Midlands: the Politics Show

Another question we will ask on Sunday 18 May is ... who will foot the bill for the Bill?

West Brom fans bid a fond farewell to the Premier League

Football is Britain's national sport. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to games all over the country each weekend, and the top clubs are enjoying their highest attendances for half a century.

The vast majority of those people are genuine, law abiding, fans, but the sheer numbers involved, coupled with the activities of a hard-core of trouble-makers, mean most matches involve a major police operation.

At the moment, the clubs pay for the cost of policing inside their stadiums. The bill for policing outside grounds, estimated at up to £70m per season, is currently met by the taxpayer.

Clubs to pay?

But now there are moves to make the clubs pick up the bill for that as well. And there are fears that it could force clubs to charge higher ticket prices.

Not surprisingly, this has provoked fierce opposition from clubs in both the Football League and the Premier League.

Some of the smaller league clubs are worried that the added burden of the new policing charges could tip them over the edge into financial ruin.

Police chiefs are leading the campaign to make clubs pay for security outside, as well as inside, grounds. They say it's unfair that local police authorities, funded by taxpayers, have to foot the bill.

Police authorities frustrated with football

Richard Caborn, Sports Minister

The Sports Minister Richard Caborn warned last month: "There is frustration with football within the police authorities.

If we are not careful the bandwagon to charge clubs, and ultimately fans, for the behaviour of lowlife in rip-off designer clothing will be unstoppable."

But the idea of making the clubs pay is opposed by some MPs they say families and other true football fans could end up paying higher ticket prices because of the activities of a small minority of hooligans.

This week the Politics Show Midlands is joined by

Rev Prof Michael Taylor, Patron of the Jubilee Debt Campaign who has had many direct dealings with Clare Short over the years when he was chair of Jubilee 2000 and who spoke to her on 16 May 1998 as part of the human chain in Birmingham and many times since.

and Dr Lynne Jones MP for Birmingham Selly Oak

Plus Adrian Bailey MP for West Bromwich West talking about the policing of football matches

Join presenter Adrian Goldberg for The Politics Show on Sundays at 12 noon on BBC One.

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