A town councillor is leading the charge to save Ledbury Town football club as it battles the threat of a 140 per cent rent increase.
The future of the club has been hanging in the balance for nearly two years after it was notified by Shortland Horne, acting on behalf of the landlord, of a proposed hike in rent from £10,000 to £24,000 in July 2008, backdated to January of that year.
The club challenged the increase and has since been in talks with the landlord to find an alternative solution which could mean a move away from New Street to another location in the town.
Councillor Tony Bradford told the Journal: “I am alarmed at this situation, the World Cup is round the corner and football is our national sport.
“I want the people of Ledbury to rally round the football club like they did the rugby club. I’m going to be running a campaign to save the club.”
The club, which plays in the West Midlands League Premier Division, began its 25-year lease in January 2002 agreeing that the £10,000 rent would be reviewed every third anniversary.
Club chairman Chris Stephens said the financially-strapped club could not pay the increase and needed help to guarantee its future.
“If the rent goes up we can’t pay it, it’s already hard to raise the £10,000. We need immediate help to pay the lease.”
The land, along with the bordering cricket ground, was earmarked for possible housing development.
Mr Stephens continued: “The landlords were going to purchase the land next door so the rent increase was
put on hold during this time, but it didn’t happen so now we are back to trying to sort it out.
“I don’t think they’ll ever build on the land but that doesn’t necessarily mean much to us.
“The town could do with new facilities and we want them.
“The best thing for the town would be to have a new complex which incorporated football and cricket, but I can’t really see this happening. It’s all up in the air.”