MPs have asked the Serious Fraud Office to open an investigation into the running of a historic golf club in Salford.
Swinton Park Golf Club was purchased by property developer Himor last week, after closing in late 2020.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles, and Barbara Keeley, elected official for Worsley and Eccles South, have now written separate letters to the Attorney General.
Backed by Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, they have urged the specialist fraud team to investigate the way the club has been run since it was taken over by shareholders in 2017.
Mr Dennet has also raised concerns for the future of the land occupied by the club, which he states is "not designated for residential use in the Local Plan".
Last week, property developer Himor - part of Wain Group - bought the club in what he described as a “secret sale”.
The firm confirmed the deal to Manchester Evening News following rumours in the community a multi-million pound offer on the club had been accepted.
A spokesperson for Himor said: “Swinton Park Golf Club was permanently closed in September 2020.
"Accordingly, the club was then offered for sale in November 2020 with HIMOR successfully acquiring it earlier this week.
"We are now committed to consulting with local residents, through the appropriate processes, to explore potential uses which best meet local needs.”
The site was bought for £1.2m in 2017, when a few dozen members stepped in to help save the club from bankruptcy, in exchange for shares.
Since then, at least three separate property firms have attempted to purchase the site, which is listed as an Asset of Community Value, and a dedicated recreational area in the City of Salford's development plans.
Following the Himor deal, Rebecca Long-Bailey has written to the Attorney General, requesting the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigate the matter
A Save Swinton Park group is also looking to challenge the legality of the 2017 sale, stating one of the clauses of the deal was that the site must remain a golf club.
Barbara Keeley MP said: “The last year during the pandemic has shown the importance of access to open spaces to people’s mental and physical wellbeing. As we move forward, we need more green spaces for recreation, not fewer.
“Salford Council has rightly designated Swinton Golf Course as recreation space, and it must be maintained for public use rather than used for housing, which could be built elsewhere. It has also been designated an Asset of Community Value.
“Both the former and current owners must explain what steps they are taking to ensure the people of Salford do not lose this important community resource.
“I have written to the Attorney General supporting Rebecca Long-Bailey’s request that the Serious Fraud Office looks into the sale of the course to ensure that this was done legitimately and that the people of Salford are not wrongly losing this important asset.”
The case was originally raised with Lisa Osofsky, the director of the SFO in 2019, when Bellway were reportedly attempting to buy the site for around £30m.
However, the office didn't think the case was complex enough to need their help.
Alan Nuttall, the former majority stakeholder in the club, called the investigation requests a joke.
He said: “It’s absolutely pathetic, it’s a complete joke.
“We never seem to get the chance to defend ourselves here - the sale was handled by two of the most established law companies in Manchester and they’re not going to do something which is illegal.
“We know that we’ve done nothing wrong, people don’t know the day-to-day stuff, the directors injected personal money to keep it going, we borrowed £50,000 on a Covid loan, it’s a complete and utter fabricated joke.
“I’m more than prepared to meet anyone face to face because this is the only way we’ll ever get this sorted out and stop all the lies.
“If they’ve got legitimate questions to ask then that’s fine, I’m happy to answer them.”
Mr Nuttall bought more than 600 shares of the club, investing almost £700,000 to keep it afloat when it hit financial difficulties in 2017.
He’d been a member of the club for more than 35 years, and felt like he had to invest in the site or watch the bank foreclose on the course.
Opened in the middle of the General Strike of 1926, the course closed on September 30 last year, after the owners claimed the club was losing money, and wasn't economically viable.
A viability report created by Salford Council, published just one week earlier, claimed that the club was a viable business, and saw potential buyer Your Housing Group withdraw their £20m offer to buy the site.
Since this offer was withdrawn, the campaign group offered to buy the site for £1.5m, an offer that was declined by the current owners.
Dave Marsh, the chair of Save Swinton Park campaign group, hopes Mrs Long-Bailey's request will be listened to.
He said: "It's not about the golfers anymore, we can play elsewhere, I'm worried about the residents, the generations to come, and the green space.
"For the purpose of decency, honesty, and the human beings that live there, there needs to be some form of investigation into how it's been purchased, and how it's been run.
"You don't get Mayors that are up for election at the moment going out of their way to say this is wrong and they're opposing it unless there's a reason to be against the development.
"We can't stop anybody buying the site or building on it but this deal needs to be looked into."
Himor declined to make further comment.
