Latics and council renew ground talks

TALKS between Oldham Athletic and the council have taken place in a bid to find the club a new home — within the borough.

The news comes after Latics said they were considering moving out of the borough after plans for a new stadium in Failsworth fell through.

But a joint statement from the League One club and local authority today said that senior officials had met to discuss how to ensure the club remains within Oldham. It adds: “Talks were held about a range of new site options that could provide the football club with a new base and better opportunities to create a brighter financial future.

“Both parties are focused on finding a permanent local base for the Latics and agreed that the discussion was ‘positive and constructive’. Further dialogue, joint work and meetings will continue over the next few weeks.”

Both parties have refused to say any more until they feel able to outline their proposed next steps.

Meanwhile, Saddleworth parish councillor Ken Hulme will ask Cabinet on Wednesday how much the authority’s efforts to help relocate the club cost council taxpayers, how much of the council’s budget has been allocated to pay for future efforts to find a new stadium and what budget constraints have been imposed on this.

The fall-out had come after the Charity Commission refused a controversial swap deal to pave the way for the new £20 million stadium off Broadway.

It blasted the council for the way it had handled the process, criticising weak consultation and conflicts of interest. The council sent a dossier back outlining “many inaccuracies” in the decision and is awaiting a response. Meanwhile, it has been looking at other potential stadium sites in a bid to keep the club in Oldham.

But relationships with the Boundary Park side appeared to have broken down with chairman Simon Corney warning that the club could groundshare outside Oldham next season rather than stay at dilapidated Boundary Park.