There looks to be stalemate in a row between a parish council and a football club that could potentially leave the latter without a home.
Pinchbeck Parish Council and Pinchbeck United FC are locked in a legal battle after the authority served notice on the club that has played at the Glebe Field/Knight Street ground for decades.
The six junior football teams, social club and infrastructure relating to the men’s team have been asked to vacate the site by July 31.
Pinchbeck United released a statement last week that said: “The validity, basis, and legal effect of that notice are disputed and form part of the current legal position under review.”
It continued that it had carried out Freedom of Information requests that suggest the parish council doesn’t have payment records relating to the payment of rent prior to 2017 or documentation of the club’s role in the authority’s application for a new PlayZone multi-use games area it is considering putting on the site.
The statement continues: “The club is aware of efforts by the Lincolnshire Football Association to facilitate mediation.
“The club agreed to participate in that process. However, the parish council has indicated that it requires legal representation in order to proceed, which reflects the fact that this is being treated as a legal dispute rather than an informal resolution process.
“The club remains willing to engage constructively, but any such engagement must take place on a properly informed and structured basis.
“Pinchbeck United Ltd remains committed to a lawful, transparent, and constructive resolution which reflects both the Club’s long-standing role and the wider interests of the community.”
The statement came in reply to one issued by Pinchbeck Parish Council earlier this month which said the authority was requesting ‘solicitor-to-solicitor’ discussions.
It stated that the action was ‘to ensure that its use is lawful, properly governed, and in the public interest’ and ‘that the land is subject to a specific legal framework consistent with community and educational use’.
It said: ” The parish council remains willing to seek an agreed, legally compliant arrangement for continued football use.
“A properly documented licence or other lawful arrangement remains capable of discussion.
“The parish council has also previously indicated a willingness to assist with reasonable legal costs to help facilitate proper engagement.
“Any such arrangement, however, requires structured negotiations through the parties’ instructed legal representatives.”
