Agenda item

Strategic Asset Disposal Update

Minutes:

The Director of Regeneration and Place introduced this report, the purpose of which was to provide and update on the current disposal programme which was approved at Policy and Resources committee on 12 July 2023. 

The report sought approval to declare further assets as surplus to requirements and to add them to the disposal programme.  The disposal programme would generate capital receipts which would help the council in delivering a number of the priorities of the Wirral Plan 2021-26. 

 

At a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on 9th November 2022, the Council approved the Asset Strategy 2022-2027.  The strategy identified the need to establish a 5-year strategic property asset disposal programme.

 

To demonstrate to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government that the Council had sufficient assets for disposal, the Council had to demonstrate that it could meet the capitalisation sum.  The Capitalisation Directives of 2020/21 and 2021/22 were granted following an application to permit the use of capital streams to fund revenue expenditure incurred by the Council in respect of the pressures or income losses emanating from financial pressures.

 

In response to this, a review was undertaken of the Council’s assets and a list of assets was prepared for disposal to the Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting of 12th July 2023.  At that meeting, Members approved the disposal of 24 assets.  In addition, the report also identified assets which were already in the disposal programme.

 

Members discussed various aspects of the report, specifically Europa Boulevard, the Vue Cinema, Pyramids and Grange Shopping Centre.

 

At this point in the discussion it was suggested that these assets were subject to commercial sensitivity and therefore should be discussed in a closed session. 

 

It was therefore, resolved - That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The Public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

 

Following a discussion, it was confirmed that whilst it had been assumed that the purchase price for these assets had yet to be publicly released, they had been included in the Treasury Management Report presented to the Policy and Resources Committee in February 2024.

 

Members then discussed various assets such as Bromborough Library, Pennant House and Old Hall Road Sites as well as querying the balance remaining on previous capitalisation loans.

 

The meeting returned to public session, and the Committee apologised to Councillor Bird and a Member of the press for the misunderstanding.

 

 

Resolved – That,

 

(1)  the position of the current disposal programme be noted.

(2)  The following assets be declared surplus to requirements;

 

·  Conway Centre, Conway Street, Birkenhead

·  Ivy Farm Cottage, Arrowe Park

·  Pennant House, The Village, Bebington

·  Land at Upton Bypass, Upton

·  Former Laser Engineering Centre, Campbeltown, Birkenhead

 

(3)  The Director of Regeneration and Place, in consultation with the Director of Law and Corporate Services, be authorised to:

 

(a)  Consider and determine any responses or objections to the sale of any of the assets listed at recommendation 2 above which are considered to be open space as defined by Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 and progress and conclude sales of the assets on the best terms reasonably possible;

 

(b)  Consider and determine any responses or objections to the sale of the land comprising open space at Old Clatterbridge Road, Bebington as defined by Section 123 of t6he Local Government Act 1972 and to progress the sale of the land at Old Clatterbridge Road, Bebington to the residents on the terms set out in paragraph 3.14 of the report; and

 

 

(c)  Progress with a procurement process for the appointment of a development partner to deliver affordable housing on Bebington Town Hall and former Council offices, Seaview Road, Liscard, and appoint the best performing bidder(s).

 

 

 

 

 

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