Issue - items at meetings - Schedule of Proposed Disposals

Cabinet to: -

1) Receive an update on the disposal of properties and sites deemed surplus to requirement in line with the council’s Policy for the Disposal of Property, and

2) Approve the disposal of properties and sites identified in Appendices A and B as proposals to meet the three year capital receipts target of £33m up to 2020/21

Please note: this report contains both exempt and non-exempt information.

To discuss the exempt information detailed in Appendices A and B to the published report, consideration must first be given to whether the public and press should be excluded from the meeting by passing the following resolution: -

In accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, consideration must be given to confirm whether members of the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for this item of business because it is likely that, if present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 A to the Act, and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, sought approval of the disposal of sites declared surplus to the council’s land and property requirements in support of the need to achieve the Meeting the Challenge Year 3 Capital Receipt Target of £33m for the period up to 2020/21.

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and the reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet noted the report and, in line with the council’s Policy for the Disposal of Property,

RESOLVED to:

1) Confirm that those sites described at Appendix A (Exempt) which had previously been declared surplus by Cabinet in October 2019 and not yet disposed of, continue to be declared surplus to requirements and

2) Declare the sites listed on the proposed Schedule of Disposals Appendix B (Exempt) surplus to the Council’s land and property requirements,

and in relation to both of these schedules,

3) Delegate authority to the Assistant Director – Asset Management and Property Services (AMPS) to dispose of the sites in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Change and the Council’s Chief Financial Officer.

Prior to the discussion, members were advised that, should Cabinet wish to discuss the contents of the exempt information reported at Appendix A and Appendix B of the report, consideration would need to be given as to whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

Cabinet agreed to consider this item without having to refer to the exempt information.

Cllr Lynden Stowe, Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, sought approval of the disposal of sites declared surplus to the council’s land and property requirements in support of the need to achieve the Meeting the Challenge Year 3 Capital Receipt Target of £33m for the period up to 2020/21.

Cllr Stowe informed members that the report included details of the completed sale of land and properties sold since October 2019. In response to a request from an opposition member in attendance at the cabinet meeting on 29 January 2020, Appendix A to the report, (exempt information), included the names of corporate purchasers for the sale of land and properties, (agreed and ongoing). Appendix B, (exempt information), included details of new, (proposed), sales of land and properties.

Adhering to government, (data protection), legislation, and further to discussions with other authorities, the names of private purchasers were not included in the report.

The report was referred to as encouraging, including notification of a recent sale of land where the landowner had commenced the planting of trees.