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Livingston - all the threads merged


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What happened to policy? Do WLC apply "sustainable" criteria to all of its tenants? The council did NOT evict a sitting tenant. The tenant was Livingston Football Club...............and it still is. C'mon Jimbo, this isn't about grudges. Look at the relationship for what it actually is, not for what they want you to believe it is. The council have opened a can of worms with this. It's up to the tax payers whether or not they want to take issue with it. The council have made ot very easy for the right lawyer to tear them to pieces. Look at it in square foot terms..........as the council supposedly do, and it ain't right. It seems that the council have chosen to look at it in terms of turnover. Do the council afford this facility to all of their business tenants? You know the answer to that one. It's a helluva push to paint this as a straightforward business decision that meets existing policy criteria, because it doesn't.

Here's a comparable version of events and tell me if this is something the council would do. A family ain't paid their rent for months and months and months. The council take them to court, and force Dad out of the house, but allow the family to stay. They then tell the family to forget about all the old rent that they owe. They also tell them not to worry about the rent, because as a gesture, they'll knock off 85% for the next year. It'll have to go back up, but it will only ever go up to one third of its original figure until the family start earning top money.

Is that how WLC negotiate with all of their tenants? The only bit that is missing so far would be the cherry on the top. That would be the council then selling the house to the family for a fraction of its value, and allowing them to move it on for whatever they can get. But that will never ever happen, will it.

.........and was it not just three days ago your illustrious council leader said he "hoped to get back some of the money owed". Fast forward three short days, and he presides over a decision to not only write it off, but to reduce future rent by 85%. Sounds like a man that should either be listened to, or watched. I know which one I would choose.

Aye it's not a bad price for an entertainment complex that includes a football stadium containing a restaurant and conferencing facilities, a pub, function suites and a synthetic pitch.

Now if it had been offered on the open market as individual premises I'd bet it would have raised a lot more than Livi are paying!!

As an outsider looking in it seems that LFC have done nothing for West Lothian except deprive other sports facilities/organisations of funds and the opportunity to realise their ambitions.

I hear tell that the council leader is going to be confronted about his stance next week.

How they can ever evict or sequestrate anyone after this would beggar belief!!

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So, to paraphrase, in July, WLC had no alternative but to seek to ensure that the outstanding debt owed to them by Livingston F.C. was repaid. All in the interests of the taxpayer, you understand. Fast forward two months and WLC are hoping that they can recover some money from Livingston F.C., whilst at the same time reducing the rent they charge them for the stadium.

Something smells like fish, and it isn't my wife standing in front of the gas fire...

The council is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Imagine it a case where a local jakey hasn't paid his council tax, the line of the council at that stage is surely "we must maximise our income as it is legally due to us" so take him to the cleaners in court. If the jakey goes to court, then it's clear he can't pay so it's now a case of whatever can be recovered and how to make the most of the asset the jakey took advantage of.

Now, not to call Livvy jakeys. Actually, I am happy to call Livvy jakeys...in this case the council had no option. It is taxpayer money and they can't just take a lenient view because it's football.

My club also relies on council support, thankfully we're not close to a capital city so hopefully we can avoid the pressure livi are under.

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Scottish football is an incestuous world and the same few chancers crop up all over the place. Rankine is very much one of them but now that he's not getting his way he's dishing dirt on the others. It's pretty poor all round.

As for that West Lothian Council link (for which, thanks), it specifically doesn't say that they've written off the debt.

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Scottish football is an incestuous world and the same few chancers crop up all over the place. Rankine is very much one of them but now that he's not getting his way he's dishing dirt on the others. It's pretty poor all round.

As for that West Lothian Council link (for which, thanks), it specifically doesn't say that they've written off the debt.

Read this then http://www.westlothiancourier.co.uk/west-l...62405-24592600/ :D

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The council is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Imagine it a case where a local jakey hasn't paid his council tax, the line of the council at that stage is surely "we must maximise our income as it is legally due to us" so take him to the cleaners in court. If the jakey goes to court, then it's clear he can't pay so it's now a case of whatever can be recovered and how to make the most of the asset the jakey took advantage of.

Now, not to call Livvy jakeys. Actually, I am happy to call Livvy jakeys...in this case the council had no option. It is taxpayer money and they can't just take a lenient view because it's football.

My club also relies on council support, thankfully we're not close to a capital city so hopefully we can avoid the pressure livi are under.

WLC have made umpteen people bankrupt since the start of the Livi debacle, do you think that is okay?

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That's a fucking disgrace. So infact the people of West Lothian, through their council tax, are subsidising a private business.. Yip, a fucking disgrace right enough. :angry:

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Ah.

Livingston FC chief executive Ged Nixon praised the council for the move.

He said: “It more or less came down to a decision that if they were not in a position to write that debt off then the club would have been liquidated.

“They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“We are obviously happy with the decision they have made.

“We’re pleased at how supportive they have been of the football club and we will work to make sure nothing like this happens again.

“We are looking at initiatives that the club can run to put something back into the community to pay them back in some way.”

Aye okay then Mr Chief Executive. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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That's a fucking disgrace. So infact the people of West Lothian, through their council tax, are subsidising a private business.. Yip, a fucking disgrace right enough. :angry:

If the rent goes down, I assume the rateable value and therefore the rates payable will decrease as well!!

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