Club claims the area around its new ground must look better – but won’t pay for clean-up

England’s top Premier League teams attract huge crowds and legions of devoted supporters around the globe. But closer to home they are facing charges of behaving with bullying arrogance towards the communities from which they sprang.

Tottenham Hotspur, the world’s 11th richest club, plays in one of Britain’s most deprived areas. The club has angered locals by protesting that the streets around its new £850m stadium are too dirty for fans and could damage its ambitions to establish “one of the world’s most unique entertainment venues”.

Confidential memos from senior figures in the Labour-run London borough of Haringey, seen by the Observer, highlight Spurs’ complaints that excessive levels of litter and fly-tipping in Tottenham will have a negative impact on the image of their as yet unopened ground, and that the local authority, which has suffered £280m of cuts over the past decade, should pay for cleaning after matches and events.

One memo, written following a meeting between club officials and the council, states: “Spurs were very dismissive as to the current state/appearance of Tottenham and implied that this was not an acceptable environment for their new stadium and supporters.” Another notes: “Spurs as you may be aware quite an aggressive operator [sic]. When the question of all the extra cleaning needed was raised and who would fund it it was made very clear that it would not be paid for by Spurs.”

Residents’ groups have accused Spurs of being insensitive and arrogant towards a community with chronic social problems. Council officials have estimated that it would cost the club about £8,000 to pay for street cleaning after each match or event, which they say Spurs could easily afford. The club had a recent annual turnover of £306m, with £58m profit. The average annual salary for a first-team player is £3.5m, while striker Harry Kane signed a six-year, £62.4m contract in June. One senior Labour councillor, who did not wish to be named, said: “With bigger crowds and more events, extra cleaning is going to be required around the stadium. It’s only fair that Spurs pay for it because they will be generating increased income compared to what they made at their old White Hart Lane ground.”

According to another memo, Spurs are also demanding the council pay £500,000 to resurface part of Tottenham High Road that leads to the ground “as its appearance is detrimental to the street scene around the stadium”.

Campaigner Martin Bell said: “The attitude of Spurs beggars belief and is insulting to the people of Tottenham. The club has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the area around their new stadium is kept clean because ultimately they are the ones who are really benefiting from it.”

Haringey Council refused to comment on the row. A spokesman said: “Street cleansing has always been part of the local area management plan requirements for the new stadium. Haringey and Tottenham Hotspur are working closely together to ensure the launch of the new stadium is a success.”

A Spurs spokesman said: “Post-match clean-up cost at White Hart Lane was covered by the club’s business rates. The larger new stadium will bring with it significantly larger business rates payments, which will more than cover increased post-match clean-up costs.”