Who are the victims here?

Would be a more appropriate headline than ‘Who are the villains here?’ (Letter: Colin Helps, BFP – October 24).

Mr Helps might have found it beneficial to understand all of the facts before imparting his views on your readers?

Hazlemere Sports Association did indeed object to Hazlemere Parish Council’s decision to renege on the peppercorn rent agreement both parties signed in 2010, but has since made two offers worth several thousand pounds per annum. Both have been declined. No explanation nor any concessions have ever been made by the council throughout the process.

Mr Helps may have been led to believe that we’re making money by hiring out the building to other users. ‘Creaming off the profits’ was how Mr Mapletoft so unfairly and spitefully described our management of the pavilion in his recent (unapproved) Chairman’s statement in the Hazlemere Fete programme.

Perhaps Mr Helps can explain how a volunteer community group could have made the following considerable investment on pavilion assets without generating any income or profit: l Maintain the building under a repairing lease obligation for 4.5 years with average running costs of approx. £20,000 per annum?

l Paid circa £20,000 for fixtures and fittings in the pavilion, including chairs and tables?

l Paid £2,500 for benches in six changing rooms?

l Paid £5,000 in 2013 to replace the broken air source heat pumps?

To compare volunteers with a vast commercial enterprise like Manchester United is frankly a ridiculous comparison. Why don’t you ask Hazlemere Parish Council why they’ve spent circa £30,000 on legal and professional fees to evict us? Also why they chose to initiate legal proceedings within a week of our first offer in Jan 2013, when they could just have easily sat round a table and negotiated with our sports clubs? – John Horton, by email