The Hotel End
March 28, 2024, 19:07:53 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
News:
 
  Home Help Search Arcade Downloads Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register Chat  

Redevelopment Closer Than Ever?

Pages: 1 ... 1351 1352 1353 1354 1355 1356 1357 [1358] 1359 1360 1361 1362 1363 1364 1365 ... 2181   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Redevelopment Closer Than Ever?  (Read 1820532 times)
Cobblernick97uk (+ 1 Hidden) and 27 Guests are viewing this topic.
guest3355
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27140 on: August 14, 2020, 09:28:08 am »

I think Kelvins skin is thicker than that, the council can’t afford to do a deal with the club while the supporters trust are shouting “bad deal” in the media.
To the general public it would look like Groundhog Day and be politically suicidal for the council.
Kelvin needs the trust on side, which can only be a good thing for everyone.

+1
Report Spam   Logged
Shoemaker
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 6890


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Combination Topic Starter Poll Voter
« Reply #27141 on: August 14, 2020, 09:41:54 am »

They should demand to be reinstated to the board.
That way they would know what was truly going on and not have to keep having meetings with the council
If there’s nothing to worry about , why would the clubs supporters trust not be welcomed back?
Report Spam   Logged
guest3359
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27142 on: August 14, 2020, 09:49:37 am »

They should demand to be reinstated to the board.
That way they would know what was truly going on and not have to keep having meetings with the council
If there’s nothing to worry about , why would the clubs supporters trust not be welcomed back?
As a fan I dont want the Trust on the board. They dont represent my views and I think they are disruptive. I have no issue with the Trust as an organisation but not sure what a place on the board would offer, or what it did before.
They need to engage with the owners and the owners need to engage with them, which it seems like is happening, and work together in other ways. As an advisory panel maybe.
Report Spam   Logged
Ragdoll Cobbler
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1113


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Linux User Level 5 1000 Posts
« Reply #27143 on: August 14, 2020, 10:03:04 am »

They should demand to be reinstated to the board.
That way they would know what was truly going on and not have to keep having meetings with the council
If there’s nothing to worry about , why would the clubs supporters trust not be welcomed back?


They were on the board under DC and allegedly signed papers to enable the Cardoza, Grossman etc fiasco to unfold...

Oh, the "they've learned their lesson" rubbish doesn't wash with me, should never have happened with a trust member on the board

Why should we "trust" them this time?
« Last Edit: August 14, 2020, 10:23:12 am by Ragdoll Cobbler » Report Spam   Logged
Shoemaker
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 6890


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Combination Topic Starter Poll Voter
« Reply #27144 on: August 14, 2020, 10:27:11 am »

They were on the board under DC and signed papers to enable the Cardoza, Grossman etc fiasco to unfold...

Oh, the "they've learned their lesson" rubbish doesn't wash with me, should never have happened with a trust member on the board
In fairness your comment and the one above certainly has merit and has made me rethink?
Maybe an apology from the trust(in fairness they may not be able to as they may be part of the police investigation having signed legal documents to do with the case) but somewhere down the line and then a democratic vote from members regards whether they should push for board representation.
It is clear that some are against the idea and as such only a vote for all members on the issue would be fair.

It seems to me many things are done by the trust both in the past and now regards council meetings without the paid membership having any say.
I do think it’s undemocratic to charge a joining fee and constantly make decisions on behalf of the membership without first putting things to the vote.
For all the trust know the consensus maybe that the members don’t want them to hold talks.
I don’t know
We don’t know
That’s the point I’m making really.....

You pay your money to join
Have no voting rights on important issues(instead the board do what THEY think is best)
You receive no updates through the post but they never fail to send out raffle tickets each Christmas.

It just leaves me with the distinct impression that ‘we’ve had your money now fcuk off’

The people join the trust because they care about the club and want to have some small say regards the clubs future direction.
The reality is that they don’t
Decisions are made by a group of half a dozen people over tea and biscuits.

That is no way to run a democratic organisation which has a joining fee.
They are answerable to the fans but don’t seem to think so.

There has never been any apology to the membership for errors made by them during the Cardozo crisis and they should have addressed this years ago long before a police investigation was set up.

It’ll be interesting if they think it’s worthy of an apology when the investigation by police has concluded and it will be very interesting for the full facts of the enquiry to come out.

That seems to me the only way we will ever find out exactly what occurred when you would think the trust would have been very keen to let the members (or members at the time) know exactly what happened rather than have to wait years later for a third party to pass the facts on.

Much in the same way a third party spilt the beans on the east stand fiasco and financial troubles rather than the trust who claimed to represent the fans.

Things will be much clearer when the investigation is over.

Report Spam   Logged
Manwork04
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 9310



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Windows User Mobile User Spammer 25 Posts in one day
« Reply #27145 on: August 14, 2020, 10:27:56 am »

There should have been a signature protocol in place and a level of authority sign off, then this can never happen again.
Everything is simple in hindsight though.
Report Spam   Logged

Rule Britannia
guest1269
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27146 on: August 14, 2020, 15:48:45 pm »

There should have been a signature protocol in place and a level of authority sign off, then this can never happen again.
Everything is simple in hindsight though.
Both points true - but unfortunately if you mix dishonest with naive you will rarely get a good result.
Report Spam   Logged
Ragdoll Cobbler
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 1113


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Linux User Level 5 1000 Posts
« Reply #27147 on: August 14, 2020, 17:49:47 pm »

Would have thought they would have taken KT up on the zoom call offer first, rather than releasing this to the masses  Roll Eyes

Trust's open letter response to NTFC

14th Aug 2020

The Trust has replied to the open letter sent by Northampton Town Football Club on 3 August.

The letter is below:-

 

Kelvin Thomas


Chairman, Northampton Town FC


Open letter and also delivered via email on 14 August 2020


Dear Kelvin,


Many thanks for your open letter of 3 August and well done to everyone at the club for a
fantastic promotion, fingers crossed for a good season in League One in these
unprecedented and challenging times.

The Trust board welcomes you getting in touch in the interests of openness, understanding and moving forward.


The club has chosen not to engage with the Trust for the last 18 months and has said
much about the Trust’s so-called negative narrative, suggesting that we are determined
to unsettle the club in pursuit of our ‘agenda’ on community ownership. This is not true
and needs to be corrected if we are to build a meaningful relationship.


The Trust has been looking at a potential ownership model for the club should it one day
again find itself in crisis, solely as a rainy day insurance policy. We would be very happy
if any private owner of the football club, yourself and David Bower included, looked after
the club well.

But as an independent and democratic body, as you will recognise and hopefully appreciate, our role is to ask reasonable questions of the football club and other
related parties in the interests of our members and I am not sure why such questioning
should automatically be construed as ‘negative’.


That said, like you, we would like to move on in a constructive manner and focus firmly
on the matters in hand.


To that end, we met with Northampton Borough Council (NBC) leader Jonathan Nunn and
chief executive George Candler on 6 August to discuss the East Stand completion and
wider Sixfields land development deal that you have proposed to the Council.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering the proposed deal, as revealed in our
recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request, and various issues relating to that document were the main subjects of discussion.

In summary, NBC’s position is that there is ‘no prospect’ of a deal being reached by September and further we were advised that there may be ‘insurmountable obstacles’ to achieving it, with the major sticking point remaining the completion and financing of the East Stand.


NBC stated that the football club should bear the cost of the stand expenditure and, if
agreed, this would then unlock the wider land deal. The chief executive reported however
that you have made it clear you will not spend any of your own money on completing the
stand, without the prospect of this outlay being recovered.


The leader also added that the shadow West Northamptonshire Council, which will come
into being in May 2021, will have to be consulted about the deal and the council admits
that nothing might happen regarding the East Stand and a wider land deal until the new
unitary authority is in office.


Therefore, despite expectations being raised in recent media reports, the matter
unfortunately continues to be deadlocked. Hopefully, a constructive way forward can still
be found to reach a deal which would be acceptable to you, the football club and its
supporters and NBC.


The five points around which we would support a deal are listed below, together with our respective comments.


1. The East Stand is completed from the funds of the club’s owners, as they clearly committed to when they were allowed by NBC to buy the club for
£1 in 2015
Club: This is not factually correct, as firstly the current owners never purchased the club
from NBC, and it was confirmed by Cllr Hadland at the last public Council meeting that this ‘alleged’ commitment never formed part of the agreed NBC/NTFC MOU in 2015. However, the proposed MOU, which you have seen, clearly shows the club will be responsible for the completion of the East Stand prior to any land development. As the club technically will not have said funds to do this, then obviously the current owners will provide those funds. This therefore should satisfy your concern and we are agreed on this matter. POINT AGREED

Trust: We have not said that you bought the club from NBC, but that NBC enabled you to
buy the club by taking away more than £10 million in debt and with the previous owners, in your agreement with them, writing off directors’ loans of about £7 million owed to them. The agreed MoU in 2015 never included a legally-binding commitment to complete the stand but nonetheless a commitment by you was the clear understanding of NBC, given that you proved funds for East Stand completion and taking the club forward. This issue, or rather the detail of it, remains at the heart of the current negotiations and is unresolved. The draft 2020 MoU around the proposed deal clearly shows the club will be responsible for the completion of the East Stand prior to any land development. But it also clearly shows that your proposal is that the club will recover up to £3 million from the gross proceeds of sales the land development together with other expenses before any profits are divided 50/50. NBC indicated to us this is a major obstacle. If this outlay was repaid from the profits and not the gross proceeds of land sales the deadlock could be broken. POINT FOR DISCUSSION


2. The East Stand is completed without further delay and to a standard enabling the future progression of the football club
Club: This is an agreed point and an extract from the current proposed MOU that you
have seen indeed states “NBC and NTFC acknowledge that it is in their joint interests to agree and execute the option deed as soon as possible”. Therefore, we are agreed that everything is completed with urgency and of course it is an agreed point that the Club want to complete the stand as soon as possible and to an acceptable standard. POINT AGREED
Trust: It is everyone’s best interests that the East Stand is completed as quickly as
possible to a standard that is fit for purpose. Subject to further information around clear timescales and an acceptable plan POINT AGREED


3. Community land from the East Stand to the far side of the old athletics track land, previously leased to the club before 2014, is returned to the club and not used for industrial development – the stadium, West Stand car park and the land extending to the far side of the old athletics track land has been classified as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) and for which the Trust is the registered holder. We are not opposed o development on NTFC leasehold site covered by the ACV, as long as anyproposal is aligned to the original intent of a community stadium.
Club: The current legal position is that the Football Club controls all the leases on all the
relevant parcels of land either through NTFC or through its ownership of CDNL. Please bear in mind that technically NTFC has never owned CDNL prior to our ownership, so this has already become an asset for the Club, that the current owners have given to the Club and therefore a benefit for NTFC. It is the opinion of the Football Club that the easiest, most beneficial and more importantly deliverable solution for NTFC is that NTFC retain the current land leased to it and that the CDNL land is used to develop for the benefit of the Football Club, in partnership with NBC. Whilst you may disagree with this view, we wouldn’t fully understand the reasoning for this disagreement. As you have stated previously, the ACV protects the Football Club site anyway and we are fully conscious of the legal responsibility that NBC have in regard to the ACV and agree with that principal. In our opinion the MOU as suggested benefits the Football Club and this surely should be the primary concern to the Club and the Trust. Even if NTFC owned this part of the old athletics track what would the Club use this for? The athletics track has already been replaced with a new facility at Moulton College, so why wouldn’t the Club use part of this land which is actually already leased to CDNL to benefit NTFC rather than just allow it to sit there as a disused athletics track. If you have a different suggested use that directly benefits the Football Club better than what has been proposed, please share this with us, however subject to another suggestion, given the significant time and research that has already been carried out on this matter, we see the proposed option on the table as being the most beneficial to NTFC. POSSIBLE DISCUSSION POINT
Trust: We would like community land behind the stadium’s East Stand, including all the
old athletics track land, restored to NTFC leasehold land as prior to 2014 and to be
retained permanently by the club. In principle, we are happy for industrial development in line with the Local Plan to take place on land other than that on the football club’s traditional footprint. However, car parks which the club has had use of will be lost and supporters’ parking needs will need to be accommodated elsewhere. While CDNL is owned by the football club, the leases remain with CDNL and not NTFC and that remains a concern. There is nothing to prevent a sale by the club of the shares in CDNL at any time or, if the freehold title was acquired by the club, the sale of the freehold. Our suggested possible uses of the land which would benefit the football club and the community include a training complex, synthetic pitches and potentially a hotel, a conference centre or an extended private hire venue if not part of the East Stand completion but, essentially, we just want reassurance that the club would retain some assets which could help to support the football business. POINT FOR DISCUSSION


4. Development land gain from a joint venture partnership delivers uaranteed future benefit to the club. While accepting that legitimate indebtedness needs to be repaid the club and its supporters, as well as the owners, should also benefit from the receipt of any surplus development profits.
Club: As you know NTFC controls all the leases and also controls CDNL and therefore any
development gains will go to NTFC for the benefit of the Football Club. Therefore,
this is an agreed point. POINT AGREED
Trust: Can you provide more detail as to how the club, as opposed to you as the present
owners of the club, will benefit going forward? It is clear that if a development deal is agreed with NBC, profits will be used to repay debt to the owners and the controlling entities and there may be little left over in the club’s coffers to take forward. The worst-case scenario is that when you move on the club may have no capital and no land asset enabling it to grow and progress. If you can give us any acceptable guarantee as to how the club’s interests will be protected and how it will benefit in the future, other than by the completion of the East Stand, then we may have a POINT AGREED


5. The aims of the town’s sport, health and wellbeing strategy are met as part of Northampton’s local plan.
Club: We are not fully understanding why this is even the Trust’s responsibility and
certainly not why it would be a necessary requirement for you to be supportive of a deal that primarily should benefit the Football Club. Surely the aims of the town’s sport, health and wellbeing strategy is a matter for NBC and whilst we would want to ensure that any deal presented also benefits the town, our first obligation is to NTFC and we would hope that would be the Trust view also. We also feel that the existing work that we already do in the Community would play a large part of meeting any of the Council’s sport, health and wellbeing strategy requirements for the town. Maybe you could share this strategy with us and how it incorporates the Sixfields site to help us understand this matter more. However, for clarity, we also understand the CDNL parcel of land owned by the Football Club has actually been designated as potential employment land in the Northampton Local Plan anyway and the proposed development aligns itself very well to the existing Local Plan. NBC RESPONSIBILITY NOT THE CLUB OR TRUST
Trust: Point accepted, this is a matter for the local authority and for them to decide how
industrial development and community facility development would benefit the town
under the Local Plan. POINT AGREED

We believe that, with three points agreed and two up for discussion, we can hopefully move forward in a constructive fashion.

On point 1, our view is in line with that of NBC and if there is any way you can accommodate a change in the arrangements for the financing of the stand completion then I am sure an agreement would be very much in reach.

On point 3, we merely require more detail about the plots of land earmarked for
development, what that development looks like and how that impacts on the land behind the East Stand. If any development on that land directly benefits the football club and the local community in the long term then this could also be agreed quite straightforwardly.

A number of supporters have asked why the Council, football club and Trust cannot sit round a table and determine an acceptable way forward. We would be happy to attend such a meeting but, in any event, please let me know if you feel the Trust can assist in any way.

Like everyone else, we want this long-running saga settled but it needs to be accomplished in a way that provides suitable reassurance that itis the best outcome for the club and its supporters.

Best wishes,

Andy

Andy Roberts
Chairman
NTFC Supporters Trust
Report Spam   Logged
BackOfTheNet
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 5883


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Search Level 6 Combination
« Reply #27148 on: August 14, 2020, 18:27:49 pm »

Very wordy but better structured and less aggressive than their previous missives.

Rather pointedly though, there's no mention of them taking up KT's offer of a meeting, just that they'd be happy to sit down with him AND the council at some point.
Report Spam   Logged

The Hotelend Grand National* Sweepstake Champion 2020
NTFC87
Sr. Member
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 323


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Fourth year Anniversary Apple User Level 4
« Reply #27149 on: August 14, 2020, 18:33:45 pm »

I got a headache after about 10 sentences
Report Spam   Logged
Manwork04
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 9310



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Windows User Mobile User Spammer 25 Posts in one day
« Reply #27150 on: August 14, 2020, 19:15:04 pm »

Excellent response from the trust.
Point 1 is the stumbling block and has been since day one.
The trust have the clubs best interests at heart.
Keep up the good work guys.
Report Spam   Logged

Rule Britannia
guest3086
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27151 on: August 14, 2020, 19:16:17 pm »

Thank God (any god) for the trust. I must apologise for being a pedant however. Should you wish me to proof-read any future missives, feel free to get in touch!
Report Spam   Logged
guest3153
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27152 on: August 14, 2020, 19:35:17 pm »

How hard can it be to just have a discussion with KT for God's sake.
Why can't the Trust be adult and talk to Kelvin 1 to 1?
What are they scared of?
Childish behaviour in my book.
Report Spam   Logged
guest3355
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27153 on: August 14, 2020, 19:55:27 pm »

Atrociously written response.
Report Spam   Logged
Terryfenwickatemyhamster
Administrator
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 5107


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
5000 Posts Level 6 Windows User
« Reply #27154 on: August 14, 2020, 19:56:05 pm »

Spot the similarities between the Trust statement and some of the more protracted posts on here  Grin

I’m going to kick back and enjoy the football, and let them shout about who's dad, or cock is the biggest for as long as it suits them..





Report Spam   Logged
guest3086
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27155 on: August 14, 2020, 19:56:44 pm »

How hard can it be to just have a discussion with KT for God's sake.
Why can't the Trust be adult and talk to Kelvin 1 to 1?
What are they scared of?
Childish behaviour in my book.

The owners don't want the club, they just want to sell it (as they have stated) so someone needs to look after the best interests. KT and his mate just want to make as much as they can from the sale (as most people would) so thank heavens we have the trust. They may be flawed but no other mothercopulator is playing an active role in this sordid affair.
Report Spam   Logged
BackOfTheNet
Hero Member
*****
Offline Offline

Posts: 5883


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Search Level 6 Combination
« Reply #27156 on: August 14, 2020, 20:26:23 pm »

The club have already responded.

https://mobile.twitter.com/ntfc/status/1294366328254533632/photo/1

Looks like I'm not alone in noticing the absence of a response to the meeting invitation.
Report Spam   Logged

The Hotelend Grand National* Sweepstake Champion 2020
guest3355
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27157 on: August 14, 2020, 20:43:28 pm »

The owners don't want the club, they just want to sell it (as they have stated) so someone needs to look after the best interests. KT and his mate just want to make as much as they can from the sale (as most people would) so thank heavens we have the trust. They may be flawed but no other mothercopulator is playing an active role in this sordid affair.

Tosh.
Report Spam   Logged
guest3359
Guest

Badges: (View All)
« Reply #27158 on: August 14, 2020, 21:01:19 pm »

Both letters couldnt help have a little dig at the other though could they. The Trust upset KT said they have an agenda on fan ownership, KT upset the by the Trust at the inference of wrong doing. Both need to swallow a bit of pride, forget about the past and focus on the key questions going forward.

And that all starts with the Zoom call
Report Spam   Logged
singcobb
Hero Member
*****
Online Online

Posts: 3162



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 6 Avatar Linux User
« Reply #27159 on: August 14, 2020, 21:17:34 pm »

I'm sorry, but as long as the Trust go on about fan ownership I don't want them anywhere near the club. And as to having a place on the board that has been mentioned on here, why with their paltry share holding?
What the media and the council need to understand is that the Trust do not represent the majority of the fanbase and are in effect insignificant.
Report Spam   Logged
Pages: 1 ... 1351 1352 1353 1354 1355 1356 1357 [1358] 1359 1360 1361 1362 1363 1364 1365 ... 2181   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Parental guidance is urged as this messageboard may not be suitable for all persons especially those under the age of 16 as the forums may contain words, phrases and expressions not considered appropriate for a younger audience so please express caution. If any posts in the forums offend you, please let us know and we will look at them and if we agree with your complaint, we will remove them. You are personally responsible and potentially liable for the contents of your posting and may be sued should your posting contain content of a defamatory or other illegal nature. Every message posted leaves a traceable IP number. We check the forums at various times of the day and remove offending posts. Other supporters are welcome but abusive or silly posts will be removed and the offenders potentially barred from future access to the site. We advise that you never reveal any personal information about yourself or anyone else (for example: telephone number, home address or email address), and please do not include postal addresses of any kind. This messageboard is not endorsed or in any way affiliated with Northampton Town FC. All postings on this board become copyright of The Hotel End & may not be reproduced without the permission of the board administrator. By signing up to this message board you agree to this. The Hotel End cannot be held liable for the actions or postings of its members. The Hotel End reserve the right to edit, delete, move or close any thread for any reason. The Hotel End may disclose user information to government authorities at their discretion or when required by law. The Hotel End may also disclose user information when The Hotel End has reason to believe that someone is causing injury to or interference with its rights or property, other The Hotel End users, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. By registering for The Hotel End, you agree to indemnify The Hotel End its representatives, and agents, and hold them harmless from any and all claims (including claims for legal fees) which may arise from your participation on the The Hotel End. You also agree that The Hotel End is not responsible for the materials posted by users of The Hotel End. In addition, you grant The Hotel End and its affiliates, worldwide, royalty-free perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display any message or content posted on The Hotel End and/or e-mail sent by you to The Hotel End (in whole or in part). The Hotel End reserves the right to make the rules up as it goes along. Thank you - The Hotel End I love Quidco
Bookmark this site!
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy