Please sign the 'Save Burgess Hill Town' petition

[BensGrandad]

Just confirmed on SCR ina statement from MSDC that the forfeiture of lease is due to being in arrears with rent and non compliance with orders re floodlighting. All the petitions in the world will not stop them being evicted if they do not pay their rent and neither can it be expected to. 1st things first pay up ther rent arrers then there may be room for negotiation, other then that the future is bleak. As a MSDC council tax payer I would expect them to take this action and because they are a football club they should not be allowed to just poo poo the council decisions and the rent.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Done, this needs to be a sticky.

 

[Notters]

Oops, 3 times!

 

[clippedgull]

signed at todays game.

good luck

 

[FalmerforAll!**]

Picture of Dick Knight signing on the BHTFC website.

 

[Brighton till i die]

done!

 

[Burgess Hill Seagulls]

230 signatures keep em coming guys dont let the council rip the heart out of our community!

 

[kevinsmith]

done

 

[sammy]

Done

 

[dougdeep]

Done, don't let the bastards win.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

This is on the Burgess Hill Town website:-

PRESS RELEASE

Burgess Hill Town Football Club Limited

On Thursday 10 April Mid Sussex District Council served Notice on Burgess Hill Town Football Club to terminate the Club's Lease of the football ground at Leylands Park with effect from 13 October 2008. This Notice follows a short correspondence between the Council and the Football Club wherein the Council indicated that it proposed to take steps to forfeit the Club's Lease as a result of what the Council considered to be breaches of the terms of the Lease. Having taken legal advice on the matter the Club was satisfied that it would be entitled to relief against forfeiture on the basis of well established principles of law and the fact that certain statutory provisions for the protection of tenants would have been available to the Football Club.

However, rather than expose themselves to the risk of being challenged in Court, the Council have opted to exercise a clause in the Lease enabling the Council to bring the Lease to an end. The Football Club has always been aware of this clause and as long ago as October 2005 sought assurances from the Council that the clause would not be used to resolve essentially Landlord and Tenant matters. In a meeting between Gary Croydon, the Chief Executive of the Football Club, and the Club's Solicitor, Anne Halligey, who was then Corporate Strategic Director of the Council gave the Club assurances it was seeking stating that termination of the Football Club Lease would be "politically unacceptable".

We are advised that in reaching the decision to terminate the lease with such far reaching consequences there are a number of procedures which the Council, through their own policies and standing orders, should have complied with. This does not appear to have been the case here and the Club's lawyers are therefore have requested the Council to supply certain further information. Until that information has been received it would be inappropriate for the Club to comment further.


Burgess Hill Town Football Club
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The key phrase is this:-

"As long ago as October 2005 [the Football Club] sought assurances from the Council that the clause would not be used to resolve essentially Landlord and Tenant matters".

This rings a bell with me.

I manage an organisation that has a tenancy with a local authority (Brighton & Hove City Council, as it happens). From time to time, we get into minor disputes with our landlord. This sort of thing happens.

A while back, in the middle of one of these minor disputes, we received a letter from a council officer telling us that we would be evicted, if we didn't take immediate action to sort out a particular issue that was troubling them.

Our response was to find a friendly senior councillor and get her to agree that the council officer's threat was completely over the top - the landlord and tenant dispute needed to be resolved (and it was), but it was quite inappropriate to use the threat of eviction against an organisation that was highly valued by the local community.

"Words were said" and the threat of eviction was immediately lifted.

What the Hillians need to do is find a powerful friend at MSDC who can put a stop to this nonsense. Hopefully this petition will persuade someone important that the council is in grave danger of making itself look completely foolish. And they'll then find a way of backing down.

 

[The Large One]

Just confirmed on SCR ina statement from MSDC that the forfeiture of lease is due to being in arrears with rent and non compliance with orders re floodlighting. All the petitions in the world will not stop them being evicted if they do not pay their rent and neither can it be expected to. 1st things first pay up ther rent arrers then there may be room for negotiation, other then that the future is bleak. As a MSDC council tax payer I would expect them to take this action and because they are a football club they should not be allowed to just poo poo the council decisions and the rent.

Somehow, without wishing to sound defeatist, and as writing as someone who was more than happy to sign the petition, I fear the ship may have already sailed on that one. These decisions, backed up with the flimsiest of excuses or evidence, would have been taken long ago.

Talking to the chaps taking in signatures yesterday, it sounded like MSDC want the land for themselves, and are determined to get it.

Good to see Tim Carder being so encouraging with his advice - speak to the District Councillors, he said - only to be told the Councillors are creating the problem in the first place.

What is it with myopic Councillors?

 

[bright1064]

I've passed the petition on to everyone on my msn and facebook contacts list.
Nearly 300 signatures now

 

[surrey jim]

I've passed the petition on to everyone on my msn and facebook contacts list.
Nearly 300 signatures now

make sure you give it a plug on the radio too

 

[bright1064]

make sure you give it a plug on the radio too

As it is a legal issue I am afraid I'm not allowed to comment on air at this time. Everything I say on air has a bearing on the company I work for, and I quite like my job!

However I will do everything I can to help in my personal capacity.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Done

 

[Zesh Rehman]

Whats the point in the petition, all petitons are pointless.

 

[Rookie]

signed, not just for BHTFC but also to save all the youth football that is played on the pitches next door, well known fact that MSDC want the land for houses.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Not too well up on the facts and figures of Burgess Hill's alleged rent arrears, but it would seem that an Albion pre-season friendly at Leylands Park could go a very long way towards wiping that particular slate clean. Get on the case, BH

As for the alleged floodlighting irregularities, BH need to sort that one out for themselves. BHAFC have to jump through several zillion council-imposed hoops to be allowed to play at Withdean. The same will apply at Falmer. BH need to jump through the hoops likewise. I'd expect they are not excessively onorous to comply with.

If the council still got a gripe, and it seems irrationally vindictive, then start to look more closely at their underlying motives for wanting the ground closed down. Oh, and the finances. Look VERY closely at the finances. That usually throws up something interesting.

 

[JJ McClure]

Not too well up on the facts and figures of Burgess Hill's alleged rent arrears, but it would seem that an Albion pre-season friendly at Leylands Park could go a very long way towards wiping that particular slate clean. Get on the case, BH

Now that's a top idea! Would love to see that happen.

As for the flood light thing I still find it amazing that those few who complain when the lights are on have no realisation of the fact that if the club are forced out then it won't be flood lights to worry about, but building work, increased traffic and having their houses over looked by new builds.