of these aspirations will be realised, some will not.'

Brown warned that 'we haven't yet thought through the social legacy in areas of health, education, community cohesion, children'. Targets have not been set in these areas, therefore 'we won't know what to achieve and how'. Nor can there be any targeted spending. She advised that 'we need to look at creating targets that will realise real benefits and 'Government needs to join up to do something radical, for example on obesity, child and adult health issues. This will take political will, resources and an understanding of the issues within the communities'.

It was agreed that it is essential that the local area feels ownership and involvement in the Games, Tessa Jowell made clear that 'it should be seen that they are the East End's Olympic Games, not the Olympic Games in the East End. There is no point in having world class facilities and events if local people are excluded from them'. Howard Bernstein suggested that the organisers 'need to specify the long term usage of facilities, not just for the two weeks of the event'. He said that it was crucial to connect local and national businesses and address how to promote wider impact from private sector engagement and accelerate investment in communities, 'the overriding theme is how to connect local people to the economic success of the Games'. Bernstein claimed that the 'experience of Manchester hosting the Commonwealth Games showed how hosting such an event boosted civic pride'.

One participant voiced concern about whether the skills of people locally would match the employment opportunities the Games offers. Tessa Jowell noted for example the problems with unemployment in the surrounding Bangladeshi communities, where skills shortages are critical. She pointed to the Olympic Skills training programme that will soon be launched in an attempt to address this. Barry Camfield warned that The Construction Skills Board has set up an office in Warsaw and he advised that 'we need to ensure that the lack of current skills available doesn't lead to a reliance on exported workers. We need to establish training facilities and we need to move quickly'. He argued that 'we need to use local labour, bringing local people in and ensure jobs across the UK for people to be involved and we also need to pay decent wages, conditions and clear lines between workers and volunteers, while ensuring proper benefits for volunteers'.

Camfield identified the project as a chance to build world-wide excellence in employment relations. Pointing to the many deaths in the construction of the Athens Olympics, and the necessity not to repeat the disasters there, he said that The Unions 2012 Group is bringing together different groups to make sure employment relations also inform future practice.

The panellists agreed that the Olympic Games also offer great opportunities for young people. Howard outlined that they would provide aspiration and motivation for those in the most deprived areas, while Jowell claimed that we will see a completely different approach to young people. Currently some school exercise rates are only 22% – 'the Games will ensure that talent among young athletes will be nurtured, whereas previously it has been lost because parents have been unable to meet the potentials of their children'. She identified the 2012 scholarship programme, which is improving the achievements and results among young people.

Some participants noted concerns over the environmental impact and whether the transport system could cope. Jowell responded that 'the Games will be carbon neutral' and pointed to the £17bn being spent on the transport infrastructure, which will support a 'very detailed and worked out transport plan'. In sum, she argued, 'there is a sense that the country will come together with us at the centre of the world - it is the greatest shared national experience that we will be part of.'

The Fabian fringe event 'What social legacy will the 2012 Games deliver?' took place on Wednesday 28th September 2006 in Manchester Town Hall during the Labour Party conference. The event was chaired by Nick Mathiason of The Observer, with Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; Sir Howard Bernstein, Manchester City Council; and Barry Camfield, TGWU. speaking. The Fabian Society is grateful to BAA for their kind support of the event.