Accrington to close academy despite council offer
Accrington Stanley have confirmed they will close their academy despite the offer of a grant by Hyndburn Council.
The League Two club previously announced it would be forced to close the academy as a cost-cutting measure.
That came amid a row with the council over the loss of revenue from the use of club facilities for non-matchday events after the council revoked its entertainment licence following noise complaints from neighbours.
The council had offered to put forward the £140,000 which it said in a statement would "be the figure required to keep the academy operational for the next 12 months" but the club has now turned down that offer.
"While we genuinely appreciate their offer, a detailed review of the club's financial situation and immediate challenges has made it clear that this support would not address the wider issues we are facing," a club statement said.
"During these discussions, the club outlined its ambitions and financial responsibilities, particularly as we look ahead to the 2025-26 season.
"After careful consideration, the board has concluded that continuing to operate the academy at this time is not a viable option, even with the council's proposed financial assistance."
Accrington finished the 2024-25 League Two season in 21st place and eight points off the relegation places.
That finish came as a row with the local council continued late into the campaign, with owner Andy Holt eventually saying he would step down from his position as chairman.
He eventually agreed to continue funding the club by up to £250,000 per season.
"The enforced closure of our function rooms, rising costs - such as National Insurance and minimum wage increases - combined with no forthcoming resolution to the club's planning issues have placed an ever-growing financial burden on our club and subsequently on our owner who is now in his 11th year of financially supporting Accrington Stanley FC," the statement added.
"This situation has compelled the club to reassess its strategy for the upcoming season and beyond.
"Despite Andrew Holt's continued generosity, the lack of significant revenue streams to offset these escalating expenses has left us with no option but to implement difficult yet necessary cuts."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Unemployment nears four-year high in wake of Reeves tax raid
UK unemployment has hit its highest level in almost four years as businesses shed jobs and freeze hiring in the wake of Rachel Reeves's tax raid. Official figures showed the unemployment rate rose to 4.6pc in the three months to April, up from 4.4pc in the previous three months. This is the highest since the summer of 2021 when Britain was only just emerging from lockdowns. The Chancellor's tax rises came into effect in April, but employers had warned that the Chancellor's £25bn National Insurance tax raid and another inflation-busting minimum wage jump were forcing them to freeze hiring in the months beforehand. Meanwhile, employers put the brakes on hiring with the number of vacancies falling from to 736,000 in the three months to May, compared with 760,000 in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Wage growth also slowed, to rise by 5.2pc in the three months to April on a year earlier, the slowest pace in seven months. Andrew Griffith, shadow business secretary, said: 'It is disappointing but no surprise that unemployment is up again. 'Businesses are still absorbing a £25bn jobs tax but things are about to get even worse as Labour's £5bn unemployment bill hits businesses with higher regulation.' Despite the surge in unemployment, jobs in the public sector jumped to the highest level in 14 years as the Chancellor prepares to unveil a £300bn spending spree this week. Almost 6.2m people were employed in the public sector in March, official figures show, 35,000 more than a year earlier. This is the highest number of public sector employees since December 2011. It comes ahead of Ms Reeves's spending review on Wednesday, which is expected to offer big increases to defence and health while squeezing other departments. The Chancellor has raised departmental spending by nearly £400bn since Labour won the election. It comes as economists have warned more tax rises are 'inevitable' in autumn. The figures from the ONS also show that the number of civil servants is the highest since 2006, at 550,000, rising by 6,000 from a year earlier. This helped to push the total figure of central government workers to a record high of 4m, up by 93,000 from a year ago. The ONS said the rise was driven by the NHS, the Civil Service and some local authority schools becoming academies, which changes how their staff are classified in the numbers. Private sector workers experienced slower pay growth than those in the public sector when excluding bonuses, at 5.1pc to 5.6pc in February to April compared with the same period last year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UK job market and wage growth cool, as unemployment rises to 4.6%
The UK labour market continued to cool in April, with the latest ONS figures showing unemployment at 4.6% and a 0.2% drop in payrolled employees — or 55,000 fewer jobs — from the previous month. It marks the first time the unemployment rate has crept above pre-pandemic levels. The number of payrolled employees fell by 115,000 (0.4%) between April 2024 and April 2025, the data showed. 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably," said ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown. "Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on." The data comes ahead of a key moment for the government: chancellor Rachel Reeves will present her spending review to parliament on Wednesday. On Monday, it was revealed the review is set to contain changes to winter fuel allowance thresholds for pensioners. There has been some speculation it will also look to alter National Insurance thresholds, which were increased to help plug holes in the fiscal deficit. 'If there's any upside, it may be in the battle to control inflation," said Paige Tao, an economist at PwC UK. Annual wage growth excluding bonuses eased to 5.2% in the latest figures, marking the second consecutive monthly decline. "This gradual cooling in pay growth may offer some reassurance to the Bank of England, following last month's inflation reading unexpectedly jumping to its highest level in over a year," added Tao. "However, with wage growth remaining high in absolute terms, the Bank may want to see this trend continue before proceeding with further rate cuts." Read more: What the winter fuel allowance U-turn means for your finances In May's meeting, the Bank of England cut interest rates to 4.25% amid a global trade war and a weak domestic economy. This was its fourth reduction since rates peaked at 5.25% last year. At the time, BoE governor Andrew Bailey said policymakers needed to stick to a 'gradual and careful' approach to cutting interest rates. Bailey said: 'Inflationary pressures have continued to ease so we've been able to cut rates again today. The past few weeks have shown how unpredictable the global economy can be. 'That's why we need to stick to a gradual and careful approach to further rate cuts. Ensuring low and stable inflation is our top priority.'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK firms hold off on hiring as job vacancies fall
UK companies are holding back on hiring or are not replacing departing workers, sending job vacancies tumbling, official figures suggest. The number of available jobs fell by 63,000 between March and May while the unemployment rate ticked higher. "There continues to be a weakening in the labour market," said Liz McKeown, director of econonic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), adding that there had been a noticeable drop in the number of people on payrolls. In April, National Insurance Contributions paid by employers increased while a rise in the minimum wage came into force. The estimated number of available jobs fell to 736,000 over the three months to May. "Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on," said Ms McKeown. The figures also showed that the unemployement rate rose from 4.5% to 4.6% - the highest since July 2021. Who are the millions of Britons not working? UK jobs market continues to weaken
