Eskdale miller invokes "right to buy"

David King, miller/manager of the 16th Century Boot Mill at Eskdale, which Cumbria County Council has offered for sale via sealed bids, is to have a court hearing at Whitehaven on Monday, 12th Jan 2004, over his claim that he should be able to buy the mill cottage where he lives with his wife Chiko and two young sons. David thinks that he is entitled to this under the "right to buy" legislation, and would then be able to keep the mill going.

Other bids for the mill include one from the Eskdale Mill and Heritage Trust, and from Boot Mill and Educational Trust (which plans to turn the mill into a micro-brewery and distillery).