AFC Telford in statement over business rates

The club posted online to explain its position after the council said it had written off nearly £30,000 of business rates already and loaned the club £45,000 to pay for stadium safety improvements.

With regard to business rates, the statement said: "The club/trust has always claimed rate exemption on the Learning Centre since it was built in 2007.

"Earlier this year we received notification from the local authority that they wanted to charge rates for the Learning Centre and back date this to 2011. We appealed against this and we were successful.

"The trust then lodged a claim for rate exemption on the stadium stating that the amount paid to the authority since 2011 was incorrect.

"We were successful in this claim and some of the monies paid since 2011 were refunded.

"This whole process was managed by trust board member Ian Tyrer and regular briefings have been given to the trust and club board in line with the declarations of interest policy operated by both boards."

The statement also made reference to the loan from the council, which it said came from cash for the sale of the Bucks Head pub.

It said: "The club was made to re-apply for a stadium safety certificate by Telford & Wrekin Council. We lodged a 234-page document including a certificate for the fire alarm and PA which were deemed unacceptable – even though the alarm is operable and has the same issues that existed when we inherited the system in 2004.

"We have received an early release of the grant monies received from the sale of the Bucks Head pub in order to install a new system which should be completed by February.

"These monies have been ring-fenced by the authority for the development of the Bucks Head site – this was agreed by Telford & Wrekin Council in March 2015 which we communicated to supporters at the time.

"Club chairman Ian Dosser managed this process and has given regular updates to the trust."

A statement from Telford & Wrekin Council said the loan would be repaid over 40 years and be cost-neutral for the authority.

It added: "Discretionary rate relief will be reviewed again in March 2018. The earliest this could be legally reviewed is in March 2017. In the current year, this discretionary relief value is £27,361.50. There are at least seven other organisations in the borough that receive 100 per cent business rate relief including a number of sports clubs."