Issue - meetings

To submit the report of the Head of Highways, Waste and Property.

It was resolved to refuse the request presented in a business plan by Beaumaris Town Council to transfer the Castle Car Park, Beaumaris to the Town Council, and to offer them a new lease instead, until 31 March 2026 on the same terms as the original lease.

The report of the Head of Highways, Waste and Property in response to a request in a business plan by Beaumaris Town Council (included as Appendix 1 to the report) to take ownership of Castle Car Park, Beaumaris was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Councillor Gary Pritchard, Leader informed the meeting that he had received a request from Beaumaris Town Council to defer today’s decision. As both Leader and a resident of Beaumaris, he considered that the Town Council had already been given a fair opportunity to present a business case, noting that the lease on the car park had expired in July 2025. He did not believe there were any further grounds for postponement and confirmed that the matter would therefore be determined at today’s meeting.

Councillor Ieuan Williams, Portfolio Member for Highways, Waste and Climate Change presented the report, noting that the Council transferred Beaumaris Gaol and Court to the Town Council in July 2020, following an assessment based on a consultant’s opinion that approximately £600k of investment was required on the buildings. To support the Town Council in meeting these costs, a 5 year lease on Castle Car Park was granted from 15 July 2020 to 15 July 2025  with the income (around £100k per annum) intended to contribute to the upgrade costs. The Town Council has since requested that Castle Car Park be transferred into its ownership in perpetuity for no consideration.  The request has been considered with the recommendation that it be refused. Instead, it is proposed that the lease be extended until 31 March 2026 on the same terms as before in recognition of the income lost during the Covid 19 pandemic. The Executive recommends refusal for the following reasons –

·      Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972  prohibits councils from disposing of property (except by way of a short tenancy) for a consideration less than the best that can be reasonably obtained (without ministerial consent). The car park is valued at between £900k and £1.2m, based on the average gross profit set out in Beaumaris Town Council’s  business plan.

·      Transferring such an asset to the community for no consideration or consideration less than the best than can be reasonably obtained would set a new precedent and represent a departure from Council policy on the disposal of property. It would also undermine Council policy on asset disposal, likely encourage similar requests from other communities on the basis of the new precedent, and could potentially reduce future capital receipts from comparable sites.

·      The Town Council’s business plan suggests that the primary purpose of the request is to maintain the precept at a low level. It does not state that income from the car park is being invested in the Gaol and Court, which was the original intention behind granting the lease. The Beaumaris Town Council’s current precept is £39k which is considerably lower than that of each of the four other town councils.

The Head of Highways, Waste and Property emphasised that the car  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19