From: Wellings, Steve (Chief-Exec)
To: Members
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 4:33 PM
Subject: Disposal of land etc by auction


Dear Members

Having discussed this and corresponded with some of you I thought I ought to clearly put the record straight on this, especially in view of the rather unfortunate and misleading comments in last night's Shropshire Star.

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 as I am sure you would agree) the sequencing of involving and informing you went awry. I would nevertheless say that the ward members directly affected were informed some 4 weeks before the sale and have therefore had an opportunity to make their views known since, and that Asset and Property Management have listened carefully to those views. I am sure that this is a lesson that has now been learned by all the officers involved, and I know that these officers are very highly thought of by you as elected members and by their colleagues.

The idea of identifying these surplus assets and arranging to dispose of them was definitely the right course of action to take. They were not providing value for money and were in some cases costing more to administer than they returned. My understanding is that we were sending 67 lots off to auction - clearly the most cost-efficient way of disposing of them - but that having listened to some objections this was reduced to 55.

The guide price for the 67 was around £1m but I am absolutely delighted to be able to tell you that we have achieved around £1.9m (figures still to be confirmed) for the 55 lots we have sold today.

I want to make it absolutely crystal clear to all that the remaining 12 lots will now be looked into carefully before we decide what to do with them. If they are then sold, that will be done in an open and transparent way in the best interests of the taxpayer. The prices that we have achieved today, significantly over our estimates, require us to look at eventual disposals in the same way.

I would therefore also 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, that the comment made by Cllr Williams in that article was not an official comment endorsed by this Council, and that the comment made by Cllr Carter at the foot of the article was the true position.

If anyone wishes to discuss this further with me then I am happy to do so, but I thought I should tell you the position.

Yours sincerely

Steve Wellings

Chief Executive
Telford and Wrekin Council
PO Box 213
TELFORD
Shropshire
TF3 4LD
Tel: 01952 380102
Fax: 01952 380104


This Is not factually correct and this should see Wellings disciplined.