Hartlepool council considers options to help get Pools out of crisis

Pools chief executive Pam Duxbury and club PR advisor Sam Lee walking into Hartlepool Borough Council's Civic Centre for a crisis meeting.

The club is understood to be on the verge of going into administration if it cannot raise £200,000 in the next two weeks.

Pools’ chief executive Pam Duxbury was seen going into Hartlepool civic centre on Tuesday accompanied by PR advisor Sam Lee.

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill. Picture by FRANK REID

The council says it has been having on-going talks with the club to help it get out of its financial crisis.

It comes as Hartlepool MP Mike Hill said the club lies at the heart of our community and added that: “Every effort must be made to rescue the situation and plug the funding gap.”

A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesman said: “The council recognises the importance of a successful football club to the town and the local economy.

“We have been having on-going discussions with Hartlepool United FC and we are considering a range of options for supporting the club in its attempts to overcome the urgent financial issues it is currently facing.”

The council owns Victoria Park and leases the ground to the football club on a long-term lease which still has around 50 years to run.

Following Pools’ relegation from the Football League last May, council leader Christopher Akers-Belcher asked chief executive Gill Alexander to investigate potential support from the council to the club given its profile and financial benefits to the town.

In 2015 the local authority granted Victoria Park official status as a ‘community asset’.

It followed nomination by the Hartlepool United Supporters’ Trust to provide extra protection to the ground in case there were ever any attempts to sell it.

The status means the local community is given six months to have a say on any sale plans and come up with their own offer.

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill has also spoken up in favour of the role the club plays in the community saying it must not be allowed to fold.

He said: “Hartlepool United has a long and proud history and cannot be allowed to go under.

“The fans and the town deserve to see a stable and solid future for a great club, which lies at the heart of our community.

“Every effort must be made to rescue the situation and plug the funding gap.”