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Everton are locked in a war of words with Liverpool City Council over the Blues' dream move to a new stadium at Walton Hall Park .

Chief Executive Robert Elstone insists the club are not “going out with a begging bowl”, but has called on the local authority and other stakeholders to confirm the “terms” with which they want to work on the project in order to move it forward.

Elstone, who delivered an update on Everton’s hopes for a new ground at Monday night’s General Meeting , stressed that a new stadium at Walton Hall Park - a move he calls a “game changer” for Everton - would form part of a wider regeneration scheme for the area and said the scheme needs a "true partnership".

But Everton are now at loggerheads with the city council and as the Blues CEO was providing an update at the Philharmonic Hall in front of the club’s shareholders, Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted: “Re EFC, CEO comments at AGM that they are ready on stadium. I am looking forward to receiving their planning and financial proposals tomorrow.”

Mayor Anderson later issued a statement which read: “I think that’s an insult to me and the council. This is a council that helped Everton by purchasing Finch Farm. We are trying to find a solution, so to say we are not working in partnership is an insult.

“We are still willing to talk but to say they have not got true partnership is not helpful.”

The Mayor added that he would be studying the full transcript of the Meeting before making a full comment.

Elstone outlined a series of areas in which Everton have made progress, including a ‘masterplan' for the site, assembling a planning team and holding talks with stadium naming rights agencies, but stressed that the Blues could not complete the project by themselves and refuted the idea that the “onus” had to be on the Blues.

He said: “The message was that it is a huge, fantastic opportunity for Everton Football Club and because of that we are devoting a lot of time and resource to it.

“The next message was that it is a very challenging project and we referenced the number of 50,000 seater stadia that have been built in the last 15 years and, in truth, there is only probably one and that is Arsenal.

“Manchester City and West Ham have had a couple of nice gifts.

“Because it is really difficult what we have decided to do - and it is absolutely the right thing to do - is to try and establish a true partnership approach and to do that is reflecting how we might help and work with partners including the local authority and other stakeholders in the city and that is why we have developed a project that would transform the city and regenerate, certainly regenerate north Liverpool.

“As part of that we offered a deal that would be a net positive contributor to the city delivering economic benefit, social benefit and, indeed, delivering cash.

“Where we are now is that we need confirmation of the partnership terms that the stakeholders want to work to and that is critical in making the next step forward.”

"We cannot do it alone" - Robert Elstone

Elstone, whose presentation at the General Meeting also covered new investment and plans to expand the club’s international presence, added: “We haven’t sat on our hands. We’ve done lots and lots of things and the shareholders saw tonight 17 or 18 significant things that we have advanced.

“But if there was a bottom line to it, or an enduring message, is that we cannot do it on our own. We absolutely cannot do it on our own.

“To achieve that partnership is it important that all the stakeholders view this in its entirety, as a project that can transform and regenerate north Liverpool and has to be much more than a new stadium for Everton with a few bolt-ons or add-ons and it’s our job to make the city, the local authority, the residents and the rate payers and all the stakeholders view it in that way, as something so big and so positive and so good for the city of Liverpool.”

The Everton chief executive said he remains hopeful that all parties can come together and make the project happen but insists that “vision” was needed by all those involved in the project.

Elstone revealed that £2.5m has been set aside to fund the planning application process but they are not at that stage yet.

“I don’t know what the perception is but the truth of it is that we have adopted a partnership approach which looks to deliver to all the stakeholders,” Elstone went on to say.

“So we wouldn’t work with the city council without delivering something in return, and that is jobs, that is housing, that is a destination we can be proud of, that is a park we can be proud of and better than the one we currently we have. An enhanced park.

No begging bowl from Blues

“So we are making all those commitments to deliver things that our partners want and need and will benefit our partners.

“It is not about going out with a begging bowl, it’s about delivering things that stakeholders want and need and putting a value on that.

“We have been thinking about Walton Hall Park for a couple of years and recognised at the out-set that to bring it to fruition we needed to engage with the entire city and public and private sector bodies that were going to help us.

“And that is why we have talked to health, education, community, social services and other aspects of the city.

“And why indeed we are talking to the local authority.

“And there have been very positive expressions of interest from all of those stakeholders who can see something that can be hugely beneficial for north Liverpool, the city and the city region so I think with some ambition, some vision and some entrepreneurialism then we can make this thing work - but we need all of those things to take it forward.”

“It is not an easy project, as I said we talked about the very small number of stadia of this scale that have been developed,” he added.

“It is not an easy project, it will take a lot of work and a lot of things to fall into place.

“It will take some vision, it will take some ambition but Everton sits here firmly believing it can be achieved and firmly believes that if we are to really move the club forward then this will be critical to that development.”

Goodison redevelopment would not tick all the right boxes

Elstone confirmed that Everton continue to look into the idea of redeveloping Goodison but as the chief executive explains, doing so would not solve all of their problems.

The Blues chief exec says the club could create up to 7,000 new seats but issues would remain.

“We’ve always had an eye on Goodison but what people saw tonight is that under the previous TV cycle finances were tight when, over a three year period, we posted an operating loss of £6m before interest and player trading, the financial landscape was tough,” he said.

“And in that period, the investment we were able to make into Goodison totalled, over three years, was £1.5m. We’ve already seen in this TV cycle that has increased by £5m and we reported on some of the things we have done.

“The new TV deal will open up more opportunities but what is really important to us is whatever we do at Goodison has to make economic sense and that’s why we applied the same tests: will it add incremental profit? Will it future proof us? Will it be a statement of ambition and intent?

Park End increase the only option

“But within the profit bit it is about capacity, hospitality, it’s about concourse space and about sight lines and everything we do has to make a difference to those to have an impact on the football club’s business model.

“Looking at the situation at Goodison, maybe it is only the Park Stand that can add capacity but that leaves a lot of the problems in situ.

“Whether we can look at redeveloping behind Bullens, that land acquisition will be time consuming it will be expensive and those factors mean the economic model are going to be difficult.

“Where we are is to see how Walton Hall Park progresses but we are determined to try and give that the best chance it possible can have of success.

“But the Goodison Park redevelopment model is very limited.”