The Isle of Wight Council leader says he ‘cannot guarantee’ council-owned sites listed for sale will be sold for social housing purposes, despite calls to do so from an opposition councillor.
Although admitting housing is his ‘number one priority’, Cllr Phil Jordan has said the council must ‘seek best value’ when it comes to sales.
At Wednesday’s Full Council meeting, Cllr Jordan answered a question from Cllr Peter Spink which probed what would happen to 20 sites County Hall is currently seeking to dispose of.
Cllr Spink, the representative for Freshwater North and Yarmouth, said:
“You recently declared that housing is your number one priority and that you, by an executive decision, will be disposing of 20 council-owned sites for development.
“Will it be ensured that the disposal of the sites will be to registered providers or housing associations and that the overwhelming majority of the housing will be social housing for rent by Island residents on the housing register?
“Will the details of the housing mix be disclosed in advance of disposal to Corporate Scrutiny?”
Cllr Jordan replied:
“If by executive decision you mean by cabinet, yes, not executive decision by me. It’s 20 sites – a list of ten sites we have already released for marketing and ten sites that we’re preparing to be marketed.
“I can’t give you those guarantees since they are going out to the open market and we will be seeking best value on those sites.
“I can’t therefore say what the successful bidder for those sites will be proposing or planning to bring forwards on those sites.”
Cllr Warren Drew, who represents Ryde South East, asked a follow up question:
“In terms of best value and how that’s determined, I wonder if we could have some clarity as to exactly what might be within the ambit of that?
“I think the point Cllr Spink is making, which I absolutely agree with, is that the cost to the council in terms of providing housing is something that could go to that determination, the calculation of best value.”
Cllr Jordan said in a response that best value was not just “monetary value alone” and gave “community benefits” as another potential measure of worth.
Last week, Cllr Jordan defended his administration’s commitment to housing at a Corporate Scrutiny Committee meeting.
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