Concerns over selling ‘King’s jewels’

DUMFRIES and Galloway Council has been accused of “selling the King’s jewels” – after it was revealed the local authority is flogging land in pursuit of profits. The council is actively identifying pieces of disused land or old buildings that are declared surplus to requirements, writes Marc McLean. The practice is all above board and signed off by councillors, but it was this week revealed that the council has a rough financial target of £500,000 per year – or £5m over ten years. On Tuesday, Nith Councillor David Slater questioned the continual sale of council assets and described it as “selling the King’s jewels”. He added: “You can’t keep on selling your assets off. You’ll end up with no assets.” Chief financial officer Paul Garrett replied: “The council only sells those assets that it doesn’t have a requirement for as part of its service delivery. “Obviously there is a recognition that the council has a greater property estate than it requires to meet its needs. “At present, one of the savings that’s currently out for consultation relates to potential further reductions in the council’s estates, which can produce assets that are available for sale. “But we do recognise that there is an end to this. You tend to see reductions over a longer period. “The key thing is that we will continue to focus only on those surplus assets – ones that are not required to support council delivery – in terms of generating capital receipts.”