Bride Parish Commissioners has launched a legal challenge to the setting up a new board to run the Northern Civic Amenity site.

It has filed a high court petition against the Department of Infrastructure claiming that the move was brought in without proper consultation.

And it argues that Bride ratepayers’ rights under the European Convention of Human Rights have been breached as they are being made to pay a disproportionate contribution to the cost of running the new board.

In the high court this week, Deemster Andrew Corlett approved an application by the claimant’s lawyer to stay the proceedings - put them on hold - for one month to allow discussions to take place with the aim of resolving the whole dispute.

Deemster Corlett said: ‘I hope that the parties can reach and amicable agreement in this matter.’

DoI Minister Tim Crookall made an order on June 22 this year to set up the Northern Civic Amenity Joint Board to run the tip at Balladoole. The order came into force on July 24.

Mr Crookall had warned the Balladoole tip would close unless the new arrangements were put in place. The tip had previously been managed through a joint committee.

Bride Parish Commissioners filed a petition of doleance on October 22.

It seeks to quash the Minister’s decision and also the order itself.

The tip has previously faced closure after Bride Village Commissioners pulled out in protest at the size of fees it was being asked to pay.

Villagers have renewed those concerns as operating costs have risen following the appointment of a private contractor to run the facility.

Manx Rock was awarded the contract to run the Balladoole site this year, but operating costs have risen to £725,000 for the current financial year. Last year they were below £500,000.

The share paid by each of the seven northern local authorities is calculated according to rateable value.

Although Bride has the island's lowest rates at 70p in the pound, its rateable value, at 15.3%, is second only to Ramsey in the north, largely because of the Point of Ayre quarry.

As a result, its contribution towards running the site has increased to £111,020 for 2026-27 - equivalent to around £650 per household across Bride's 170 properties.

The figure is around double Andreas' contribution and about three times that paid by Jurby.

In the high court, questions were raised about whether the petition had been lodged out of time. Doleance petitions should be filed within three months.

Ruth Costain, representing the DoI, said it was the department’s position that proceedings had been brought out of time by almost a month.

But she said the DoI would not oppose an extension for the filing of the doleance claim should it proceed.

The court heard that there were two interested parties - the Attorney General’s chambers and the Northern Civic Amenity Joint Board.

Advocate for the claimant, Steven Coren, told the court that there was potential legal issue as to whether the board currently exists or not.