Council slammed over farm sale

Point-blank refused

Gareth Chapman, a member of the community group, who challenged the move, said: “Under the General Disposal Consent (Wales) included in the Local Government Act, the council could have sold the farm to the community group at less than full value [on the basis that the disposal would contribute to the improvement of the economic and environmental well-being of the area].”

Mr Chapman urged the community project fulfilled these obligations but highlighted the council ‘point-blank refused’.

Attention

George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) said the auction drew attention to the selling of county farms across the UK.

He said: “This underlines the need for local authorities to be required to have a strategic asset management plan for their county farms estates signed off by Defra or the Welsh Government.

“County farms are national assets in the hands of local authorities and they should be put to the highest standards of ensuring best value in the way that they manage those holdings within the context of having an overarching, strategic plan.”

Mr Dunn warned too many decisions were taken on an ad-hoc basis and this ‘simply was not good enough for such important assets’.