The Hope Paton bowling club in Montrose is one of many in Angus waiting to hear if they are to be charged a rent by Angus Council.
The possibility of having to meet an unexpected £2000 rent demand from the council for a facility into which the club has sunk thousands of pounds has members wondering if they should give the green back to the council.
John Dempsey said, “We have heard nothing since we appealed about five months ago.”
The council has said that the minute of agreement with Hope Paton Bowling Club, which ran for 21 years, has come to an end.
Under that agreement the club did not pay rent, however they are responsible for maintenance of the property.
The council said, “We have not billed the club as a future rental charge has not as yet been agreed.
“We are currently gathering information from clubs who are tenants of Angus Council in an effort to have a balanced approach to rental levels across Angus.
“This information relates to the number of club members and annual fees paid by members.”
They added, “A report on the rental levels of all bowling clubs who are tenants of Angus Council is to be considered by a future meeting of the council’s corporate services committee.”Seeking community council adviceThe club is so concerned about the charges’ impact that it took its case to the community council for advice and asked how rental charges for a common good asset are set.
Mr Dempsey said that the club had met the running and maintenance costs of the green for years.
He understood that the council had to look at ways of raising money but pointed out that members had to build a £30,000 extension and last year’s expenditure of £7000 on maintenance had contributed to a running loss of £1500.
Mr Dempsey said, “We are maintaining and improving a council asset on a prime site in the Mid Links.
“We have an ageing membership, we don’t have a bar bringing income and the way we can raise funds is from coffee mornings and things like that.
“I am sure there are many other clubs in a similar position.”
He added, “We are still waiting to hear if there is to be a change.
“We can’t afford a £2000 bill and would be happy to give the club back to the council and swap the maintenance costs, while we just pay for a season ticket.”