Call to use money from sale of Ludlow council offices on town services
Money from the sale of former council offices in Ludlow should go to help keep the town's youth, library, museum and leisure services running, a councillor has said.
With Ludlow's former Stone House offices about to be demolished and replaced with retirement homes, Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North has called for the money made on the deal to return to town – specifically to help Ludlow Town Council take on services being cut by the county authority.
At tomorrow's full meeting of Shropshire Council, Councillor Boddington will raise a motion that the authority earmarks money from selling off such land and buildings to go to town and parish councils struggling to take on services in the light of county-wide cuts.
But Shropshire Council bosses have already said this is unlikely. as the money received from sales is not linked to the area the sale happened in – and things planned under the current budget are relying on receiving that money.
Councillor Boddington said: "From October, councils will be able to use income from the sale of buildings and land to fund improvements to local services.
"Shropshire Council is selling several buildings at present. I think this money should be used purposefully to help town and parish councils build capacity to run services being transferred from Shropshire Council.
"In Ludlow, Shropshire Council has suggested a wide range of services might be transferred to local management, including youth, library, museum and leisure services.
"This is posing a big challenge to Ludlow Town Council, which is working hard to build capacity to take on services currently run from Shirehall but it needs more money to recruit and train staff.
"That's where the sale of Stone House comes in. I think it is only fair that at least some of the money from the sale of Ludlow buildings comes back to Ludlow.
"I have put forward a simple motion requesting that some income from future capital sales is given to town and parish councils to help them take on services from Shropshire Council.
"I think the council owes this to town and parish councils.
"If town and parish councils are going to take on more services from Shropshire Council, they must be given the resources. The new rules provide an ideal opportunity to ensure that the planned service transfers work effectively."
Ahead of tomorrow's Shirehall meeting, however, Steve Law, strategic asset manager at Shropshire Council, said: "The Council does not link receipts from asset disposals to specific capital schemes or to the geographical area of the county in which the asset sold was located.
"Current programmed capital receipts, including that from Stone House, are required to finance the Council's current capital programme.
"Failure to deliver these receipts will result in the requirement to cut schemes from the programme or to undertake borrowing, which will have a revenue implication, which is not budgeted for in the future years revenue budget."
