By Thom Kennedy

Last updated at 12:37, Saturday, 17 July 2010

A rugby club which battled to reduce its water bills after an astronomical rise is hoping a national consultation to bring rates back down could put an end to its worries.

Penrith Rugby Club was left stunned in November 2008 when a new system of drainage charging threatened to increase its annual water bill from £671 to nearly £11,000.

After fighting a spirited battle the club achieved a two-year stay of execution, but now they could permanently see off the threat of the new charging with a consultation being launched by the Department for Food the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).

And the club hopes its own experiences can help influence the outcome of Defra’s consultation.

The club’s honorary treasurer Chris Lilley said: “Hopefully, this is the last round in our fight to get our bill down to acceptable levels and we now need to lobby hard, with the Rugby Football Union, associate groups and our MP in the next few months to achieve this.

“I’m hoping that the various sporting bodies really band together and come forward with representations, and the consultation document is pretty comprehensive.

“The last round we won wasn’t the final round, but the final round is looming.”

The rise which clubs like Penrith are fighting is because water company United Utilities is to bill each club on its surface area, not its rateable value.

Penrith Rugby Club runs more than 10 teams, with youngsters as young as eight taking part, and runs an adult team in the North 2 East league which sees it competing across the north of England.

Overall, the club has an annual turnover approaching £200,000 – much of which is reinvested into junior rugby which would have been seriously affected by the changes.

Defra is to consider whether community groups such as churches, scout groups and sports clubs should be exempt from the new system.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “We want to make sure that community and voluntary groups do not face unaffordable water bills.

“In some cases this part of the bill had become so high that it was threatening the future of many Scouts, sports and church groups. Now such bills will be fair and affordable,” added Mr Benyon.

First published at 08:57, Saturday, 17 July 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk