Long-running battle over social club approaching decisive point

THE bitter battle over who runs one of Brighouse’s best-known social clubs is to be fought out in court this week.

Two warring factions of the cash-strapped Blakeborough Social and Sports Club will plead their case at Halifax County Court on Friday.

Trouble started when the committee decided to put the bowling club site up for sale to provide some much-needed financial stability.

The committee estimated the site as being worth between 225,000 to 250,000 – a far cry from the 60,000 offered by bowling club members.

Since then relations between the two sides have plummeted with the bowling club effectively ending up as a separate club within a club.

Andy Taylor, who sits on the committee at the club’s HQ in Bradford Road said: “It’s become a nightmare. We have been struggling financially, as many clubs have, and this has not helped us. I just hope there is a clear-cut outcome on Friday.

“The last time we were in court the judge froze our plans to sell the club until the dispute is resolved. The bowling club has changed its locks and withheld its membership subscriptions – it’s as if the rule book has been thrown in the bin.’’

The club which has been running for 25 years and owns the Brighouse Town Football Club site and the Halifax Road bowling green site has been riven by the opposing factions for years.

Mr Taylor said he believed the club was sold to its members 25 years ago for 37,000.

Andy Speechley, a spokesman for the bowling side of the club, said: “At the last court meeting, District Judge Thorp heard my application for an order to grant the new committee possession of the whole club.

“He needed a legal pathway to grant that order which we couldn’t give him at that time so he adjourned the hearing for five weeks.

“On Friday we shall be applying to the county court to have the case transferred to the chancery division in Leeds as we feel the matters involved are too serious to be heard by the county court.

“We are disappointed that it has come to this but we have to ask the judge to separate the two clubs out. The social club has been losing 40,000 a year for the past five years while the bowling club, which has around 250 members, last year ran separately and made a profit of 11,000. There is so much bad feeling but we still want to help the social club – there are a lot of decent people down there.’’

Calderdale councillor Paul Rogan, (English Democrats, Rastrick,), said: “I think it is a great shame that a working men’s club is experiencing financial difficulties and is seriously short of money.

“This club has been part of Brighouse’s industrial heritage for years; Blakeborough’s valves were world-renowned but things have moved on and there just aren’t the number of industrial workers there once were.

“I know the committee has tried to raise money every way it can. The committee has done as much as it can to find new ways of keeping the club alive and has tried to get grants etc. The important thing is for it to be kept open as a viable concern.

“This appears to be an intractable situation and I guess it will be decided by who has most weight and votes. Sadly it is like a marriage breaking down.’’

Coun Craig Whittaker, (Conservative, Rastrick), added: “I hope this situation can be sorted out amicably as much for the benefit of the community as for members of the club. It is a community asset and an important one.’’

Yesterday, a ballot was taking place between 10am and 6pm at the social club’s HQ to elect officials, trustees and a committee.

Mr Taylor said: “This is the correct way forward for the club and its membership.’’

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