Talks on Walsall's Banks's stadium now 'urgent', says chief

Walsall Council were today facing mounting pressure to help the Saddlers safeguard their future after Labour called on them to meet the club.

The party want the council, which is under a minority Conservative rule, to hold "urgent talks" with the club and fans about the sale of the Banks's Stadium.

In a statement they stopped short of saying the council should make a bid for the ground but insisted the local authority should take a more proactive role in the sale process.

It follows a campaign, led by music producer and lifelong fan Steve Jenkins, to convince the council to buy the freehold.

Council leader Mike Bird has dismissed the idea, insisting they cannot afford to invest, despite the extra £250,000 in rent a year the council would receive from the Saddlers.

Labour leader Tim Oliver said: "This out of hand rejection of a role for the council in the club's future is short sighted, to say the least."