Housing sell-off to plug council funding hole

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Powys County Council could make £1.1 million when it sells off a trio of properties that also come with land.

Next Tuesday, council leader, Liberal Democrat Cllr James Gibson-Watt in his role as cabinet member for an open and transparent Powys, will take a delegated decision on a report that recommends the “disposal” of three properties near Welshpool.

The report which explains the details of the sale of Maesyrabad in Pool Quay, Little Weston in Montgomery and Arddleen Grange in Arddleen is being kept confidential due to paragraph(s) 14 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Due to this, the report claims that “the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information”.

Once Cllr Gibson-Watt has approved the sales there is a five-day period before the decision comes into force.

This is to allow for councillors to “call-in” the decision for scrutiny if they wish to.

The trio of properties have been advertised on the council’s website as properties for sale.

Both Little Weston in Montgomery and Maesyrabad in Pool Quay are described as: “A detached three-bedroom property with scope to improve set in plot of some two acres, with a range of useful outbuildings.”

The guide price for the former is £350,000, whilst the latter is £250,000.

Arddleen Grange in Arddleen is described as: “A detached four bedroom property with scope to improve set in plot of some 3.8 acres, with a range of useful outbuildings.”

The guide price is £500,000.

The council agreed as part of the budget setting process for 2024/2025 that it needs to make at least £10 million a year in “capital receipts” by selling off assets.

This money would then be used to help finance the council’s future plans to build new schools, mend roads, maintain council buildings and help reduce the need of borrowing to pay for these projects.