Should Halton Council sell Widnes Vikings' stadium?

Rugby League club Widnes Vikings' stadium could potentially be sold by its owner Halton Council.

Halton Council said its "financial position" had led it to review several options for the future of the DCBL Stadium, which it has owned outright since 1999.

The council recently asked the government for exceptional financial support and received a £35m loan to help balance the books.

The situation has raised questions about whether assets such as sports stadiums are luxuries cash-strapped local authorities should own.

Labour council leader Mike Wharton said he would prefer to keep the venue and expand the range of events held there.

"We had Elton John here nearly a decade ago. And that was a sell-out. We know there is an appetite for these big music events and we'd like to do more."

With local elections looming, and a challenge from Reform and the Greens, politicians like Wharton are trying to convince wavering Labour voters that the administration which has run Halton council since its creation has sound financial judgement and big ambitions too.

Some opposition parties disagree.

There has been a sports ground at Lowerhouse Lane since the 1880s, and Widnes Vikings have played there for more than a century.

Halton Council said now was "the right time" to consider the venue's future.

It hosts weddings, events and conferences as well as football, rugby and concerts.

Jonathan Mackie, chair of Halton Reform, said the council should definitely sell.

"Councils don't exist to own high-value real estate, certainly for professional sports teams," he said.

Instead, he said, the council should "focus on the core service delivery for the people that live in Widnes and Runcorn, and that isn't owning a sports stadium".

He added that the council's current debt "hung like a millstone around the necks of people in Widnes".

Chair of Halton Green Party Iain Ferguson said the council's decision to buy the stadium and safeguard the future of Widnes Vikings back in the 90s "made absolute sense" but added "perhaps less so now".

He said: "If they sold it, the stadium would not be destroyed.

"It still has value. Widnes Vikings would stay here, but ultimately this is a venue that's not used particularly well because ultimately, it's not what the council are about.

"They're not an events team. They shouldn't be running something like this - a commercial venue."

He said the council should sell the venue, which would also free it from "the liabilities of an ageing building".

Last year the council put £1.3m earmarked for improvements and structural work on the stadium.

But the money had to be borrowed from central government as there was no money in the budget for it.

Chair of Halton Conservatives John Powell said he believed the stadium was "a key strategic community asset and as such it should be controlled by the local authority."

But he added that, in his view, the current administration was "frankly inept at trying to run any commercial operation" and instead should pursue a business model where the council remained the stadium's owner, but "a high quality third party who has experience and capabilities in running such an asset" ran it as a commercial concern.

Halton Liberal Democrats have been contacted for comment.

Labour's Mike Wharton said the stadium has a role in the community beyond sport.

He said: "It isn't just about witness Vikings playing there or football being played there.

"It's a venue for all our residents. We hold weddings there, funerals, birthday parties."

He said the council would obviously act on any recommendations from a feasibility study, though he could not "see a sale of the stadium happening".

On the streets of Widnes, people had mixed views.

Ron and Hazel, out shopping with their baby daughter, said they were not sports fans but Hazel said "I think it's important that it's affordable for local people to be able to come to the stadium.

"If it was privately owned, would it still be affordable for people to come and watch their team?"

Ron said the council might want to focus fewer resources on rugby and more on fixing potholes.

"If they sell it off an invest the money in other things in the town, then I think they should," he said.

A council spokesperson said: "The stadium is a much-loved and valued asset, but it is worth considering whether it is reaching its full potential, hence the need to set out a long-term plan which plays to its strengths and maximises potential opportunities."

A feasibility study would assess the future operation of the stadium and consider whether the current arrangement where the council manages it in-house should continue.

Disposal or sale would generate a lump sum of money for the council.

Other options include appointing a third-party firm to run it, or creating a tri-partite company between third party tenants including Widnes Vikings, Widnes Town FC, and the council.

Halton Council also occupies office space within the building, and this could be expanded further to make the building the council's HQ.

The study will explore what role, if any, the stadium plays in tourism and events in the city region.

The local elections on 7 May will see a third (18) of the seats on Halton Council contested.

Labour currently hold 48 of the 54 seats, Liberal Democrats have three, Reform have one, and there is one Independent.

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