West Yorkshire Police have lost a court case over who should pay for policing around the Leeds United ground at Elland Road. They are expected to have to repay £1m to the club. However, the case has ramifications well beyond Leeds as it calls into question guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) to the individual forces about who should pay for what at games.
West Yorkshire Police have lost a court case over who should pay for policing around the Leeds United ground at Elland Road. They are expected to have to repay £1m to the club. However, the case has ramifications well beyond Leeds as it calls into question guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) to the individual forces about who should pay for what at games.
Following the Acpo guidance, West Yorkshire Police had levied charges on the club for a ‘footprint’ which included public highways, car parks and a bus station near the ground. Since that policy was adopted the club’s costs of policing have quadrupled in three years to nearly £1m a season.
The football club argued successfully that policing streets and car parks near the ground was the responsibility of the police and they should not have to pay for it. It did not object to paying for policing within the ground or on land owned, leased or controlled by the club, but said that wider policing in the area was part of the force’s duty to maintain public order.
In his judgment Mr Justice Eady said there was nothing in law that allowed the police to recover the costs of policing in respect of some conveniently designated footprint area that is not owned, leased or controlled by the football club.
It can cost up to £80,000 to police a Leeds United game, of which the the police seek to recover £62,000. Acpo are now seeking legal advice on what they should do next, but other clubs may well qualify for a substantial repayment.