COUNCIL chief Marc Bayliss has called for Worcester City and its supporters’ trust to unite behind one stadium bid.

City have spent more than five years in exile following the sale of St George’s Lane which has since been developed for housing.

Parsonage Way, the third proposed site for a new ground, has been all but ruled out following publicly-funded feasibility studies which raised concerns over the cost of implementation, traffic and the presence of newts and bats.

It was a project that Bayliss acknowledged the council had “certainly encouraged the club to look at” due to a lack of support for a land transfer at Perdiswell, the second site considered which City bosses steered away from following a rejected planning application.

That created a divide between City and its supporters’ trust, whose members voted unanimously in favour of an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate which is still ongoing.

It heightened acrimony instigated by City's off-field troubles and a lack of progress towards the trust's goal of community ownership.

“There are other sites and what I really hope is that the club and supporters’ trust get together now to work with us,” said Bayliss.

“My door is still open and I am sure all councillors are willing to work with them. It is easier when they talk with one voice.

“There was the loss of another director (Mark Wilcox) last week and I was sad and disappointed to hear that.

“I know Mark, he was very committed the club and I wish him all the best with his family issues (cited by the club).

“I am keen to work with good people with the right motives whoever is on the board of the club or the supporters’ trust. I would like the two to work together, I think that would be my dream.

“Let’s get both sides to build a consensus so there is one hope and dream about where the club goes.

“I don’t think it is an impossible dream. I think both sides really love Worcester City, its history and what it means. I am ever hopeful they will find a way of working together.”

Chairman Anthony Hampson estimated in March that City would have approximately £150,000 left in the bank going into this season, representing a £60,000 loss for 2017-18.

That came after a three-tier relegation to cut costs with more than £290,000 lost during the club’s final season in National North.

“I understand how tight the finances are in non-league football and a (stadium) solution is needed sooner rather than later,” said Bayliss.

“At times it is not altogether clear how much resource could be brought together to make their aspirations of a home a reality.

“There is talk of hundreds of thousands, then there is talk of millions. I know from having discussions with the Football Association that the kind of funding available is not in the millions, it is in the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands maximum.

“It would need substantial additional resources, even for a quite modest stadium which could need £2million, £2.5million.”

On the prospect of a council-funded stadium, Bayliss said: “I think that would be really difficult for us.

“We have been able to maybe help with some land but I don’t think we are in the position to finance a football club in the sense of a complete build.

“All other sports in the city would ask for the same and that’s not the business of councils. We are here to help to facilitate, maybe to support to some degree but not to build new facilities at that sort of level.

“We are not financially suited or able to do that. We are financially stable as a council but spending millions on sporting facilities is not something that’s part of our financial plan at this point.”