HEREFORDSHIRE Council is ready to "thoroughly re-examine" the conditions of leases on Hereford United's Edgar Street ground after the club's suspension by the FA today.

 But there will be no immediate action from the authority.

Council leader Cllr Tony Johnson told the Hereford Times:"“Hereford United being suspended from the Football Association, in itself does not trigger termination of the lease. However, we will be thoroughly re-examining the conditions of the lease to assess what further action we may be able to take.”

In October, the council, as landlord, attempted to take possession of the ground and its related land tonight over non-payment of rent.

However, council officers were unable to enter the premises as they were occupied by a club representative.

While the council is the landlord of the Edgar Street ground, it does not have any direct control or involvement in the club and its decisions.

Two leases refer to redevelopment of the Meadow End and Blackfriars End and stipulate that any proceeds be re-invested in the ground and its facilities.

Earlier this year the council received a requesy from the club's then new owners for a transfer of those leases to a holding company within their ownership. 

Around £65,000 in rent arrears, business rates and legal fees was then owed to the council by the club.

 This sum has reportedly since been paid.

At present, the leases on the ground continue to be held by the club.  If the club folds the leases would revert to the council.

Assigning the Edgar Street leases – one for 75 years on the ground and terracing to the west, the other for 33 years for the stand and parking area to the east and both dating from 1982 - was one of the last big deals done by the former Hereford City Council.

During the late 1990s, with United facing severe financial problems, the leases were reassigned to property developers in return for a £1m capital injection into the club.  

The money was made available through two companies, the BS (Bristol Stadium) Group and Chelverton.

BS and Chelverton took equal ownership of a special purpose company called Formsole Ltd which made the investment and held the leases – as the tenant under both – with the club holding sub-leases.  

By August 2001, BS had sold its “loan” to Chelverton which ran into trouble little over a year later when control of the leases passed to Carillion Richardson.

United still owed £1m plus interest to Formsole which stayed solvent when Chelverton went into liquidation.  

The reassignment of the leases was supported by Herefordshire Council when it took control of the former city council’s affairs.

Getting the leases back was pitched as a political priority when the news broke in April 2010 that then United chairman Graham Turner and vice chairman Joan Fennessy were ready to sell their majority shareholding in the club.

The club began negotiations with Carillion Richardson for the return of the leases almost as soon as the Keyte-Russon takeover was completed in June that year.

That deal was done by December with the club paying £452,000 to secure the return of the leases and settle a £1,069,500 debt to Richardsons Developments, clearing the way for a new single lease and the development opportunities that could bring.

The deal was intended to offer the club security for the next 30 years and ensure future re-entry to the Football League - which requires a 25-year secured tenancy.

It also opened up opportunities for grant funding for any future development - £400,000 in the Conference and £750,000 in the Football League.

The council was ready to allow an extension to the new stadium lease of 250 years once development at either end was underway, with proceeds from the sale of development areas held in a joint escrow account.

That money was intended for the construction of two new stands - one at each end of the ground - and modernisation work on the existing stadium.