A LEGAL catch-22 may prevent Bromsgrove Rovers obtaining the lease they need on the Victoria Ground -- the Advertiser/Messenger has learned.

Football club chairman Pat Bannister has repeatedly urged Bromsgrove District Council to grant a new lease on the ground ,in Victoria Road.

But the council has refused, although it has said Rovers can continue to use the ground and pledged it will not be sold to a developer.

The full reason for their refusal has now emerged. Granting a lease to a company which is already heavily in debt to them could mean the council is failing in its duty as a local authority and might risk a judicial review.

The situation means Rovers cannot get new backers and pay off their debts, including £12,500 in business rates owed to the council, until they acquire a new lease, but they cannot get the lease until the debts are settled.

The authority's district secretary, Bob Lewis, said the council was doing everything it could to help the club but it was obliged to be responsible with council funds.

He said: "There is a general obligation to look after the rate-payer. If we granted the lease, somebody could say we were in breach of our statutory obligations.

"The council has been getting criticism but this money has been owed to us for over 12 months. We have been extremely generous to this company by not pursuing it.

"If you were a landlord, would you give a lease to somebody who already owed you money?

"We have been taking a helpful line with the club so the criticism seems a little unfair.

"Not pressing them to pay their debt is a far more generous approach than most people would have taken."

Mr Bannister said he preferred the club's administrator, David Greensill, to comment on Mr Lewis's statement. He was unavailable for comment as we went to press.