Leeds city council

Woody · Leeds city council

LEEDS CITY COUNCIL has demanded free tickets for schoolchildren and secured full financial control of Elland Road's Fullerton Park car park under the terms of Leeds
United's exit from administration.
The council has reinstated a deal which will see 500 tickets distributed to schools for every home fixture next season following discussions ahead of last week's ballot on the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposed by chairman Ken Bates.

But United have lost their right to a percentage of the revenue raised by the Fullerton Park site after the council were forced to endure heavy losses following the vote in favour of Bates' proposal.

Leeds City Council was owed a total of around £200,000 by the League One club, including funds raised through the running of the car park, but the CVA will pay unsecured creditors – of which the council are one – just a penny in the pound.

United have been in charge of operating the council-owned Fullerton Park site for several seasons, earning them a portion of the proceeds, but the council have moved to limit the cost to the city's accounts in the wake of administration.

The council is also set to sell off the executive box they have held since they sold Elland Road back to United 10 years ago. The box, the allocation of free tickets and the management of the car park were all originally negotiated during the sale in 1997.

Councillor Andrew Carter, the leader of Leeds City Council, refused to confirm whether the deal had influenced their vote at the CVA meeting, or whether the council had voted in favour of the proposal made by Bates and Leeds United Football Club Limited.

He insisted the negotiations with United were aimed at securing the "best possible deal" for the city's tax payers with the CVA set to damage the council's accounts.

Coun Carter told the YEP: "Our sole priority was to use our votes in a way that would maximise the amount of money we could get back.

"Throughout the last month, we have had to take into account the scenario which would deliver the best deal for the council, which is clearly losing out as a result of this shambles.

"There was no sentiment involved for us here because this was about the interests of the city of Leeds, not those of Leeds United Football Club. We have a duty to tax payers first and foremost, and we sent our agents to the CVA meeting with the instruction to get the best deal possible for the city.

As ive just said , good LCC , time somebody made a stand.