Issue - meetings

[At this juncture, Councillor Angela Goodwin withdrew from the meeting in accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 2.]

The Chairman invited the Lead Councillor for Resources to comment on the report submitted to the Committee.  The Lead Councillor for Resources introduced the item. 

The Lead Councillor for Resources suggested that the report submitted to the Committee was produced in response to two complaints that were politically driven.  He referred to the Council’s decision to purchase Liongate House for £13 million in 2013 and the process leading to the decision to dispose of the property for £10.1 million in 2020.  The Lead Councillor for Resources suggested delaying the sale in 2020 would have been inadvisable and reminded the Committee that the disposal of Liongate House had been audited as part of the audit of the 2019-20 statement of accounts for the Council and no issues or concerns had been raised with the valuation or the disposal. 

With reference to a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) investigation as to the merit of the complaints about the advice given to the Council for both the acquisition and disposal of Liongate House [the outcome of which was circulated as supplementary information shortly before the meeting], the Lead Councillor for Resources informed the meeting that RICS had concluded there was insufficient evidence to show a failure to comply with RICS rules or professional standards and that there was no case to answer.  He stated that there was no evidence to suggest Liongate House was not marketed effectively or was worth more than £10 million at its time of disposal in 2020.

The Director of Resources summarised the acquisition, sale, and rental income of Liongate House as detailed within the report submitted to the Committee.  She indicated that since the disposal of the property the Council had received complaints relating to its sale and one complaint relating to its acquisition.  The Director of Resources advised the meeting that the terms of reference for the overview and scrutiny review were drafted by her and approved by the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  She confirmed that the report submitted to the Committee contained the evidence the Council held relating to the acquisition and disposal of Liongate House and the decision-making processes followed by the Council.  The Director of Resources invited the Committee to consider each of the questions posed in the terms of reference for the review and the evidence presented in the report.

In accordance with the Council’s Public Speaking Procedure Rules, Mr Geoff Davis addressed the meeting. 

Mr Davis advised the Committee that he was a former Guildford Borough Councillor and had no current or prospective personal or financial interest in the subject.  He stated he was a Fellow of the RICS, with extensive experience in the property profession, including 47 years in Guildford, and had a degree in planning and development.  He suggested that, if handled differently, the disposal of Liongate House could had resulted in an additional £5 million or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14