Southampton City Council raises more than £15m from asset sales
The authority currently has a temporary capitalisation direction from the government, allowing it to use the receipts from asset sales to fund revenue costs in its budget.It said individual sale prices could not be disclosed.
However, one site - a DPD depot in Raunds, Northamptonshire, which was purchased in 2017 - appears to have been sold at a £620,000 loss, according to council documents.In 2020/21, it was delivering rental income of more than £477,000, papers showed.Other disposals include a vacant office in Cambridge, where the council surrendered its lease, and two properties in Southampton that were sold at auction.Labour councillor Sarah Bogle, in charge of Southampton's economic development, said decisions were taken as part of a five-year asset development and disposal programme (ADDP).She said: "We want to have the right assets and use them much better and manage them a lot better, which I think historically we haven't always done."ADDP manager Julianna Clark said the council had secured "good" capital receipts, with some above initial estimates.She said: "These particular assets that we chose are saying it is better for you to cash the capital receipt because in the longer term you could potentially hold it for a disbenefit."
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
16-07-2025
- BBC News
Southampton City Council to sell river leisure area to water firm
A council has agreed to sell a river activities site to a water firm, despite environmental area of Woodmill Outdoor Activities Centre in Southampton is being bought by Southern Water, which will transfer the leisure part of the site to a scout said the sale raised concerns for the future health of the River Itchen, while union leaders voiced fears over Southampton City Council's ruling Labour group said the deal would secure environmental improvements as well as leisure access for young people. The terms of the sale were approved privately on Tuesday, after the press and public were excluded from a council cabinet meeting. Environmental campaigner Christelle Blunden, who joined a small protest outside, said activists only found out about the plan last said: "We'd like to see the proposals in the public domain so that they can be scrutinised."Ms Blunden, who leads the council-backed campaign for Southampton to be declared a National Park City, called for "deeply binding clauses" to protect the site, which is vital for Atlantic the Wessex Rivers Trust warned that salmon were at risk of extinction locally because of barriers in the Democrat councillor Thomas Gravatt said people were concerned about selling to "a company with a track record of dumping sewage into our precious chalk streams". However, councillor Toqeer Kataria, in charge of leisure, said he had no misgivings: "The proposed purchase is being driven by Southern Water officers on the clean water side of the business who have been tasked with delivering river restoration projects to support drinking water abstraction." Councillor Simon Letts, in charge of finance, said the council had been subsidising Woodmill by approximately £155,000 a year, while work to maintain the water courses was likely to cost close to £ sale terms will be finalised by 1 September, according to a council said the site could later be re-sold by the new owners, but only with a covenant "restricting the use of the property to be used as a youth camping, water sports, fishing establishment".The mill building will be retained by the city council, along with current tenant Above Board, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Water and Southampton City Scouts have been approached for comment. Additional reporting by Jason Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Glasgow Times
10-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
First Bus launches EV charging programme in Glasgow depot
Branded as First Charge, the scheme is designed to open up the company's EV charging infrastructure to the public, businesses, and fleet operators. First Bus, one of the UK's largest bus operators, said the initiative supports the UK's transition to cleaner, greener transport by making use of its existing network of depot-based chargers. Under the new programme, 15 depots across Scotland and England will provide access to EV charging, with the Glasgow Caledonia depot leading the rollout. Read more: First Bus reveals major update on 'axed' Glasgow service First Bus opens its charging infrastructure to the public, businesses, and fleets (Image: Supplied) Isabel McAllister, chief sustainability and compliance officer at First Bus UK, said: "At First Bus, we're progressing rapidly towards our goal of a zero-emission fleet by 2035, with an investment of over £320 million to date. "With First Charge, we're building on our position as an industry leader, sharing our infrastructure to accelerate decarbonisation to help other users move faster too." The Caledonia depot now operates as a public-facing, ultra-rapid charging hub, offering charging for up to 34 vehicles – including both fleet and consumer EVs – between 9am and 4.30pm. The service is available at an introductory rate of £0.39 per kWh, marking the first time First Bus has opened its depot charging facilities to the general public. Located close to Glasgow city centre, the new Caledonia Superhub offers fast, affordable charging for consumers and commercial fleets, with a range of payment options, including contactless and several EV charging apps. First Bus already shares its depot charging facilities with businesses such as DPD, Centrica, Openreach, and Police Scotland. By expanding access through First Charge, the company aims to address a critical gap in high-power charging infrastructure, especially for commercial operators in urban areas. The scheme is expected to be particularly valuable for operators in the growing electric HGV sector. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, welcomed the launch. Read more: No trains to run on major Glasgow Central railway line this weekend Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop and First Bus Scotland Managing Director Duncan Cameron (Image: Supplied) She said: "I'm pleased that the First Bus Caledonia Depot is opening its doors to people and communities by providing ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging at affordable pricing. "When the Scottish Government invested over £6.4 million to fund the charging infrastructure at the Caledonia Depot, it was always the intention that First Bus thought innovatively and collaboratively about how it might be used. "By providing more public EV charging, we're now seeing that ambition realised, improving charging opportunities and promoting range confidence for EV drivers. "Through the new First Charge brand, First Bus is now leading the way by sharing their charging infrastructure, adding to Scotland's comprehensive public EV charging network and continuing to support the transition to a net-zero transport system." More information is available on the First Charge website.
Wales Online
13-06-2025
- Wales Online
There were supposed to be 800 homes, shops and a school off this M4 junction but there's nothing
There were supposed to be 800 homes, shops and a school off this M4 junction but there's nothing An outline planning application was submitted for the village of Pentre Felindre in 2018 - there's still nothing there The Parc Felindre site It was meant to be the ideal location - right next to the M4 with superb links east and west. Eight hundred homes were expected to be built there. But, seven years on, it's still just an empty space, albeit with its own junction off the motorway. Plans for what had been dubbed Pentre Felindre sit firmly on the drawing board with no confirmed date when anything might happen. The site, next to a business park north of the M4 near Felindre and Tircoed, was identified as one of several "strategic development areas" for growth in Swansea Council's local development plan (LDP). Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here The LDP, which took years to develop before being approved by the Welsh Government and adopted in February, 2019, included the Welsh Government's outline planning application for Pentre Felindre submitted in the summer of 2018. Along with 800 homes, the proposed village was set to feature a primary school, two shops, a village hall, recreational spaces, and road improvements. Additionally, 20% of the housing units were intended to be affordable. The grand plan for Pentre Felindre was to create a "vibrant and sustainable new village with a strong sense of community, where people would choose to live, work and spend their leisure time, and which would complement the plans for the adjoining strategic employment site". Article continues below The original timeline envisaged that the massive development of 800 homes would commence around 2020-21, with completion by 2028-29. However, Parc Felindre, the neighbouring employment area, has fallen short of expectations in drawing businesses despite significant marketing efforts, apart from the relocation of delivery firm DPD to the site. Issues like areas prone to flooding, a high-pressure water main, electricity pylons and proximity to noise from the M4 were noted by planning experts, yet these types of challenges are not unheard of in the process of developing housing projects on previously untouched land. The site of Felindre's former tinplate works, north of the M4, pictured in 2014 (Image: Copyright unknown ) The disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021 put a pause on numerous developments, including this one. In December, 2021, the Welsh Government revealed that it was actively working alongside the council to hash out a masterplan for Pentre Felindre, while also commissioning fresh reports to reassess the impediments pertaining to the site. Pentre Felindre could see enhanced transport links with the M4, and there remains a possibility for local inhabitants to access a proposed railway station on the Swansea District Line at Felindre. This prospective development was put forward in 2019 by the then Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns. At that time, Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart expressed conditional support for the £20 million station scheme, insisting it must not affect High Street station's service frequency in Swansea and should come as part of extensive transport improvements throughout the vicinity. Enthusiasm is building in favour of a new train station in Felindre, along with additional proposed stations north of the county on the cargo-conveying Swansea District Line. In 2023 a Transport for Wales representative informed councillors that launching new stations on this line represented the "top unfunded" rail initiative in Wales from his perspective. This ambition is integrated into a broader vision known as the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro, which would rely heavily on central Government financial backing. The Local Democracy Reporting Service sought an update from the Welsh Government concerning Pentre Felindre. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Swansea Council consulted on their replacement LDP Preferred Strategy which closed 18 April this year. As part of that process this site was submitted as a candidate. "It will now be for the council to determine whether the site is/is not allocated in the Deposit LDP later this year/early 2026, setting out clear reasons to support a decision either way. We asked if there was something about this site in Felindre which was proving problematic, for example pylons/sustainable transport links? The spokesman added: "Work assessing the site's development constraints and opportunities has now completed. Taking these assessments into consideration, together with our Joint Venture partners Swansea Council, we are currently considering potential delivery models for the site, and hope to be able to make a decision on its future shortly. Article continues below We also questioned would this new development in Felindre be more viable if there was a train station on the Swansea District Line at Felindre? The spokesman said: "The availability of good public transport, including a potential Metro station, all improve the site's connectivity by different modes of transport."
