Council planning to sell off unwanted buildings or hand them to community groups

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

A council’s surplus or unprofitable buildings could be sold off or transferred to community or private management.

In a bid to save money, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet has approved a new asset management strategy that will “optimise” property holdings.

Cllr Nigel George, the cabinet member for property, said the strategy “aims to create a smaller, greener and smarter estate”.

Agile working

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, on Wednesday October 17, he said agile working arrangements and reducing energy consumption will also help the council make an estimated £45 million in savings over the next two years.

This could include energy improvements at the council’s headquarters, in Tredomen, where the local authority will use heat collected from the car park, and potentially deploy solar panels to help meet climate goals and also generate revenue.

Where there are buildings the council no longer uses, it plans to “rationalise” its estate, and at the meeting Winstanley, the local authority’s head of land and property, said such premises would be brought “into line with all market terms”.

But where there are opportunities for the council to turn buildings into profitable assets, it will look to private partners to generate income – as an example, Mr Winstanley suggested kiosks in the county borough’s parks.

“Contentious”

This aspect of the strategy could prove contentious. Some early examples of the council’s work includes the closure of Coffi Vista in Caerphilly town centre, which is now a privately-run restaurant, and the ongoing uncertainty over the Llancaiach Fawr museum, which the council has mothballed with the intention of seeking an outside partner to take over operations.

Both those moves drew protests and petitions from critics who said the sites should have stayed open.

The council, however, says the new strategy “drives efficiencies and safety” and will “provide a structured and strategic approach” to the buildings it owns.

“We are making no secret of the fact the estate is going to be smaller,” Mr Winstanley said.

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the local authority’s deputy leader and cabinet member for regeneration, added that “relinquishing assets may be an opportunity” for other organisations to take ownership of properties they wanted to preserve.

Part of the strategy will be to promote the Community Asset Transfer initiative, which the council said “empowers local organisations to manage or own public assets”.

“By supporting community-led management of assets, the council aims to ensure that these properties continue to benefit residents, enhance well-being, and contribute to the overall social fabric of Caerphilly,” it added.