THE U’s are set to get a £500,000 windfall from Colchester Council, the Gazette can reveal.

In a 300-page document set to go before the council’s cabinet tonight, councillors will be asked to endorse a decision to waive the club’s rent for the next financial year.

It would mean the Weston Homes Community Stadium would not have to pay the £500,000.

It comes just days after the council refused Essex County Cricket Board pleas to waive £3,000 fees to hire the Castle Park cricket ground and parking area.

Days later, Colchester Cricket Week was cancelled.

Colchester Council has been called out on the decisions, with Beverley Davis, (Con) shadow councillor for resources, saying she was “very concerned”.

However, it has been revealed the council has been due to hand over the money to the U’s since 2008.

Tim Young, (Lab) deputy leader of Colchester Council, said: “This links back to when the stadium was built.

“We received rent in advance of £500,000 while the stadium was being built and we said we would repay this through a one-off reduction in rent sometime in the next ten years.

“We are coming up to the end of those ten years.”

Mr Young said rather than wait for the end of the ten years, the council had decided to pay back the money in the next financial year.

He said: “We are in year eight since it was built.

“This happening at the same time [as the refusal to waive the £3,000 for Essex County Cricket Board] is coincidence.

“But I know it looks bad.”

The £500,000 was given to Colchester Council by Colchester United in 2008 as an advance in rent.

It is thought it was done by the club at the time to show its commitment to moving into the site outskirts of town.

At the time, the U’s were playing in Layer Road.

A final decision on whether to hand the money over will be made by the council’s cabinet at a meeting tonight.