WITNEY Town Council has handed a seven-point ultimatum to West Witney Sports and Social Club to make safety improvements.

The council – which owns the facility – says urgent changes are needed to meet concerns it first raised in 2012 about health and safety.

Now it has given the club until the end of January to meet standards around issues like asbestos, fire regulations, electrics and legionnaires’ disease.

Mayoress Jeanette Baker said: “There’s no doubting the sincerity of how the club want to make it work.

“I believe the councillors here really want to work closely together as much as we can and we need to just take it through with these resolutions.”

Club treasurer Rob Pratley said: “I’m really happy because they are agreeing to work with us.

“They are going to give us the chance to get the health and safety stuff done and they are going to look at a long-term solution.”

Mr Pratley said the council and Burford Road club were equally to blame for not ensuring the health and regulations were met over the past two years.

He said the club did not carry out work because it was unsure of a long-term lease as the council had been debating whether to sell the club.

But town clerk Sharon Groth said the council now had no plans to sell the site and was negotiating with club representatives about a long-term lease.

The club leases the site under an informal agreement and the only formal lease for the site is held by West Witney Bowls Club.

The issue was raised again earlier this month when a footballer reported getting an electric shock in the showers.

Fire officers then ruled the club was not compliant because a spiral staircase fire escape leading from the upstairs floor needed repairs.

The club then closed its upstairs function room and showers and last week put together an action plan.

At a council meeting at Witney Town Hall on Monday councillors demanded the club comply with health and safety legislation.

In May 2012, the Tory leader of the town council David Harvey lost his position after spearheading the push to sell the Burford Road site for a potential £7m.

An idea to sell the site for housing and use the cash for a new complex had been rumbling on for about 13 years.

The new leadership, including group leader Pete Dorward, then embarked on a bid to build bridges with campaigners who wanted to secure the club’s furture.

This resulted in a new policy for the council, which decided not to sell the site for housing after all.

THE SEVEN DEMANDS

  • A section 146 notice to be drawn up setting out the health and safety issues the club must rectify by January 30, 2015.
  • A full report to be made by the club outlining the steps it has taken to rectify the issues by February 9.
  • The council’s recreation committee to consider “long-term solutions” for the provision of a sports and social club or alternative facilities at the Burford Road site.
  • The recreation committee to discuss these solutions with the club.
  • A structural survey of the club to be carried out with costings needed for repairs.
  • The issue of capacity of the club house to be investigated to ensure health and safety compliance.
  • Full certification to be made available for all work done to rectify the issues.