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London's successful Olympic bid will deliver long-lasting economic benefits to the capital, the chairman of the London Business Board has said.

Ian Barlow told BBC Radio Five Live this morning that he believed the 2012 games would bring gains extending beyond the £6 billion boost predicted by some recent surveys.

He emphasised the positive impact on investment in east London, exposure of the region to visitors and improvements to the skills base in the capital as key areas of the Olympics' "legacy".

"Perhaps the biggest area of legacy we're aiming for is the whole regeneration of the east of London, that the Olympic sites area is a catalyst for the regeneration of the Lower Lee Valley, which in turn is a catalyst for the regeneration of the whole Thames Gateway," Mr Barlow added.

On the issue of attracting businesses to the games he said a "network" was being created to help keep firms bidding for Olympic contracts informed.

"Beyond that the whole idea of bidding for these games was that we put London even more on the world stage, and that has a whole range of attractions for the future," he said.

Today's comments from Mr Barlow come ahead of a meeting between culture secretary Tessa Jowell and mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who are set to discuss funding for the games in 2012.

The Olympic budget has already been raised by £900,000 to £3.3 billion for the building of venues. A revised budget, due in the next few months, is expected to be higher still.