Carlisle United's Holdings board have refused to comment on new claims about ownership "succession" talks made by the supporters' trust.

CUOSC made a number of comments on the top-level situation at Brunton Park in a members' meeting.

They said discussions were about to resume over the fate of the Blues and that lawyers were involved.

They also said that how transfer income will be used depends on the outcome of discussions.

CUOSC also said "a form of agreement" had been reached between United backers Edinburgh Woollen Mill and the EFL in 2019 before the situation stalled.

The News & Star put these specific claims to the club hierarchy for a response.

We also asked for their view on CUOSC's concerns over the time the process is taking and a "lack of openness" about aspects.

But we were told today that the senior United figures who sit on the Holdings board at Brunton Park would not be commenting.

Other than CUOSC's representative Billy Atkinson, who made the above claims to supporters trust members, CUFC Holdings consists of owners John Nixon, Andrew Jenkins and Steven Pattison, shareholder Lord Clark, and John Jackson from EWM/Purepay Retail Limited, the company to whom United owe more than £2m.

In minutes from a members' meeting held last week, CUOSC man Atkinson said: "The use of transfer funds was still to be fully decided and required the [succession] process to be concluded before firm decisions could be made - including the option to use them to reduce debt."

Atkinson also said CUOSC wanted to ensure the major shareholders with the controlling stake - Jenkins, Nixon and Pattison - "got a fair deal in any settlement reached."

Referring to the history of talks between United and EWM, CUOSC said a plan in 2019 had become so advanced that CUOSC had been liaising with PR people at the EFL.

"However, the plans changed and we had made it clear that we did not agree with the changed version.

"In the meantime a form of agreement was reached between EWM and the EFL but this was not revealed to the other shareholders, including CUOSC.

"The pandemic then intervened."

CUOSC said they stated their "new position" during a series of meetings earlier this year.

Having said in July that the matter was likely to be resolved "in a few weeks", they now say seven weeks later that further talks had been delayed by holidays, "some taken by Billy and some by other people involved, including lawyers.

"The process was about to recommence and would continue into October."

The EFL has also tonight declined to comment on CUOSC's claim that an agreement had been reached between the League and EWM two years ago, or on whether they are aware of/involved in current talks over potential ownership change at Carlisle.

The EFL said it does not comment on individual matters of clubs relating to changes of control.