Carlisle United’s supporters’ trust say a proposal at the top of the club which led to the resignation of the trust chairman has since “advanced”.

CUOSC did not say what the proposal was, or who was behind it, but confirmed it came from an “organisation”.

In newly-published minutes from a members’ meeting held yesterday, the fans’ trust said it concerned “succession” at Brunton Park, and that those behind it had presented a “vision” for the Blues.

The comments come just weeks after CUOSC chair John Kukuc told The Cumberland News he had quit his position with the supporters’ body because he did not agree with the “tight timescale” in which he had been asked to make a decision on the proposal by directors on United’s holdings board.

He also did not disclose details of the proposal. The holdings board consists of Carlisle’s owners Andrew Jenkins, John Nixon and Steven Pattison, director Lord Clark, CUOSC’s Billy Atkinson and John Jackson, group financial controller of the club’s main financial backers Edinburgh Woollen Mill, who many fans have speculated may seek closer involvement at Brunton Park.

The minutes show that, when asked about Kukuc’s resignation, CUOSC’s other club director Jim Mitchell said the proposal “was concerned with succession”.

“The process has since advanced a bit and he [Mitchell] was optimistic there would be more news soon,” the minutes continued.

Atkinson said he could not go into details about the proposal due to “confidentiality.”

He said, though, that CUOSC leaders had met “representatives” of the interested party and that “there was a plan/vision outlined that CUOSC were party to”. The trust were seeking more information on it, the minutes added.

They added the “organisation” they had spoken to “doesn’t want to exclude supporters”, and CUOSC were confident of being able to give more details soon.

EWM have today declined to comment on the matter and whether they are the "organisation" involved.

Atkinson, meanwhile, “refuted” the suggestion that Kukuc had not known enough about the proposal to make a decision when asked. He said it was the process rather than the “objective” of the proposal that Kukuc had disagreed with, and he had not been “forced” down any particular path.

CUOSC said that they would consider reducing their shareholding in the club “if the right party came along”, but added: “Nothing is being given away.”

Atkinson and Mitchell said all financial approaches to the club had asked them to dilute their stake. “While we wished it wasn't like that, that was the reality,” the minutes added.

The CUOSC directors, meanwhile, refused to confirm whether they would consult members over any possible dilution and said they were not legally obliged to do so.

Trust members voted to dilute their stake in 2015 when the Andrew Lapping investment proposal was on the table.

Asked if members would be consulted over a different proposal, CUOSC replied: “There are no guarantees. It would depend on the circumstances of any specific offer….ideally it would again. The [CUOSC] board had legal right within the constitution to agree to dilution without a member vote.”

Atkinson added that CUOSC would not be simply “giving up” shares under any proposal.

The trust were also asked about other approaches, such as that fronted by ex-players Chris Lumsdon and Steve Skinner recently. CUOSC said that bid, which involved unnamed local business people, “had gone via the ‘back door’.”

Mitchell also claimed there had not been enough “wherewithal to take the club forward” in both the Lapping proposal and a separate failed bid in 2016 involving city businessman Robin Brown. The latter had been backed by CUOSC.

Trust chiefs also confirmed to fans that there were sell-on clauses in the deals of Sam Cosgrove at Aberdeen and Dean Henderson at Manchester United, with Carlisle having received some funds through other clauses in the latter’s contract.

Atkinson also said there would be “funds available” to strengthen the squad in January.

On managers, Atkinson said there had been “some disagreement” on whether to remove Steven Pressley at holdings board level two weeks before his sacking.

“He [Pressley] was assessed thereafter and the decision eventually taken to part ways,” said the minutes, which are published on CUOSC's Facebook page.

Atkinson added that new head coach Chris Beech had been “earmarked” by the club and had been recommended to the holdings board by director of football David Holdsworth.

CUOSC, meanwhile, denied that Michael Bridges – the one-time bookies’ favourite – had been interviewed for the job.

United have been invited to comment.