Calls to hold an inquiry into the awarding of the Olympic Stadium tenancy to West Ham have been rejected by the government.

A petition launched last month by the supporters’ groups of eight London clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham asked for a full public probe into the London Legacy Development Corporation’s decision.

It came after a BBC documentary claimed West Ham would not pay for some of the stadium’s running costs.

The call for action garnered further support from over 24,000 signatories, including Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, requiring the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to provide a written response.

But the government today reaffirmed its belief that West Ham’s bid, which defeated competition from Tottenham, “constituted the best available return for the taxpayer”.

The DCMS statement maintained that the tenancy of West Ham was necessary to secure a long-term future for the stadium, which had been intended to serve as an athletics venue after the London 2012 Olympics.

British Athletics still maintain a one month concession on the stadium every year and the stadium will host several events in the coming years, including five matches at the Rugby World Cup and the 2017 Athletics World Championship.

In their petition the coalition of supporters group had said: “West Ham has only contributed £15m towards the £272m conversion costs of the Olympic Stadium, with the taxpayer footing the rest of the bill.”

However the government rejected suggestions that the stadium would be a burden on the public purse.

They explained: “The stadium remains in public ownership (E20 Stadium LLP – a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council) and the profits from its multiple uses will flow to the taxpayer.

“The agreement with West Ham United, including their contribution to transformation costs and rent, followed an open competitive process, which was delivered under EU rules, conducted visibly and exposed to significant scrutiny.

“The outcome has been tested in the courts and upheld. As the winning bid this constituted the best available return for the taxpayer and secures the commercial viability of a national asset for the next 100 years.”

The government maintained that it would not release further “commercially sensitive” details of the rental agreement between the stadium owners and West Ham, warning that it could damage the negotiating position of operator Vinci.

This was echoed by West Ham co-owner David Sullivan in an interview with Standard Sport, in which he warned that the rental agreement was “not as one-sided as people think”.

He said: “We are renting the stadium for 25 days. They have got 340 days to get income from other people. Nobody is criticising the UK Athletics deal.

“If we use it for more than 25 days a year we have to pay additional money for every day. So if we have a cup run, the bills go right through the roof.”

The petition requires 100,000 votes to be considered for debate in Parliament.