At an extraordinary meeting of Frome Town Council on 10 December, councillors voted to remove the exclusive right of current tenants Badgers Hill Ltd (BHL) to lease or buy the site. They also voted to delegate authority for decisions over significant health and safety concerns to the Town Clerk, Leader of the Council Fiona Barrows and Lead Councillor for Assets Steve Tanner.
BHL retain the tenancy at will for Badgers Hill and remain the operators of Frome Town AFC and can submit a new business plan to proceed to a lease with the right to buy. However, the decision means a third party or parties could also approach the council and bid to lease or buy Badgers Hill. Bids from all parties will be reviewed at the full council meeting in March 2026.
FTC granted the exclusive right to lease or buy Badgers Hill to BHL at a previous extraordinary meeting on 2 July 2025, at an annual market rent of £32,000 and on a ‘sold as seen’ basis. Due to the proximity of the 2025 football season, a temporary ‘tenancy at will’ was agreed while legal discussions continued. FTC called the extraordinary meeting due to a lack of response from BHL about the lease and the results of health and safety, fire and legionella assessments at the site.
The meeting heard from newly appointed board member of Badgers Hill Limited Martyn Starnes and colleague David Parry, as well as several members of Frome’s footballing community. The mood at the meeting was sombre but there was a clear consensus of the importance of the site and of football for Frome, with councillors and attendees sharing passion for and commitment to Badgers Hill.
BHL acknowledged the issues to date and explained that Courtney Fong, the US-based investor behind Badgers Hill Ltd has been dealing with significant family issues. Mr Fong has recently asked Martyn Starnes to step up as CEO for Badgers Hill Ltd, as he has a demonstrated track record of running football clubs including Yeovil Town, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle. He has not yet decided whether to accept the CEO role but requested an extension to the exclusivity until January 2026, to allow time to prepare a full business plan.
Councillors voted by a small majority to proceed to an open tender immediately, but made it clear that they would welcome a business plan from BHL with a directive that Health and Safety concerns must be addressed.
Watch the meeting in full on the FTC YouTube channel: bit.ly/watch-extraordinary-meeting-10-dec
