Salford Red Devils stadium row is causing 'significant financial hardship'

The ongoing row over the ownership of the Salford Red Devils stadium is already causing ‘significant financial hardship’ for the rugby league club.

This was revealed at a special Salford city council scrutiny meeting where councillors opposed to the authority becoming 100 per cent owners of the stadium were voicing objections.

The council already owns 50pc of what is now the City of Salford Community Stadium (COSCOS) - also used by Sale Sharks - but property giant Peel who own the other half wants out of the deal.

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City mayor Paul Dennett wants the council to buy Peel’s share and although the Salford cabinet has agreed in principle to a deal, Conservative councillors led by Coun Robin Garrido are fiercely opposed to the move.

Coun Garrido had succeeded in getting the decision ‘called-in’ - the process by which major decisions are reviewed - so convening a special meeting of Salford’s growth and prosperity scrutiny committee.

But after a stormy meeting, the committee decided not to refer the decision back to the cabinet for further consideration.

As well as submissions from Mr Dennett and Coun Garrido, the committee also heard from Red Devils officials who took exception to suggestions from the Conservatives that they were not truly a community club.

Board member Oli Randall told the committee: “The delays over the clarification of the future ownership of the stadium is already causing significant financial hardship for it tenants.

“We can’t set prices for season tickets, which should already have been placed on sale in July. The current owners and management team have been in place for just four years during which time the