Members of Northavon Bowls Club were “poorly served” by its committee, according to a statement from Bradley Stoke Town Council.
The 20-year-old club was wound-up at the weekend following a row with the council which left them without a rent deal for the green at Bailey’s Court.
The deal offered by the council would have meant an 8% annual rise in costs – but the town council claims this would have been less than they were paying in the previous year.
The statement says if they had signed up the rent would have been “considerably less than the outlay in 2007, when they paid £8,293 to maintain the green and a further £2125 to council for the use of the facilities”.
In May 2008, the club was forced to leave Bailey’s Court and play its home matches away from Bradley Stoke.
The last offer made by the council, in December 2008, asked for £8,000 and a 6% annual rise but this was rejected by the club’s committee.
To read the statement in full click the ‘more’ button below.
Bradley Stoke Town Council is sorry to learn that after some 20 years, Northavon Bowling Club (NABC) has decided to close.
Following the election of a new council in May 2007, one of the first issues that the Council started to deal with was the refurbishment and new build at Baileys Court and the effect this would have on its current and future users.
As part of this, BSTC undertook a review of the long term leasing agreements, including that with the Baileys Court Sports and Social Club (BCSSC). This was an umbrella organisation that both the Bowls Club and Bradley Stoke Cricket Club had originally operated under.
Both clubs were now subject to separate annual rentals and were both disputing the 51% rent increase imposed by the previous administration.
Following a review by Council, it concluded that BCSSC was no longer operating and so sought to provide new more comprehensive agreements with both the Bowls Club and the Cricket Club.
These new agreements would provide both clubs with long term security of tenure whilst also providing medium term financial security by setting the rental rate for a 5-year period; a change to the previous agreement which had allowed council to set increases at very short notice, with a figure of its choosing with little or no consultation with the clubs.
Following a number of meetings with both bowls and cricket clubs, Council was able to sign a new agreement with the Cricket Club in April 2008.
Following a failure of the Bowls Club to pay outstanding rents due for 2007 without tying Council to certain terms and conditions and the breakdown in negotiations between both parties, Council served notice on the Bowls Club in May 2008.
In a last ditch effort to ensure the continued existence of the club, Council went back to the Bowls Club Committee in Dec 2008, and offered them a deal whereby Council would continue to maintain the green, something it has been doing since the Bowls club left last year, and the Bowls Club would be required to pay a rent for 2009 of £8100. This being considerably less than the outlay in 2007, when they paid £8,293 to maintain the green and a further £2125 to council for the use of the facilities.
Council feel that the ordinary members of the Bowls Club have been poorly served by their committee, but are unable to comment further at this time due to legal constraints.
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