Plans for a controversial new mosque in Dudley have moved a step closer after worshippers offered council bosses £325,000 to end a legal dispute over the site earmarked for the development.
Labour-run Dudley Council said it was considering the Dudley Muslim Association’s offer, which would hand the group ownership of the Hall Street site it hopes to build on.
But the revelation sparked fury among opposition councillors, with Ukip group leader Coun Paul Brothwood branding it a “stitch-up” which could be decided by cabinet members only instead of all elected representatives.
The party’s West Midlands Euro MP, Bill Etheridge, added on Twitter: “Today is the day Labour announce they have sold democracy in Dudley borough.
“Apparently this council will agree anything for a price.
“We demand a local referendum – let the people decide.”
The details emerged days after an “anti-Islamisation” march was staged in Dudley by a little-known group called All Football Fans/Firms Against Islamisation.
The event, which proved a wash-out and provoked in-fighting between the few who attended and those who stayed away, was the latest in a string of protests against plans for a replacement for the current Dudley Central Mosque.
The controversial proposals have been the subject of costly court action.
The council won the right to buy the land back from the DMA last year but the group appealed that decision through the High Court and a hearing in the Court of Appeal is looming in October unless a deal can be done.
Council leader Coun Pete Lowe said: “This has been a costly exercise for everyone.
“We have been approached by the Dudley Muslim Association who are keen to avoid any further costly legal disputes for both sides.
“We are carefully considering that offer in the interests of everyone concerned.
“As far as the council is concerned this is about the ownership of the land and getting the best deal for the council tax payers of this borough.”
Deputy leader Coun Judy Foster said: “Community cohesion is very much at the heart of what we are trying to do, and the proposals put forward by the DMA in the planning process show a third of the site will be used for a mosque, with the rest going to community use and car parking.”
The cash offer will be discussed by the council’s cabinet at a meeting on June 25.
It will be recommended to refer the issue to the authority’s overview and scrutiny management board for more consideration.