Car parks, a bistro, an old town hall and former libraries could be sold off by Wirral Council under current plans.
The proposed sale of local authority assets were revealed ahead of a policy and resources committee on July 12 as the council is required to find £12.3m to help pay off emergency financial support it received from the government.
Bromborough Civic Centre is one of the sites included in the plans despite a vote by another committee to not sell it off and move it into third party ownership. The sale would give Wirral Council an estimated £600,000.
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However the tourism, communities, culture and leisure committee on June 22 unanimously decided the business cases by NEO Community and Bromborough Civic Community Group would be considered further with a decision made at a meeting on July 25. The proposed sale had previously been slammed as “short term thinking at its worst.”
Councillors from all political parties have supported moving the centre into community hands but if members now decide to sell it off, that process would stop.
Other properties up for sale include the Oaklands Outdoor Centre in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, the location of Tanskeys Bistro in West Kirby and the old toilets next door, a New Brighton lifeguard storage unit on Albion Street, and the Hamilton Building in Birkenhead.
The Marine Technology Park in Tranmere, the Wirral Business Centre in Wallasey, old council offices in Liscard, Sherlock House where MP Angela Eagle's constituency office is located, and the Price Street Car Park in Birkenhead are also up for sale.
A number of sites proposed for sale could be considered for new affordable housing including the former Seacombe library, the old Youth and Community Centre in Eastham, Bebington Town Hall, and the current site of Clare Mount Specialist Sports College in Moreton.
Concerns have been raised by Birkenhead councillor Pat Cleary about the sale of the Holborn Square Industrial Estate too. The estate has access to the Tranmere Tunnels, the most extensive underground WWII shelter in the country built to house more than 6,000 people.
Addressing the potential impact on the tunnels, a council report said: “This site contains one of the accesses to the 'Tranmere Tunnels' for which there has been interest in the past to open up as a tourist attraction.
“The sale of this asset will still afford access to the tunnels but may have some impact of the deliverability of this proposal.”
In November 2022, councillors approved a five year plan to sell off buildings and land it owns to help pay off the £12m. If Wirral Council isn’t able to demonstrate to the government it can, it could lead to intervention meaning no new spending is allowed except for essential services and existing commitments.
The sale of all of the assets will also save Wirral Council at least £408,000 every year as it will no longer have to look after the buildings or maintain the land.
Wirral Council said the five year plan will help the council ensure its budget is sustainable in the long term after it was told by the government it needed to sell off unneeded assets. The local authority is also expected to cut £12m from its revenue budget for services in 2024 and £35m in total over the next four years.
According to a report ahead of the meeting on July 12, it is expected the council will have to sell off more buildings and land in the future to sort out its financial situation.
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