The future of a historic working men's club in Oxford is under threat because of soaring debts and a bitter feud between the chairman and committee.

Tom Doliamie

Sackings, legal proceedings and a row over the size and cost of a new clubhouse are also dogging the Morris Motors Athletic & Social Club, in Crescent Road, Cowley, which has about 1,500 members.

Club accountant Rod Smitham told the Oxford Mail: "I don't exactly know what our outgoing invoices amount to, but I reckon the club now owes about £111,000.

"The trouble is there were a lot of county court judgments against the club and each one of those involves costs. Then there are unpaid VAT bills and PAYE since January last year.

"The club is on the brink but we are hopeful we can save it."

More than £40,000 of the club's debt is owed to developer Chesside Homes, which has planning permission to build a replacement club house and houses and flats around the club's athletics field.

Mr Smitham said that the developer could obtain enforcement orders for "astronomical" sums if delays in developing the site continue.

The club was due to sell off a portion of its three-acre site, which Morris Motors founder Lord Nuffield bought for members in the 1920s, to raise funds to build a replacement for its crumbling clubhouse.

But the way forward has been put into disarray following an outbreak of serious infighting.

In February this year the executive committee sacked club chairman Tom Doliamie. In August he took county court action, was reinstated and in turn axed the entire committee.

Mr Doliamie has also started legal proceedings against former committee members in a bid to hold them personally responsible for losses amounting to more than £100,000.

Mr Doliamie said: "All the delays and legal problems have led to increasing costs. We are determined to go ahead with our rebuilding programme. But the club's future is now in doubt."

He added: "I have now started proceedings to recover the costs of legal expenses, and the costs of delays, from the former committee members personally. Why should the club pay for their incompetence?"

But committee members deny incompetence. One member, who did not want to be named for legal reasons, said: "The dispute is about whether the club can really afford to build a new 28,000 sq ft clubhouse, which would involve taking on £1.3m debt, or whether we should opt for a smaller 17,000 sq ft clubhouse with no debt."

He added: "Between us the suspended committee members have 200 years experience and have worked for companies associated with Morris. Mr Doliamie is a newcomer and has not worked for any of the companies."

Meanwhile, former committee members have been banned from the club but are continuing to make use of its facilities. Mr Smitham said: "If we try to prevent them coming in there will be a punch-up, but we're pursuing them through the courts with a view to obtaining an injunction."

He added that a meeting of the full membership called to discuss the club's problems had been marred by heckling reminiscent of 1970s trade union tactics at the Cowley car works.

Club secretary Michael Kelly has compiled a report on the club's affairs. He says its office is "like entering a time warp" and that investment is necessary. He adds that club records and financial records are either incomplete or missing.

In the report he says improvement in financial management "is an absolute priority area for development/action. Only by developing an open and robust financial system will the opportunities for abuse and allegations of fraud be countered."

Further problems exist for the club since solicitors and auditors have ceased to act for it following non-payment of fees.

Planning permission for redevelopment at the club involves an agreement for social housing which in turn involved an agreement with a mortgage company. Delays were caused after one mortgage company pulled out of the deal. Mr Smitham claims another company is now on board and that the co-opted committee is legally entitled to sign a new agreement -- without which redevelopment cannot proceed.

Mr Kelly wrote in his report: "This year alone the costs of legal actions against the club total in excess of £90,000. Whether these costs were lawfully and reasonably incurred and whether they should be borne by the members of the club or by those responsible for incurring those debts is a matter for the members and club solicitors."

He added: "One thing however that is absolutely certain is that if the infighting continues the club just cannot survive."