Changes to Whitby Town's stadium rating could save the club £8,000 a month.
Whitby Town Football Club has successfully applied to have it's safety certificate revoked by the council after the number of covered seats was reduced at the ground.
North Yorkshire Council cancelled Whitby Town Football Club’s general safety certificate at a meeting on Tuesday, January 7, as part of an application by the club to deregulate and cut costs.
WTFC’s Towbar Express Stadium at the Turnbull Ground on Upgang Lane became an officially regulated stand in 2006 but the club said it wanted to deregulate it by reducing the number of seats to below 500.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council officers confirmed that nine seats had been removed from the stand, bringing down the number of seats to 498.
WTFC said it faced “dwindling numbers” amid high costs due to mandatory reports and numbers of security staff and paramedic attendance.
Scott Booth, the club’s chief executive, told the meeting:
“Taking the seats out of the stand means that I can flex the amount of staffing.
“It’s not that I want to reduce security, I want to ensure the sustainability of the football club and that we become financially buoyant, alternatively the club won’t be there.”
However, the Sports Ground Safety Authority said the club’s duties would “not be lessened under other legislation and guidance” including the Safety at Sports Ground Act 1975.
The chair of the committee, Coun Tim Grogan, asked whether there had been “any issues with the club in the past” and a council officer stated that there was “no history of formal action” by the local authority.
The committee was told the deregulation “could potentially bring a cost saving of £8,000 a month” to the club.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting, CEO Mr Booth said he was “absolutely ecstatic” with the committee’s decision and was “looking forward to telling the rest of the board”.
He said that the stadium – which has an overall capacity of less than 1,400 – was “overmanned for the amount of people that are actually attending”.
Mr Booth told the LDRS:
“Going forward I think we need to be looking at how we can reinvest all that money because we will be making a considerable saving per annum. Over the past 20 years, just to have the report written for every home game within the division has cost of £72,000 as the charges are done on an FA banding.
“If we look at that and how much security and paramedic costs have been, we are probably talking about more than £250,000 that’s been spent over 20 years for a certificate that’s not necessarily been required.”
“This will allow us to save that money and reinvest… so it’s been a super result.”
Speaking to This is the Coast Scott added:
“The clubs stand has now been deregulated this allowing important funds to used appropriately not on the over use of other services.
Our Health &Safety is of upmost concern and the council are happy with everything that’s we have in place which is no different. The green guide will continue to be used as the framework and the authority have power to attend at anytime. A meeting with the emergency services has taken place and are all happy and confident in how the ground is and will be run.”
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