£140,000 lifeline offer to save Reds' academy

HYNDBURN Council is seeking to use emergency powers procedures to save Accrington Stanley's academy from closure.

- BY JON MACPHERSON

Bosses are looking to offer the cash-strapped League Two club a £140,000 grant which they believe could keep the operational for the next 12 months. The club announced the sudden closure of its academy last week leaving the community "heartbroken" and "devastated".

The board of directors blamed "significant financial challenges" facing the Reds following "restrictions on the use of club facilities" and the "imposition of significant tax increases on jobs". They said this has resulted in "substantially raised costs for what is already a lossmaking business".

Accrington Stanley said the "decision has not been made lightly but is a necessary step" as they work to "protect the long-term future of the club".

Hyndburn Council's political boss Cllr Munsif Dad expressed his surprise and disappointment at the club's decision and wrote to Stanley's chief executive Warren Eastham offering his help to tackle its "significant financial challenges".