WARRINGTON Borough Council owns property valued at £365 million – excluding houses and flats.
It includes investment property earning more than £6 million a year and community property producing an income of £165,000.
This is revealed in a report to members of the council’s economy and resources overview and scrutiny committee by environment chief Andy Farrall..
The report sets out the council’s approach to managing more than 26,000 properties.
These include the Town Hall, schools, industrial units, shops, allotments, parkland and highways grass verges.
It is a diverse and unwieldy portfolio, yet significant and valuable.
“In short, it is typical of of a local authority property estate – a historical accident, a legacy of piecemeal acquisitions, boundary changes and mergers,” the document states.
The council has four reasons for owning property :
*Operational, such as schools, leisure centres, libraries.
*Investment, such as industrial units, shops, etc which generate income for the council.
*Regeneration, such as vacant land.
*Community, property let to charities, community groups, etc.
If a property is not held for one of these purposes, then the use is challenged and this often leads to it eventually be disposed of.
This generates capital, reduces maintenance costs and demonstrates business efficiency.
1 Comment
So reading between the lines…. what buildings are they now thinking of selling off that are not bing used for one of the stated 4 purposes…. and what’s the definition of a Historical Accident 🙂 🙂 🙂