"Memorandum of Understanding with British Cycling"

Is the Memorandum of Understanding between Manchester City Council and British Cycling, signed by the council leader back in September 2010 really a secret?

An email exchange with the officer drafting the council's cycling strategy hasn't provided the contents of the document, so I have submitted an FoI request.

Is the contents of an agreement between our council and British Cycling (funded by Sky and Fiat) so controvertial that we can't see it? We shall see.

From the British Cycling web site:-

British Cycling and Manchester City Council marked the occasion by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, a ten year agreement outlining the city's continued commitment to cycling with the aims of developing a joint strategy for performance, participation, events, facilities and grass-roots projects across all cycling disciplines.

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said:

"British Cycling and its elite success are a perfect example of what Olympic legacy is all about. Our dominance on the world's performance stage at Olympic level has attracted new public and private sector funding, enabling us to build an organisation that can effectively drive participation in its sport. Since we moved to Manchester in 1994, the city has played a vital part in the transformation of our sport.

"Today's signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Manchester City Council shows our long-term commitment to the city and both the Velodrome and the new Indoor BMX Arena will be the training base for the GB Cycling Team in the build up to London 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow."

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council said:

"The phenomenal success of the Great Britain Cycling Team demonstrates exactly what can be achieved when you combine the vision, foresight and ambition of a city like Manchester. I am proud to reaffirm the city's commitment to the sport and am confident that it will continue to provide opportunities for many local people and our elite athletes of the future."