One of Ken Bates’ many ideas for saving money was to take a hard line over the amount of money the club was being asked to pay over the policing of matches at Elland Road. With the police looking to increase the amounts paid by clubs to make up for cuts in their funding from the government they aren’t going to give way easily, so the dispute is having to be settled in court.

Traditionally, football clubs have only been charged for officers on duty on the land they actually own or lease in and around the stadium, but the Police are now looking to extend this to cover the cost of policing the area beyond that is affected by the large numbers of people coming to the stadium on matchdays.

Leeds are arguing that policing on the public highway, on land not owned or controlled by the club does not constitute “special police services” which the club should have to pay for. Michael Beloff QC told the court that the police have no right to charge for a constable’s primary duties to prevent the commission of a crime, to protect life and property, and to control traffic on the roads.

“West Yorkshire Police’s insistence on charging Leeds United Football Club for such policing is illegal, as it is an attempt to charge a private citizen for the normal costs of policing when such a citizen is entitled to expect such services to be provided by the police pursuant to their duties to the public.”

But John Beggs QC, acting for West Yorkshire Police, argued that they should be able to charge for policing in the “extended footprint” of land around the stadium. This is the area in the immediate vicinity of the stadium where members of the public are present exclusively for the purpose of attending matches and where police resources have most commonly needed to be deployed to prevent violence and disorder.

He said that as matter of law, the police could charge for policing on public land as long as it was deployed for the protection of those attending the match or for the benefit of the club rather than for the safety of the public at large. “On non-match days the extended footprint is virtually deserted and it is policed by one police community support officer as part of his wider beat.”

And he also claimed that matches at Elland Road have one of the worst records for football-related violence in the country, even though we all know how much things have improved in this respect since the 1980s.

Let’s hope the club are successful in getting a reduction in the policing costs. Not only do football fans pay for the police already through our taxes and VAT on match tickets, but there are many other types of events other than football matches which require additional policing and where the organisers aren’t asked to pay additional charges. If we lose the case then the new owners will have inherited another nice legal bill from the Bates era.

The hearing continues, and we should know the outcome by the end of the week.

Photo: Action Images

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