Bees supporters on the march

9:49am Tuesday 29th March 2005

More than 1000 Barnet FC fans marched through Barnet on Saturday, in protest against what they say is Barnet Council's lack of assistance in helping the club realise its ambition of building a new stadium.

Saturday's match - which took place immediately after Barnet's 7-1 win over Farnborough Town and saw fans make their way through the High Street, Barnet, as far as the Chipping Barnet Conservative's office in Hadley Green - attracted national media interest.

Councillor Brian Salinger is a Barnet fan, but he did not go on the march. He told the BBC: "Looking for a site suitable for a football stadium in a borough like Barnet is difficult. The football club is a private organisation. It's not the council's responsibility to find them a site."

This prompted a furious reaction from the club's chairman, Tony Kleanthous, who said: "At the very least Barnet Council has a moral responsibility. Is Mr Salinger saying the council is never going to find us a site and we will have to move away?

"If that is the position, let the council say so and compensate us for the years of time spent trying to find a solution and the large sums of money spent. We can then move on, and get on with our lives."

Mr Salinger did say that he hoped the club stayed in the borough however.