COUNCILLORS have demanded answers on who approached who when the council 'got into bed' with Rafi Razzak to build a replacement to the Camrose.

The history of the club, including the infamous project to build a 15,000 seater stadium at Down Grange or the Old Common, was debated by members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Scrutiny committee on Tuesday night, where councillors quizzed cabinet members and officers over the council's previous work with the football club and Mr Razzak.

Cllrs Ian Tilbury and Paul Harvey both questioned how the project started, with the former saying: "What is very clear is that this is a bit of a mess. We started off with a philanthropist in the 1950s giving the land to the football club for the good of the borough, and we've some how ended up with the football club being effectively wiped out and forced out of their own town.

"When you look at this, we don't seem to have helped ourselves as a borough council, we seemed to have encouraged them to go along with a plan for them to realise the value of the asset.

"At what point did we first get involved with this move to another site? Mr Razzak seems to be claiming that he is the victim in all of this, that he was pushed into this by the borough council. It would be nice if we could have some clarity on whose idea it was to move from the Camrose."

Cllr Harvey added: "Who approached who initially? We found ourselves in the position of having that proposal [of the 15,000 seater stadium] come forward, the borough council offer land for free, we were in a relationship with Mr Razzak, his board at the football club and Basron developments at the same time, and what I'd like to understand is how has that arrangement come to?

"How did the borough council get into bed with Basron and Mr Razzak at the time?"

However, whilst Cllrs Rebecca Bean and Simon Bound, who were representing the cabinet at the meeting, and officers were unable to answer that question, they will respond after the fact. Cllr Harvey asked for the response to be made public, adding: "The town deserves to know."

Cllr Bean, cabinet member for borough development and improvement, said: "We are here ultimately because Basingstoke Town FC were left unable to play football at the Camrose ground and forced to play in Winchester.

"There has been much said and reported about the sale of the freehold to Basron and the covenant.

"We have no grounds to influence or manage how the freehold was sold to Basron, and no grounds to enforce any covenant as we are not party to the lease."

The football club will also be discussed at a second committee meeting held on Wednesday evening.