CAMPAIGNERS have gained support from the Local Government Ombudsman to secure tax-free status for a former leisure centre following a dispute with Durham County Council.

Ferryhill Community Partnership took over the running of Ferryhill Community Hub, on Lambton Road, from the council two years ago and applied to the authority in 2013 for 100 per cent non-domestic rate relief.

The council approved the partnership’s bid for 80 per cent mandatory rate relief but it rejected a bid for a further 20 per cent discretionary rate relief.

The partnership appealed and the Local Government Ombudsman backed the group. The Ombudsman’s initial draft decision has now been rubber stamped.

Brian Gibson, secretary of the partnership, said: “We’ve won the argument that we should have had the full rate of relief.

“We now await the council’s decision on how it thinks the Ombudsman’s decision should be applied in our case.”

Groups who seek 100 per cent relief must fit one of three categories and the Ferryhill group said it was in two of them.

The ratepayer must be a charity whose premises are used for mainly charitable purposes, the premises are occupied by groups whose main objectives are charitable or the premises are wholly or mainly used for recreation by clubs not seeking to make a profit.

The Ombudsman claimed that the council at first refused to explain why discretionary rate relief was not being applied but that it later did so.

Paul Darby, head of finance at the council, said: “We’re carefully considering the Ombudsman’s views.

“We’ll take this into account when reassessing the Ferryhill Community Hub’s applications for rate relief.”