'Lady Godiva' joins battle to save disabled riding centre...

Councillors being urged to save a charity-run riding school have got the message ... straight from the horse’s mouth.



A Lady Godiva-style demonstration took place in Nuneaton town centre yesterday in protest at the threatened closure of the Galley Common centre.

Hannah Knight, in a revealing flesh-coloured body stocking, rode on horseback to the council offices to deliver a 4,500-name petition, calling for “commonsense to prevail.”

The 30-year-old insurance manager sat astride Thunder and trotted along the busy Coton Road dual carriageway before halting traffic and being greeted by banner-waving supporters outside the Town Hall.

“The idea is to raise the profile of our campaign, with a plea to the local authority to reconsider their decision not to renew the riding centre’s lease,” said Hannah.

“There are so many people upset and disappointed over this issue. The stables must be allowed to stay open.”

The petition was accepted by council chief executive Alan Franks and will now be passed on to the relevant officers and members “for evaluation.”

The council is involved in a legal dispute with the riding centre, which has operated as a registered charity on the site in Valley Road for 34 years, offering lessons to disabled and able-bodied children.

A peppercorn rent of £25 a year was paid to the council - but notice has been given that the arrangement will not continue because of concern over the way the centre has been managed.

“We want the council to sit around a table with us and get the whole thing sorted,” said Jean Miller, who was elected as an additional trustee three years ago.

“A lot of incorrect information is being bandied about, which needs to be challenged. But, at the end of the day, the only losers will be the youngsters who get so much enjoyment out of coming to the centre.”

She added: “The centre operates a welcome-to-all policy for physically disabled, able bodied people and those with learning difficulties. Social integration and understanding is the most obvious benefit of this, but able bodied riders also help keep the centre sustainable financially and also help keep the horses fit.

"Having said that, the majority of our riders are disabled and their numbers are growing. Since reopening in 2010 the centre has gone from strength to strength, operating seven days a week, and there are now nearly 200 registered riders.

“Lots of ordinary people want to see this centre continue and we’re now hoping for commonsense to prevail.”

Riding school petition rejected by Nuneaton council



A petition signed by more than 3,000 people to save a disabled riding school from closure has been rejected by a Warwickshire council.

Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Equestrian Centre is locked in a legal battle with the borough council after it decided not to renew its lease.

The riding school has been sent a formal rejection of the petition by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

It said the document "falls outside of the petition scheme".

The Nuneaton and Warwickshire Equestrian Centre has been based at Galley Common site since the 1970s.

The lease on the site ran out in December last year but the borough council decided not to renew it.

A judge at Birmingham High Court last month ruled a trial should take place to decide if the equestrian centre has the right to take the council to court over the issue.

'Brick walls'

Riding school trustee Jean Miller said she was "devastated" the petition had been rejected.

"We have spent the last 12 months trying to persuade [the council] to sit down and talk to us about the future, but [they] have just come up with a succession of brick walls," she said.

"The staff, the volunteers, the trustees and the many people, disabled and able-bodied, who use the stables are all at a loss as to why the council are maintaining this stand."

The rejection letter from the council's director of governance, Philip Richardson, said the petition was "misleading".

It said: "It purports to suggest that the council is in dispute with the tenants of the riding school (which as you know is not the case) and that the centre be kept open for everyone to use (which is in direct conflict with the terms of the previous lease, which restricted use to disabled riders only)."

On Monday, campaigners delivered a 5,000-signature petition to Downing Street calling on the prime minister to intervene in the case.

Nuneaton riding school rent row legal decision delayed



Owners of a riding school for disabled young people fear for its future after a judge delayed a rent decision.

Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Equestrian Centre's case against council landlords was heard at Birmingham County Court on Thursday.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has refused the centre's lease renewal, believing it is run as a business and its charity rent no longer applies.

School trustee Jean Miller, said having to fight the legal battle was "sad".

Her right to fight for a new lease has been questioned by the council, who said she is a third-party occupier and not one of the original trustees named on the Galley Common site lease.

If the judge decides she can pursue the case, legal arguments will resume on whether the lease should be renewed.

Ms Miller - who is receiving free legal representation - said she believes it is "wrong" the council has used taxpayers' money in court.

"This could have been overcome if the council had taken a pragmatic approach to this at a much earlier stage," she said.

"They're clever people, they represent us, they could have quite easily just have dealt with this in a different way. It's quite sad really"

Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council said it could not comment until the hearing had concluded.

Councillor John Haynes, who originally set up the riding school, has previously said its operators would be welcome to pay a commercial rent for the site.

The riding school, which is a registered charity, runs sessions for disabled riders three days a week in addition to lessons at other times.

It is also a Pony Club member and offers lessons, competitions and trekking for non-disabled riders.

A judgement from the county court is expected within three weeks.

Rent row

• Nuneaton and Warwickshire Equestrian Centre has been based at Galley Common since the 1970s
  
• The lease on the site ran out in December 2012
  
• The school pays the council £25 a year rent
  
• About 60 to 80 riders use the facility each week
  
• In October 2013, campaigners delivered a petition to Downing Street

Riding school trustees 'win court battle'

Trustees at a disabled riding school say they are negotiating renewing its lease after winning a court battle with a council.

Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Riding Centre has been involved in a legal fight with the borough council after it decided not to renew its lease.

The trustees said they had now been recognised as "bona fide trustees" at Birmingham County Court.

The council said it was in a position "to initiate a dialogue" with trustees.

The local authority had been trying to claim that the group were "not proper trustees," the trustees said.

The equestrian centre has been based at the Galley Common site since the 1970s. The lease on the site ran out in December 2012 but the council decided not to renew it.

The trustees said a judge had now given them a two-month period from 15 April to negotiate a new lease.

Riding centre trustee Jean Miller said: "All we want to do is focus on what we are here for, giving riding lessons to people who experience a wide range of physical and learning disabilities.

"All the trustees, management of the centre and our many volunteers are totally committed to doing all they can to keep the centre going and the sooner we can move on the better."

In a statement, council leader Dennis Harvey said: "The judge has decided that the occupants of the Galley Common riding centre have the right to seek a new tenancy in place of the current tenants.

"In light of this judgement we're now in a position to initiate a dialogue with the de facto trustees and the advice from the appropriate officer suggests that this is the correct thing to do, at this stage."

Following this statement, the trustees said the "occupants" were the same charity as the current tenants, as highlighted by the judge, but some members have changed.

Nuneaton riding school gets 15-year lease following rent row

Trustees at a disabled riding school say they are "very happy" to have been granted a 15-year lease after winning a court battle with a council.

Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Riding Centre has been involved in a legal fight with the borough council after it decided not to renew its lease.

However, in March, the trust was recognised as "bona fide trustees" at Birmingham County Court.

The council previously said it would "initiate a dialogue" with trustees.

The equestrian centre has been based at the Galley Common site, which is owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, since the 1970s. The lease ran out in December 2012 but the council decided not to renew it.

The centre said the council claimed the school was being run as a business, rather than a charity.

However, a judge ruled the riding school had a two-month period from 15 April to negotiate a new lease.

Riding centre trustee Jean Miller said: "This is a massive piece of security for the charity and the disabled riders that use the centre.

"We are very, very happy with the ruling and the new lease.

"We haven't changed in 30 years. We couldn't understand why the council were suddenly throwing these red herrings in. It was ridiculous really.

"There were some very upset disabled people who were using the service who didn't know what the future was going to be."

Kris Wilson, leader of the Conservative opposition, said: "I am pleased the school has won."

He added the council needed to "account for the waste of public expenditure" it had spent in pursuing the case.

The Labour-run council previously said speaking to the trustees was the "correct thing to do" following the judge's ruling.