Council to sell 2,000 assets to raise funds

Cornwall Council will sell or transfer assets including beaches, playing fields and car parks

Cornwall Council has agreed to sell or transfer 2,000 of its assets in a bid to save £2m over the next year.

The cabinet agreed to the move at a meeting on Wednesday - which included beaches, playing fields, green spaces, chapels and car parks.

In February, the council voted to raise council tax by 4.99%, the maximum amount allowed without a referendum.

A report to members stated it “does not mean that we will always be the best placed to control and manage these assets and, in many cases, there are more effective stewards”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the council was considering giving or selling the assets to town and parish councils, the National Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Heritage Trust.

'A huge risk'

Councillor Jayne Kirkham disagreed with the move and said she was worried about selling some of Cornwall's "most precious assets".

She said: "It really worries me - if we’re trying to make the money this year or next year how on earth can we do the correct due diligence to make sure that potentially hundreds of these things go to the right homes?

“It seems like a desperate attempt to claw in money and a huge risk to some of our most precious places in Cornwall.”

Councillor David Harris, the council’s deputy leader and head of resources, said: “There is no intention to just willy nilly get rid of 2,000 key assets.

"I think we’ve built in the correct checks and balances, including due diligence...

"We will comply with the policies and procedures within the council’s codes of practice for land and property transactions."

'Managing assets better'

Councillor Martyn Alvey, the council’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said private entities would not be considered.

He said: “It’s about managing assets better and more appropriately... there would be no intention to sell one of our beaches to a private entity.

"If that was the case I’d be resisting it."

The council’s chief executive Kate Kennally said it was an urgent item “because there is a financial imperative that faces this authority that was known by all members when you approved the budget".

She said: "We’re using some one-off reserves in order to fund the delivery of public services and we need to right that position through bringing forward recurrent savings opportunities."