Glasgow councillor raises concerns over 'surplus' council properties

During a previous finance and audit scrutiny committee councillor Jill Brown said she wanted more information from officers on how City Property markets council properties and ensures the best value for money. 

Councillor Brown also asked at a meeting in December, why sale of some buildings had been advertised via social media including X (formally Twitter) Linkedin and Zoopla rather than the usual channels.

She was worried that this might mean the properties were selling for less than the survey and home report price.

Since then information that Glasgow’s Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability (NRS) sell council properties and sites either by advertising them on the open market –  a trading situation in which anyone can be involved and prices are not controlled – or through off-market disposal has been submitted to councillors. Where more than one offer has been received the highest offer would be accepted. 

On Wednesday councillor Brown raised further concerns about the procedure and that she believed that using the open market – where companies can trade freely without limits – was not necessarily the best way to operate.

Ms Brown said: “In reference to the asset sales I think it would be useful to have the procedures which [the report] says can be provided on request. I think that would have been useful and I think the crux of the question was – what is the open market for the sale of properties? 

“In my view, an open market isn’t really an acceptable place for people to go to buy things.”

A council officer said they would come back with more details at the next meeting.