Re: So can we have the truth...?? : Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:29 pm
Bubba wrote:
5 years from the ACV being granted.
Lets be clear about a few things. The Council were never close to agreeing a deal to sell the Shay to Tony Abbott. The reason being that they had no deal to consider given that all they had received was a single piece of A4 paper containing a couple of paragraphs.
Tim Swift said on numerous occasions on Twitter, and in emails, that there was no sale of the Shay on the horizon which totally contradicted the rhetoric coming from Mr "A deal will be concluded within the next few weeks" Abbott. From the meetings I held with the three main party leaders within the Town Hall there is/was no desire to sell the stadium though there remains concern about the ongoing subsidy required - not helped by the rental arrears.
The public meeting held to "reassure" people over the potential purchase seriously damaged any opportunity which may have developed. False claims of not being involved in the payday loan business and the clouded response over how a purchase would be funded quite rightly set the alarm bells ringing. There were also concerns about some of the other claims such as the potential hotel and the fact that viability studies have shown that there is no demand for another hotel within the town centre.
The Council clearly shared the concerns of the football club and the supporters over the stadium falling into private ownership and the risks which short and long term this would pose. And these are concerns which should be shared by supporters of HRLFC just like in 2006.
What I think we would all agree on is that the Shay is not even close to maximising its potential - something which Tony Abbott is well aware of. But this is why it is important to find a solution where a stadium maximising its potential works for the local taxpayer and two sporting clubs rather than for a private owner.
Lets be clear about a few things. The Council were never close to agreeing a deal to sell the Shay to Tony Abbott. The reason being that they had no deal to consider given that all they had received was a single piece of A4 paper containing a couple of paragraphs.
Tim Swift said on numerous occasions on Twitter, and in emails, that there was no sale of the Shay on the horizon which totally contradicted the rhetoric coming from Mr "A deal will be concluded within the next few weeks" Abbott. From the meetings I held with the three main party leaders within the Town Hall there is/was no desire to sell the stadium though there remains concern about the ongoing subsidy required - not helped by the rental arrears.
The public meeting held to "reassure" people over the potential purchase seriously damaged any opportunity which may have developed. False claims of not being involved in the payday loan business and the clouded response over how a purchase would be funded quite rightly set the alarm bells ringing. There were also concerns about some of the other claims such as the potential hotel and the fact that viability studies have shown that there is no demand for another hotel within the town centre.
The Council clearly shared the concerns of the football club and the supporters over the stadium falling into private ownership and the risks which short and long term this would pose. And these are concerns which should be shared by supporters of HRLFC just like in 2006.
What I think we would all agree on is that the Shay is not even close to maximising its potential - something which Tony Abbott is well aware of. But this is why it is important to find a solution where a stadium maximising its potential works for the local taxpayer and two sporting clubs rather than for a private owner.
Has the FOOTBALL CLUB directors ever made a public statement about not being in favour of PRIVATE ownership?
