Council to sell unused properties to plug budget

Council leader Tim Oliver previously said a central government funding settlement, expected in December, was "very unlikely" to close the forecasted financial shortfall

Surrey County Council is looking to score a major cash boost by selling off a string of its vacant properties, some of which have been unused for years.

The money will then be earmarked to help plug budget pressures and support future investment in local services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service,

Cabinet members gave officers the green light to pursue the sale of six unused council sites at a meeting on Tuesday.

The addresses, spread across the county, include former social care and nursery buildings, vacant houses and small plots of land.

The money will be used to help plug budget pressures at the council

On the list are a former Fairways Day Centre in Staines, Beechcroft Nursery and three acres of scrubland in Ewell, vacant houses in Wallington and Mickleham, as well as land west of Oxenden Court in Tongham.

By selling, the authority says it will be able to cut its losses accrued from continually picking up costs on the empty lots - such as business rates, insurance and vandalism prevention.

That money will then be funnelled into frontline priorities.

Officials have stressed that legal checks, including anti-money-laundering safeguards, will be completed before any contracts are signed.

The council is aiming to finalise any prospective deals swiftly, thereby avoiding "developer drop-out and market risk".

Decisions on the disposals will be made at upcoming Cabinet meetings, with the detailed sale values kept behind closed doors for now "due to commercial sensitivity".

Surrey County Council is estimating it will have a £21.3m deficit in the draft budget for its final year of operating before being replaced by two unitary authorities.

Council leader Tim Oliver previously said a central government funding settlement, expected in December, was "very unlikely" to close the gap.