GREENOCK Juniors could fold at the end of this season if a financial row with Inverclyde Council is not resolved soon, it was claimed today.

The club have been barred from using council-owned facilities because of the partial non-payment of bills – but they blame the local authority for the problems.

However, the council has hit back and says Greenock are using ‘smoke and mirrors’ and have actually offered to repay the debt.

The club has been paying £116 for the use of Ravenscraig Stadium for each home game, but for the last two years they have refused to meet the £114-a-week charge to train at Inverclyde Academy.

They now owe the council £5,800.

Club treasurer Neil Martin said they were refusing to stump up because they were not being treated fairly, citing rumours that other clubs are ‘receiving free lets’.

Mr Martin said: “The partial non-payment has come about due to our frustration and anger at not being treated equitably and being misled by Inverclyde Council.

“We have no issues with other clubs or organisations, but put the blame for this mismanagement squarely at the door of Inverclyde Council.

“There have been rumours for years that certain organisations were receiving free lets.

“At first it was denied by the council, but eventually a councillor informed us that, indeed, free lets were being administered.

“We estimate this has cost the council between £50,000 and £100,000 over the last 15 years.”

Mr Martin said the claims of free lets led to discussions with the council, but two years ago the club came to the conclusion that no real progress was being made and ‘felt a stance had to be taken’.

He said: “The club informed the council that we would be retaining payments for training facilities by way of forcing a solution.

“By December 2014, there did appear to be a genuine attempt to resolve the issue, but by early last year our attempts to arrange continuing meetings were met with no response from the council.

“Eventually, when we did get together with the council, we were informed it did not respond earlier due to ‘legal reasons’ which were nothing that involved us.

“We took the decision last summer that there was no point in continuing discussions with the council.”

The club said they met the council again in November, but the issue was still not resolved and this continued to be the case at the last meeting they had in March.

Mr Martin continued: “The council have set the precedent of negotiating charges with individual organisations, but refused to negotiate charges with us.

“Some organisations even have their own key allowing access to facilities without the need to book.

“We’re not looking for special treatment, but expect the council to be transparent and apply its policies and procedures equitably. This is clearly not the case.

“We are currently excluded from Ravenscraig Stadium, and councillors are refusing to talk to us.”

He added: “The immediate priority is to get access to facilities to play our remaining four or five home games this season.

“But this issue has to be resolved by the end of May, when we are due to register with the Scottish Junior Football Association for next season, or we are in serious jeopardy of folding after 60 years.”

A council spokesman responded by saying that Tele ‘readers will see through the smoke and mirrors act in this statement from the club’.

He said: “They say they refused to pay and are taking a principled stand over their unfair treatment. Yet, they actually have offered to repay the debt.

“That repayment plan only came about after they were facing losing access to facilities, and would have meant the debt not being cleared for years.”

The spokesman continued: “The council supports clubs right across Inverclyde. In fact, the council supported Greenock Juniors in October 2013 with a grant of £4,500. 

“This was meant to be used to settle outstanding debts at that time, and yet the club has continually ignored reasonable requests for payment and made no further requests for support despite actually being invited to.

“We sent them information to apply for a grant last year and again last month. 

“We have still to hear back from them. We agree with Greenock Juniors that there is unfair treatment going on, but it’s more about them using public facilities, not paying the fair rate, refusing offers of support and ignoring their debts – and all with public funds.

“That’s not fair on the clubs and individuals who do things right, and it’s not fair on the taxpayers who fund it. 

“That’s the true story of why Greenock Juniors aren’t using Ravenscraig.”