 The Ombudsman said promised services were not in place |
Darlington Council has been found guilty of maladministration over the construction of a football stadium. The Local Government Ombudsman said that promised services were not in place when the George Reynolds Arena, home of Darlington FC, opened in 2003.
A cheap bus service for fans, a residents' parking scheme and road improvements had not been completed for the team's first game of the season.
Darlington Council says it acted in the best interests of the football club.
The Ombudsman said the council should have blocked the opening of the stadium until the improvements were complete.
Darlington councillor John Williams said: "If we had blocked the opening, the stadium probably wouldn't be there now.
"Football league requirements state that to fulfil the fixtures you have to have a registered ground.
"Darlington had left their old stadium at that stage and if they couldn't fulfil their initial fixture of the season then they would have gone out of business."
One-Minute World News 
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