The fate of Swinton Park Golf and Country Club took another turn this week when Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long Bailey wrote to the Attorney General, Michael Ellis MP, asking for the Serious Fraud Office to be brought in.
The Club was bought by some members for £1.3million in 2017, who have since tried to re-sell the site to an array of house builders for up to £30million.* The Salford MP writes that legal issues have been raised about the resale of the club so soon after its acquisition.
The case was first brought to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office in 2019, when Bellway Homes were looking to purchase the site, but the Office didn't think the issues were complex enough for it to be involved.
Now, however, Long Bailey writes that with the "potential value of the site to a housing developer being significantly higher than the £20million purchase price being quoted" the serious Fraud Office should be brought in to "fully understand the situation and what can be done to resolve it..."
She concludes: "I am extremely concerned about this matter given the contents of the documents I have seen and the conversations I have had with my constituents..."
Meanwhile, the Save Swinton Park Committee is currently working with a number of minority shareholders who do not wish Swinton Park to be sold for housing development.
"Kennedys Solicitors are assisting them with attempts to prevent the enforced sale of all their shares in the club, by the majority shareholder and the Board of Directors" says a spokesperson for the campaign "We have previously asked for help to fund legal fees for such a challenge and a Gofundme account has been created for this purpose. Without help such a challenge will not be possible, so can we thank those who have donated to date and ask those who haven't to contribute..."
To see the GoFundMe page – click here
For a full background see previous Salford Star articles - click here and click here and follow the links
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