Wirral Council reveals details of Tranmere Rovers £100,000 sponsorship

Jun 16 2010 by Liam Murphy, Birkenhead News

TRANMERE Rovers FC will be sponsored with £100,000 of taxpayers’ money for another year.

The agreement extends the sponsorship of the Prenton Park side by Wirral Council, which officials say benefits from the publicity and the club’s involvement with schools and the community.

Details of the deal were previously kept secret on the grounds of “commercial confidentiality”.

But council leader Jeff Green said he believed it was important residents can see where their taxes are being spent, describing it as a key priority of his Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration.

He added: “The approach we want to adopt is one of challenging these exemptions.

“This coalition will be more open.

“We will be rigorously examining how the council does things to make sure we are more open and the public has as much information as we can possibly deliver.”

The council has already committed to publish expenditure of more than £500 under the new “progressive partnership” between the Conservative and Lib-Dems, who formed a coalition to take control of the town hall following May’s elections.

Cllr Green said: “It is about challenging the culture of the organisation to one which appreciates it can only spend money we get from the taxpayer.

“It is public money and the public has the right to know what it is being spent on.”

The agreement with Tranmere Rovers is part of a publicity package for the council, but also provides community activities and work with schools on health projects, as well as tickets to matches.