East Stand Q&A: Kelvin Thomas and Tom Cliffe answer all the key questions before crunch council meeting

The long-running East Stand saga could finally be heading towards its conclusion with West Northamptonshire Council set to discuss the matter at a meeting next Monday before taking a decision to cabinet the following week.

The cabinet will be asked to approve a deal with the football club for the land next to Sixfields Stadium — on condition the East Stand is completed first.

Ahead of Monday's all-important meeting, here are some key questions answered...

Why would West Northamptonshire Council accept a lower bid?

Property developer Cilldara Ltd offered £2.05m for the land but Northampton's bid of £890,00 is considered the more 'prudent' way forward.

This all relates to the leases the club control on the land. Even if another bid was accepted, they could then face years of costly legal disputes regarding the leases.

"It's a complicated situation but essentially there's a part of the land which the other bid covers and there is a potential break clause in two years time in regards of remediation of the site," explains chairman Kelvin Thomas.

"There's a clause in the agreement which says that the site has to be remediated within that time but there is a lot of grey area around what level of remediation needed and whether it's even needed.

"We would certainly challenge that and if those leases can't be broken, they have 135, 140 years left to run.

"Whilst the council could have accepted the bid of £2million, they would not have seen that money for a minimum of more than two years and a maximum period of possibly never and in-between that, it would cost the council a lot of money in legal fees in trying to fight the football club in terms of the leases.

"Backed up by QC opinion and legal opinion, they took the view that our offer was deliverable and favourable and they would see a receipt within a matter of weeks once the paperwork is completed."

Were you ever concerned?

"Yes and no," Thomas adds. "We were always very comfortable with the position that the club was in due to the leases and we were very pleased that the council did get that QC opinion because it confirmed our thoughts regarding the leases and that it would take a legal challenge to break them.

"Some people might say what happens if there are more offers but Cllr Malcolm Longley covers that by saying that it doesn't really matter because it would have the same challenges associated with it.

"From that perspective, we were quite confident with our evaluations and our position."

Are the East Stand plans in the club's best interest?

Tom Cliffe, supporters' representative on the club's board, said: "I've read all the reports and listened to people's different opinions and when I have spoken to fans, in the vast majority they have come back and said 'we support this plan and we want this to happen'.

"The document that was released by the club on Monday (can be found on the club's website) has a lot of answers to questions that fans have asked me and there's a lot of information covered in there.

"I'm not afraid to ask the difficult questions but when I ask them, I get the answers. But how, as a fan, can I question a QC's opinion on a legally-binding report? I'm not in a position to do that.

"I've looked at it and I've gone through the process and yes, there are times when it is frustrating - I get it on a daily basis - but you have to let the process run its course.

"The vast majority of fans want this to happen and hopefully, when we speak about this in a few weeks, we will be a lot further forward."

How have you found your new role? Have fans responded positively?

"I am always available to speak to people," Cliffe adds. "It's not about me, it's about the job title and making sure I represent people. I won't shy away from difficult conversations because I'm there to listen to people and if I don't know the answers, I will go and find out.

"Social media isn't there for everyone. People rely on different ways of communicating so we are meeting up with local people and businesses and we have conversations.

"My view is that I represent Northampton Town and it's not for me to get into a slanging match online. When of the first things I said was that I said to Kelvin and James (Whiting) that I would really like to have a meeting with the Supporters' Trust and we then had that meeting.

"From that point of view, it's about fans coming to me, whether it's email or having a chat over a cup of coffee. I'm a fan first of all and when things are going well and we're winning, I don't tend to get too many comments. But when have a wobble, my inbox tends to be a bit more full!

"If people want to contact me and get in touch to discuss things, I'm always happy to."

What about the ACV? Could that delay things?

Thomas explains: "There is one added complication around the ACV, which is the asset of community value. The Trust hold the ACV and they have the ability to delay matters for up to six months.

"We would be surprised if they did that once it was agreed at cabinet but if they did, we would have to wait that period out and close the transaction at the end of it.

"But we could do some work in the background during that period anyway in terms of getting plans in place and getting ready to go. Hopefully it doesn't come to that but there's a chance that it could and those are the next stages."