Parish council leasehold fees for land

Question

The parish leases land to a sports club for a peppercorn rent. Initially all members had to live within the parish. However, over time, the club has expanded its membership to include many from outside the parish and wants to expand further. It charges membership fees and makes a profit and has recruitment drives outside the area.

Therefore parishioners are now subsidising members from outside the area. We don’t feel  the £1 peppercorn rent is getting best value for parishioners from parish land. What do others think?

Answer 1

If residents of your parish are still benefitting from this, how relevant is it that others do too? How valuable is the service they provide to your local community? Is the sports club a not-for-profit organisation, sometimes known as a CASC?

Answer 2

It all depends on the terms and conditions of the lease granted and whether by expanding the lessee is contravening that lease. What period was the lease for or was it a rolling annual one? Was the lease facility grant designed for the benefit of the local community? 

Have any of these points been formally discussed with the club in depth as both parties to the lease must remember that this is a legal document to be abided by both parties.