Lib Dems raise alarm at public property sold at auction
On Wednesday 29th January, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats challenged the rushed sale of four houses and some barns by the council.
Cllr Vann’s question at the Executive Committee includes the reason for the exemption which was not published as part of the original decision and causes great concern.
With the Mayor absent, Cllr Vann, Liberal Democrat group leader asked if the Deputy Mayor was “concerned about Executive Decision on Tuesday – decision 1781, that sells off public assets at auction – whilst simultaneously exempting it from ‘call-in’, meaning democratic scrutiny of the decision is not possible, and keeping some papers secret.”
Cllr Vann added to his concerns that “Selling four houses and some barns for just over £1.2m – figures that are in the public domain at least – was justified as being exempt because [clarifying that he was reading word for word the officer report]: ‘The deadline for submission of the properties to the auction will pass before the call-in period would end and this would mean that the sales would be unlikely to take place before the end of the financial year 2024/25. A delay in receiving these receipts beyond the end of the current financial year would have a significant impact on the Council’s financial position.’ Does this concern the Deputy Mayor?”
Cllr Vann added in a statement: “I am astonished that we have been bounced into a hurried decision, a timeline that is an excuse for dodging scrutiny, when we already know this administration’s track record on buying property above value and selling below. This excuse – of financial panic – cannot set a precedent to avoid scrutiny when dealing with public money.”