Council halts deal with controversial golf club owner

Councillors have pulled the plug on a land deal with the controversial owner of a golf club refusing to pay compensation to a greenkeeper unfairly sacked.

Falkirk Council has halted the sale of almost 3000 square metres of ground to Braes Golf Centre, in Maddiston, saying the deal had taken too long to complete.

The club had wanted the land to extend its carpark but officials are now investigating whether members have already been using the council-owned ground without permission.

The local authority had faced calls from GMB Scotland to pause the deal until owner Stephen Matthews paid compensation to a long-serving greenkeeper dismissed for no reason.

The union, backed by Falkirk politicians, said the council should not do business with Braes until it paid £22,000 awarded by an Employment Tribunal to John Easton, who had cared for the course for 19 years, after dismissing him without justification or notice.

The club wanted to pay £20,000 for the land to extend its carpark but, after previously insisting the deal could not be paused, the council has now withdrawn from the sale claiming it had taken too long.

In addition, officials from its asset management department are now investigating whether the club had already started using the council’s ground for parking without permission.

Photographs taken on the opening day of the season at the club in March show Matthews in front of a line of cars, including his own, parked on council land.

Robert Deavy, GMB Scotland senior organiser, said: “Whatever the reason given for the council halting this deal, it is absolutely the right thing to do.

“No local authority or any other firm or organisation that cares about workers’ rights, should be doing business with this club or its owner until this compensation is paid.

“This club should be a popular asset to the community but its good name is being dragged through the mud.

“Decent members of this club deserve better and our member deserves his money.”

Matthews, a businessman and property developer, took over the club in 2019 before sacking Easton, the head greenkeeper, without warning two years later.

Easton, who had maintained the course for 19 years, had just reported back to work at the club, formerly Polmont Golf Club, in Maddiston, after being furloughed during the pandemic.

An employment tribunal in 2022 heard no reason was given for his sacking and ruled Easton, 64, was unfairly dismissed and awarded him £22,000 compensation.

The award included a 25% uplift because of Matthews “wholly unreasonable” failure to follow employment rules ensuring redundancies are justified.

Euan Stainbank, who was a councillor before becoming Labour MP for Falkirk last year, helped vote through the sale two years ago but said the club’s refusal to pay compensation is a material change and that he fully supported GMB’s campaign. Michelle Thomson MSP has also offered her support to the sacked greenkeeper.

Stainbank said: “If I had known when voting to approve the sale of this land that more than two years later it would not be concluded and the purchaser owed thousands of pounds to an employee unfairly dismissed, it would have been a material factor in my decision.”

The MP joined Mr Easton and union members protesting at the club’s opening day when Matthews threatened “to set the dog” on one union officer before calling police to falsely claim he had been assaulted and staff threatened. Officers took no action.

Easton said: “I still hope he will do the right thing.”

Accounts filed by Ordhead, Matthews’ company, earlier this year suggests it has capital and reserves of £1.8million but no employees.