Town chief executive Simon Clegg says discussions are continuing with Ipswich Borough Council regarding the back rent owned on the land on which the Blues' Portman Road stadium stands. At an IBC executive meeting in October last year Town were given until December 31st to accept a new payment schedule which would see them begin repaying the £654,702 the council claim they are owed from June 1st in quarterly payments over four years.
Clegg told TWTD that although no agreement had been reached by the deadline, the parties are talking: "I had a meeting with the leader [David Ellesmere] and the chief executive [Russell Williams] before Christmas and we’re making some progress. Discussions are ongoing.”
At the October meeting, Ellesmere said that if the situation remains unresolved, IBC would not take the matter to court until after the end of 2011/12: "If the club continues to refuse to pay what it owes and we do need to proceed to a winding-up order, we would not take the final steps to place the club into administration [which would lead to a 10-point deduction] until after the end of the season.”
However, it appears inconceivable that either party would allow the issue to reach that stage.
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 in 2010, they have dug their 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, a process which cost the Blues £98,500.
Town argue that IBC’s former chief executive James Hehir, who died in November 2009, made a verbal agreement not to claw back any additional cash from before the initiation of the review, but current chief executive Williams has said there is no evidence of such an agreement.
Clegg has said that the club would ultimately like to own the freehold of the ground, having had previous offers rejected by IBC, with the Ipswich Independent Supporters Trust speaking out against the proposed purchase.
Meanwhile, regarding the opening of the transfer window, Clegg said he didn’t expect any early deals to go through at Portman Road: "There’s nothing imminent but that doesn’t mean that things can’t change soon.”
The window has started slowly on the Town target front. Aside from the weekend links with Alan Smith and Fleetwood frontman Jamie Vardy, the Blues are claimed to have renewed their interest in Millwall midfielder James Henry, at least according to rumours on Lions’ supporters sites and Twitter.
A move for the 22-year-old wouldn’t be a surprise with Town having had two bids for the former Reading trainee rebuffed in the summer.
Millwall manager Kenny Jackett dismissed those offers as "laughable” but since then Henry has been reported to have been involved in a pay dispute with his club.
Meanwhile, Bristol City’s 1-0 victory over Millwall on Tuesday night saw the Blues drop to 20th in the Championship.
Photo: Action Images