Property’s sale was right move

I am responding to the letter from your correspondent, Mr Goodman, concerning the recent disposal of a former council property at Newbridge Hill in order to set the record straight.

One could have formed the impression from Mr Goodman’s comments that the recent review by councillors of my decision to sell the property to the council’s property company Aequus Developments criticised the disposal.

Whereas in fact the reviewing panel found that the method of sale represented the best overall return to taxpayers and followed standard practice in such circumstances.

The documents concerning the valuation that Mr Goodman referred to were made available in full to councillors to aid their scrutiny together with full reports from the council’s senior officers. There was no lack of transparency as he suggested.

This property was actually identified in 2018 for disposal to Aequus by the Conservative administration’s Cabinet of which the then Councillor Goodman was a senior member. That administration was also responsible for setting up Aequus and the arrangements for property disposals to the company, which have not changed.

In these circumstances I am sure your readers would share my view that this is yet another example of cant from this former councillor.

Richard Samuel

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Walcot ward Bath and North East Somerset Council Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources