Council questioned over proposed asset handover

Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh council is considering handing over public assets to an organisation linked to a private estate, despite projected losses to its income.

Conwy County Council is considering handing over Llandudno Town Hall and Market Street car park to an organisation linked to Mostyn Estates despite the pay-and-display generating £200,000 a year, a councillor claims.

Speaking at January’s Economy and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the Conwy County Council’s Coed Pella HQ, Cllr Harry Saville questioned deputy leader Cllr Mike Priestley.

Cllr Saville put the question to Cllr Priestley, who is also the cabinet member for environment, roads, and infrastructure, asking how much income the council’s pay-and-display car parks generate.

The Llandudno councillor asked about the income in relation to how it’s used to support “the financing and delivery of services within the environment, roads, and facilities service.”

Cllr Priestley said pay-and-display car parks generated just over £2m revenue a year.

He said these funds assisted with expenditure, such as staff, premises, and machine maintenance, at a cost of around £1.2m.

Cllr Priestley added the rest of the funds would assist with the environment, roads, and facilities (ERF) service’s budget.

He added if this income wasn’t generated, the council “would have to find that money from somewhere” and that without it “members would not recognise the ERF portfolio as it is today.”

This then prompted Cllr Saville to ask why the council was considering “disposing” of the town hall and the Market Street car park.

‘Closing remarks’

Cllr Saville said his question followed information being “shared” at a recent behind-closed-doors councillor-only meeting.

“I’d like to just draw down a little bit more detail on the closing remarks you made about members not really recognising the environment, roads, and facilities services if that income wasn’t available,” he said.

“So at the last meeting of the Local Area Forum North, it was shared with members that the council was working with Reform UK councillors on a proposal to dispose of both Llandudno Town Hall and Market Street car park to an organisation linked to Mostyn Estates.

“Now part of this proposal was that the package would see both assets disposed of, either free of charge or potentially with the interested stakeholder being paid to take them off the council’s hands.

“We were also advised that this car park generates around £200,000 per year in revenue, which, I think, based on the figures you’ve given us, is around 10% of that income stream.”

He added: “So what I would like to understand is, if that car park is disposed of, what services will ERF be cutting to make up that £200,000 shortfall, and do we think it is appropriate when this council is looking at another significant council tax increase and significant budget cuts to be disposing of a £200,000-a-year asset to one of the wealthiest landowners in the UK?”

Cllr Mike Priestley said he was unaware of the plans to dispose of the car park.

“I’m not aware that we’ve officially been approached regarding the disposal of the car park,” he said.

“Something I think that would be high in my mind is the loss of an income of £200,000 and how we would be able to recoup that, and you know as well as everybody else if we lost that type of money, I would be coming to you with a business case, a revenue business case, for £200,000 so that would certainly weigh heavily in my mind going forward with any negotiations.”

He added: “Any negotiations that would take place, I would hope, and I would certainly stress, if it comes across my desk, that local members in the first instance get to see any proposals coming forward, but as is, at this moment in time, absolutely no decision has been made, and as I say, I certainly would take into consideration really heavily a loss of a £200,000 income revenue income into the environment, roads, and facilities infrastructure department.”