Whilst the Mailbag section is still on the Courier they dont seem to put letters on there anymore. I have had a letter in today in response to the article last week.
After what has happened over the last 18 or so months it is refreshing to hear a bit of common sense finally coming out of the Town Hall over the future of the Shay Stadium.
Councillor Baines appears to have a realistic vision of what the Shay estate is and what it can be in the future. The stadium is a local asset but one which hasn’t yet realised its potential to ensure it isn’t a drain on the local taxpayer.
It needs pointing out that there are other council owned assets which require an annual subsidy – such as the Victoria Theatre – so the Shay Stadium isn’t alone in running at a cost to CMBC. An asset which isn’t self-sufficient shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a bad thing though and it is important that the other benefits of having two senior sporting clubs in the town, including both economic and social, need to be appreciated and taken into consideration.
The idea of increasing the facilities which are on offer within the wider estate has long been discussed and hopefully we can finally see progress. FCHT and HRLFC need to be just two of many tenants at the stadium to create a true community facility and the approach taken by the Council Leader on the whole seems to be balanced and considered.
It was disappointing however that Councillor Baines’ felt it necessary to make condescending comments against certain supporters who have made issue of the Council’s behind closed doors handling of the Shay in recent times. It is an absolute disgrace what has happened on the watch of his predecessor, Councillor Tim Swift, which only came to light thanks to the vigorous research and questioning by FC Halifax Town supporters.
We were told that a deal to buy the stadium was just as good as complete by the man attempting to buy it. The price tag was a small fraction of what the Shay was worth with Council Officers advising the prospective buyer of where he should aim his bid – something which is against CMBC’s own guidelines. And this was all going on both behind the backs of the elected members of the Council and those with an emotive connection to the stadium – including one of the sporting tenants.
The bid of £1.9m wouldn’t have been a good return for the tax payer given that the Council is still paying back a loan taken out to complete the £6m East Stand not too long ago. A sale to a private organisation also wouldn’t have offered a secure future either for the stadium or two clubs regardless of what covenants were placed on any deal.
Councillor Bains has obviously forgotten about the Asset of Community Value listing granted on the stadium last year. This was successfully applied for by Halifax Town Supporters’ Trust to try bring some transparency to the Council’s handling of the Shay. It goes without saying that there are commercial and sensitive details which need to be negotiated confidentially. The crucial point though is striking a balance which keeps everyone on board to ensure a healthy, both financially and operationally, future for the Shay Stadium, its tenants and the Calderdale tax payer.
So a word of warning to Councillor Baines. Supporters don’t simply worry about the surface of the pitch or in what position to stand on a matchday. In five, ten or however many years time when Councillor Baines is no longer Leader, both clubs will still need somewhere secure to call home. The supporters are interested in protecting the stadium from short-term savings and electioneering and their views should be considered as well as the wider community.
