The Disposal of Council Assets at Auction

Some questions really need to be asked, but more importantly answers have to be given.

Around 50 lots were sold and a value of £1,000,000 attached, the auction brought in around the £2,000,000 mark, double the estimate.

Now, either someone under estimated to encourage bidding or some people realised the true land value and have just walked off with plots of land that will prove to be a developers dream.

There is going to be one loser in all this and that loser is going to the resident because of a Chief Executive who is a loose cannon.

It is unfortunate that these plots were all put up for auction about a month ago but the majority of the people we elected never had a clue about these “bargain basement” sales.


Firstly, the fact that the Chief Executive Steve Wellings never let elected members know about these bargains was confirmed in an email dated 27th February 2008 in which he said,

Quote Chief Executive Steve Wellings

“Firstly, I would like to apologise unreservedly for the fact that we did not let you know in advance about the schedule of assets we were putting up for sale. In our haste to try to arrange the best situation from an asset management and financial view (both laudable aims I am sure you would agree) the sequencing of involving you went awry.”

Have I misunderstood this, he, as the senior council officer allowed tax payers lands and assets to be placed for auction, but failed to consult and inform the very people we elected.

I now ask, just what, as Leader of the Council are you going to do about this Andrew Eade. I know what I am going to do and that is to make a first call for the

Resignation of Chief Executive Steve Wellings.


Steve Wellings goes onto say

“I would like to make it absolutely clear that no deals have been done, that the person who has “offered to buy the site at Arleston” according to the Shropshire Star has not to my knowledge contacted our Asset and Property Management Section “

You already got things wrong with regards informing elected members and then went on to get things wrong again, because they were contacted and the Leader of The council was well aware of the issue, hence this plot was withdrawn from sale.

So, again, someone has strayed away from truth here and here I make a second call for the

Resignation of chief Executive Steve Wellings


Steve Wellings carried on and said

“that the comment made by Cllr Williams in that article was not an official comment endorsed by this council, and that the comment by Cllr Carter at the foot of the article was the true position”

Again a misleading statement as a generous member of the community, offered to buy the plot, submitting a bid to auction and had the intention of turning it over for community use, for the ultimate benefit of young people in the community.

It was this generous offer, that Andrew Eade was well aware of and involved in, that actually caused another U turn and the plot retained in Council ownership.

Why?

Because a resident made a generous offer, to benefit the community which clearly caused a level of embarrassment to those flogging off our assets.

I am also informed that not every Councillor, who had plots for sale in their wards were informed.

HereI make a third call for the

Resignation of Chief Executive Steve Wellings

This whole debacle has brought the Council into disrepute and those responsible should now be held accountable – starting with Steve Wellings.

It makes me think,

What else is happening that we and the elected members should know about but don’t?