Perth Voice Interactive

REMEMBER that time your landlord bought your new light bulbs for you?

That’s right, nobody does, yet Vincent ratepayers are being slugged $9000 for light bulb repairs at Leederville Oval so the East Perth and Subiaco footy teams can play under lights.

Vincent CEO Len Kosova has looked over the 21-year lease between the clubs and the council, written up by the former administration, and concluded it’s verbose, vague, and disadvantages the public purse.

Thick documents are long on words and probably funded a lawyer’s new house in Eagle Bay, but Mr Kosova says they say very little definitively and leave questions about who’se responsible for new lightbulbs anyone’s guess.

Mayor John Carey isn’t happy about the lease and says all deals should benefit Joe Ratepayer first and sports clubs second, especially professional outfits like the WAFL clubs.

“It’s not our job to subsidise them,” he says.

“We’re not turfing them out, but we expect a better deal for Vincent ratepayers, and that is a simple ask.”

Mr Kosova’s elves are investigating whether they can tighten the lease, but the sheer length of it (it expires 2024 but there’s a nine-year option the clubs can exercise) will put them at a disadvantage.

by DAVID BELL