Town chief executive Simon Clegg says he is due to meet his Ipswich Borough Council counterpart Russell Williams in the next few weeks with the dispute regarding the back rent owed on the land on which the Portman Road stadium stands still not resolved. At a meeting of IBC’s executive committee last month the club were given until December 31st to agree to new payment proposals.

Clegg says that there have been no developments since then, but that further talks are planned: “There’s been no further progress. To be fair, their chief executive Russell Williams has been on annual leave, and he and I are due to be meeting over the next couple of weeks.”

In March, it was revealed that the annual rent on the land had jumped by 643% from £15,000 to £111,500 backdated to 2004, the council having initially targeted a rise to £250,000.

While Town have paid the new sum since the rent review was carried out last year, the club has dug its heels in regarding the additional £654,702 owed from the period back to 2004 when the rent review was initially due, an independent arbitrator having set the new figure.

Town argue that IBC’s former chief executive James Hehir, who died in November 2009, made a verbal agreement that the council would not seek back rent once the review was completed.

Clegg has said that the club would ultimately like to own the freehold, having had previous offers rejected by IBC, with the Ipswich Independent Supporters Trust speaking out against the proposed purchase.

Photo: Action Images

Photo: Action Images

Basil_Smallpiece added 11:09 - Nov 8 Fifteen grand a year? Someone was 'avin a larf! Or having something. Memo to Chav With A Bag Over His Head: pay up; you wouldn't want hard-pressed Town fans, already paying (you) sky-high ticket prices, to suffer bigger CT bills because of you, would you? FOG! FOP!
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HARRY10 added 11:42 - Nov 8 Clegg needs to assure us that there are no plans whatsoever to build any residential property on any part of the 8 acre site.
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PhilTWTD added 11:46 - Nov 8 Harry10 They can't do that. Even if they owned the land, there's a covenant which means it can only be used for sporting purposes.
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Basil_Smallpiece added 12:01 - Nov 8 Not much evidence of sporting use at the moment. Someone'll get round that covenant and slap up some drums. There'll need to be sheltered accommodation for the elderly. Here's a few road names: Chopra's (each) Way, Scotland's Yard (off the pace), Leadbitter Drive (several metres wide). Etc.
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BlackandBlue added 13:01 - Nov 8 Doesn't sound like ITFC have got much of a leg to stand on. Best hope is for ITFC to counter offer & pay the back rent as a down payment for buying the ground.
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LordMamu added 13:19 - Nov 8 It's entirely standard on rent reviews to be able to charge rent back-dated to the review date plus interest so why is Clegg wasting Council time and taxpayer's money in disputing it?? I'm sure the 14th richest man in the country can afford to pay what is rightly due instead of trying to short-change the tax-payer- Christ the club just gets grubbier by the day....have some dignity.

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HARRY10 added 13:59 - Nov 8 If Marcus Evans buys the land (the freehold) he can do pretty much what he likes with it - subject to planning permission. The problem at the moment is would the council sell, given the cutbacks most councils are under. There appears to be more in the clubs digging their heels in about this matter. More so given their wish to buy the lease as it will take a fair few years to get that money back by savings on the rent.

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bobble added 10:22 - Nov 9 hopefully marcus will get rid of the council and clegg.
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CornardBlue added 20:44 - Nov 9 ME never got to his postion in the rich list for nothing. His legal team will be on the case and will be to clever for this council.
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