MINEHEAD Football Club could be on course for a brighter future after the man who drafted radical plans to knock its finances into shape this week retook control at the top. Bryan Leaker, a West Somerset councillor and former director of Minehead's Butlins holiday centre, dramatically resigned as the club's chairman shortly before Christmas. He blamed Minehead Town Council - owner of the Irnham Road ground - for failing to give its immediate and cast-iron support over rent and lease issues. But following a meeting of the club's committee on Tuesday night and a series of informal discussions with councillors, Mr Leaker told the Free Press he had withdrawn his resignation and stepped back into the role of chairman. His change of heart is centred on hopes of winning the council's backing for the granting of an immediate five-year lease for the club's facilities and the promise that negotiations for a 25-tenure will begin in May. He has also promised that, once the club is debt- free, a quarter of all the profits it makes will be returned to the council to be spent on club amenities. Mr Leaker said Minehead Mayor Cllr Ann Foxhuntley had indicated she supported the suggestion and had pledged to take it to a meeting of the council's policy and development committee on Thursday. "On that basis and on the proviso that it is eventually accepted by the full council, I have returned as chairman," he said. "We need the five-year lease to give us enough security of tenure so that we can immediately start advertising for functions and we need to do that to generate more revenue." Mr Leaker's action plan to get the club out of debt and on a proper business footing won the support of all 11 youth teams and the Tool Station Western League side last autumn. But he made it clear that the implementation of the three-pronged initiative to manage costs, review the currently low membership fees and generate more income hinged on the council granting an immediate five-year lease to the club. But although councillors gave their general support to an extended lease, they only resolved to "commence negotiations" for the five-year deal and to "consider" granting the 25-year contract. In addition, although announcing an annual rent of £15,000 - which the club has always maintained it is unable to afford - councillors stepped back from a firm commitment to give a grant of £10,000 towards the bill, only saying the council would do so "as far as it was able". Their reluctance was viewed by Mr Leaker as a failure to give the club a clear enough pledge to allow it to apply for grants to improve its facilities and become a profitable enterprise and led to his surprise resignation after less than six months at the helm. In return, Mr Leaker was criticised for his failure to understand the council's position, his "take it or leave it" attitude and his decision to jump ship at the first sign of choppy water. In a statement issued this week, the council said it wanted to correct the impression that it had somehow "let down" the club and its many youth teams by "allegedly failing" to agree to the granting of a 25-year lease with effect from May this year. "The figure of £15,000 annual rent for the Irnham Road building was not arrived at by the town council," said the statement. "The figure, based on a long-term full repairing and insuring lease, was assessed by a qualified valuer instructed by the council in 2004. "The council's auditor has agreed that the council could make a grant of £10,000 to the football club to ease this burden in the short-term. "The council has agreed that it will negotiate a 25- year lease from May 2007, subject to various conditions being met by the club during the intervening months and thereafter. "The council supports Bryan Leaker and his action plan and looks forward to discussing the terms of a new lease in the New Year to our mutual satisfaction." The club is facing further difficulties as it is set to do battle with West Somerset Council, the district licensing authority, at an appeal next Friday over a number of conditions imposed with its entertainment licence. These include a commitment to install CCTV cameras and the limit on the number of functions it is allowed to hold. Mr Leaker said whatever the outcome of the appeal, the pledge not to hold under 18 or under 21 events would remain and repeated the club's earlier commitment to full consultation with local residents on its future plans.