Council owned assets have magically vanished

Surprised No. Disappointed yes.

Millions of pounds worth of assets owned by Folkestone & Hythe District Council have vanished. 

Each year the Council must update its Asset Register, especially its land and building assets, according to Paragraphs 35 -37 of The Transparency Code 2015.

Paragraph 35 states:

.Local authorities must publish details of all land and building assets including:
a) all service and office properties occupied or controlled by user bodies, both freehold and leasehold any properties occupied or run under Private Finance Initiative contracts
b) all other properties they own or use, for example, hostels, laboratories,investment properties and depots
c) garages unless rented as part of a housing tenancy agreement
d) surplus, sublet or vacant properties
e) undeveloped land
f) serviced or temporary offices where contractual or actual occupation exceeds three months, and
g) all future commitments, for example under an agreement for lease, from when the contractual commitment is made.

Regarding G, this would mean land that our Council have options over to buy at Otterpool ought to be on the asset register. But of course, they’re not

Details about social housing do not need to be published.

According to the published Asset Register, downloaded on the 16/03/24, the spreadsheet gives the date of 28/06/22. This should have been updated by the Council in 2023, but that hasn’t happened; which is of no surprise.

The Council’s Asset Register spreadsheet has 705 lines; which include land, buildings, footpaths, open space, play areas etc. However, the data published by HM Land Registry shows the Council owns 766 pieces of land or property – see ⇒ Land owned by Council and/or Oportunitas Limited (10 properties for this Council owned company are shown), this second spreadsheet does not include, play areas, footpaths, seawalls, foreshore etc.

From the information publicly available, more than 50% of the land and dwellings on HM Land Registry data is NOT on the Council’s asset register meaning that millions of pounds worth of land & property has vanished from view. 

We are not surprised, but we are disappointed by the inability to keep the Asset Register properly up to date with all the land and property the Council owns.

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity. Let’s hope the Council update their asset register sooner rather than later.

The Shepway Vox Team

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