CINDERFORD town councillors are considering buying The Triangle from the Forest of Dean District Council – but it will be at the expense of council taxpayers.

Town Clerk Lynda Thomas told the Review if the purchase goes ahead Cinderford council taxpayers will almost certainly see a rise in their bills.

She said: “We will have to find the money from somewhere and obviously one option is increasing the council tax bill.

“I don’t feel taxpayers should have to pay for it as the district council doesn’t officially own it; they were only ever the ‘accountable’ body when the Cinderford regeneration project received the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB).

“Alternatively the Forest Council has given us until February to put proposals together to work with them and move forward. We will be in discussions.”

Senior figures from the district council attended last week’s meeting of the town council in a bid to make progress on the issue.

Cllr Graham Morgan (Lab, Cinderford West) proposed the town council buy the freehold by way of resolving the row over the future of the Triangle.

He said: “The original purpose of the Triangle was to put civic pride back into the town.

“We have spent a lot of money over the years maintaining it for the benefit of the residents, and I feel the better option to safeguard its future is consider buying the freehold from the district council. That way we can do what we want without answering to anybody.”

The meeting also discussed claims the town council failed to make payments, due as part of the lease on the Triangle, and has not responded to letters. The lease was taken over by the town council in 2000 and a ‘peppercorn rent’ was to be paid to the district council.

The district council’s cabinet member for finance, Cllr Richard Boyles (Con, Newnham and Westbury) said the ‘peppercorn rent’ applied for the first four years.

But the town council said no attempt had been made by the district council from 2005 to send a rent review notice six months prior to renewal every three years and thereafter as per a clause of the contract.

The Forest council’s most senior legal officer, Claire Hughes said: “I can’t comment on what happened prior to 2009 as I wasn’t employed by the district council, but I do know I did try to ascertain the amount the town council was getting from tenants in the Triangle.

“The town council weren’t forthcoming and a statutory notice was served in 2011.”

Mr Morgan said: “As far as I know the district council has never requested for rent payments and I’ve never seen a contract signed by the town council.

“If the town council hasn’t made payments to the Forest Council in 15 years then why haven’t they chased us?”

Deputy leader of the district council, and former Cabinet member for finance Cllr Brian Robinson (Con, Mitcheldean) responded that the district didn’t think it was in the ‘public interest’.

He said: “It’s not in the public interest for a public body to take legal action against another public body, that’s why we haven’t sought money sooner.

“We would rather negotiate but this has been difficult and the current situation means we haven’t been able to negotiate a new option.

“The district council and Cinderford town council agree the Triangle is a valuable asset to local people and we want to move forward.”