2 June 2015
Council Assets By Harry Phibbs Between 2009-10 and 2014-15, local authority spending has been reduced by 23.4 per cent per person in real terms.1 With growing populations, reductions in central government grants in many areas, and a cap on Council Tax increases, many councils are reducing services. However, as this report details, a number of authorities retain significant property assets. The key findings of this research are that, as of 1st April 2014:
Local authorities in the United Kingdom owned at least: -
407 golf courses
-
580 restaurants or cafes
-
11,517 car parks
-
984 swimming pools/leisure centres
-
2,586 farms
-
378 pubs
-
7,294 shops
-
174 hotels
-
191 shopping centres
Hospitality: -
Barnet Borough Council owns 10 golf courses
-
Birmingham City Council owns 17 pubs as well as 8 golf courses
-
Bristol City Council and Eastbourne Borough Council both own 9 hotels
-
Brighton and Hove City Council owns a total of 59 restaurants and cafes.
Other assets: -
1
Thanet District Council owns a wet fish stall
http://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/pr/ebn_pr_localper cent20government.pdf
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Bristol City Council and Harlow District Council both own a nightclub
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Bromsgrove District Council owns a sawmill
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Copeland Borough Council owns pigeon lofts and a betting office
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Gravesham Borough Council owns a model railway
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Nottingham City Council owns a Bingo club, a greyhound stadium and a racecourse
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Thurrock Borough Council owns a bookmakers and a supermarket
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Aberdeen City Council owns pigeon lofts and business centres
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Ashfield District Council owns a windmill and a rifle club
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Bradford Metropolitan District Council owns a car showroom
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Castlereagh Borough Council, Telford and Wrekin Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Hastings Borough Council and Gosport Borough Council all own ice rinks
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Cheshire East Council owns a taxi office
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Dumfries and Galloway Council owns a cheese factory
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Epping Forest District Council owns five dentist studios and an airfield.
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Falkirk Council owns an iron works
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Gateshead Borough Council owns and aviary
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Royal Borough of Greenwich owns a yacht club
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Hillingdon Borough Council owns a piggery and a poultry shed
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Merton Borough Council owns a pony training centre and a snooker club
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Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council owns a car showroom and an aviary
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South Ayrshire Council owns an aviary, a castle, a firing range and three stables
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Stratford-On-Avon District Council owns a timber yard and a bank
To see the full breakdown for each council click here
To arrange broadcast interviews, please contact: Andy Silvester Campaign Director, TaxPayers' Alliance andy.silvester@taxpayersalliance.com 07891 059 567 To discuss the research, please contact: Jennifer Salisbury-Jones Policy Analyst, TaxPayers’ Alliance jennifer.salisbury-jones@taxpayersalliance.com 07717 752 265
Financial support for this research paper was provided by the Politics and Economics Research Trust (charity number 1121849). Any views expressed in this paper are those of the author and not those of the research trust or of its trustees.
Sources and methodology The information was gathered from each local authority’s online asset register or via freedom of information requests.
Guide to tables Table 1: Assets held by UK local authorities Table 2: Total assets held by local authorities in each region Table 3: Councils with the most golf courses Table 4: Councils with the most car parks Table 5: Councils with the most swimming pools and leisure centres Table 6: Councils with the most farms Table 7: Councils with most theatres Table 8: Councils with the most pubs Table 9: Councils with the most restaurants and cafes Table 10: Councils with the most shopping centres Table 11: Councils with the most shops Table 12: Councils with the most hotels
Table 1: Assets held by UK local authorities Asset type Golf courses Car parks Swimming pools/leisure centre Farms
Total 407 11,517 984 2,586
Theatres
259
Pubs
378
Restaurants/cafes
580
Shopping centres
191
Shops
7,294
Hotels
174
Table 2: Total assets held by local authorities in each region Region
Golf courses
Car parks
Swimming pools /leisure centres
Farms
Theatres
Pubs
Restaurants /cafes
Shopping centres
Shops
Hotels
East Midlands
27
817
91
257
14
17
25
27
510
11
East of England
26
945
81
247
25
44
51
6
446
8
London
39
688
87
67
31
52
67
17
1,472
9
North East
14
515
38
108
11
17
27
6
221
13
North West
52
1,397
80
232
19
53
42
25
490
19
Northern Ireland
10
46
31
7
5
-
4
-
6
-
Scotland
80
1,279
125
137
32
11
44
8
1,038
10
South East
55
1,788
145
269
46
62
153
28
1,314
44
South West
26
1,388
73
595
21
30
111
18
594
19
Wales
19
741
91
234
19
25
20
10
268
22
West Midlands Yorkshire and Humber
28
1,066
97
263
20
41
18
38
750
12
31
847
45
170
16
26
18
8
185
7
407
11,517
984
2,586
259
378
580
191
7,294
174
Total
Tables 3: Councils with the most golf courses Organisation
Total
Barnet Borough Council
10
Birmingham City Council
8
Fife Council
8
Bradford City Council
7
South Ayrshire Council
7
Leicester City Council
7
Scottish Borders Council
7
Sefton Borough Council
6
City of Edinburgh Council
6
Angus Council
6
Aberdeen City Council
6
Glasgow City Council
5
Brighton and Hove City Council
5
Wirral Borough Council
5
South Lanarkshire Council
5
Sheffield City Council
5
Hillingdon Borough Council
5
Tables 4: Councils with the most car parks Organisation
Total
Cornwall Council
232
Swindon Borough Council
211
Wigan Borough Council
195
Durham County Council
179
Sandwell Borough Council
148
West Lothian Council
141
Bradford City Council
140
Fife Council
139
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
138
Stockport Borough Council
117
Dumfries and Galloway Council
112
Powys Council
110
Birmingham City Council
107
Torbay Borough Council
105
Cheshire East Council
105
Torfaen Council
104
Portsmouth City Council
104
Kettering Borough Council
101
Scottish Borders Council
101
Lambeth Borough Council
100
Tables 5: Councils with the most swimming pools and leisure centres Organisation
Total
Glasgow City Council
23
Birmingham City Council
18
Cornwall Council
14
Fife Council
14
Powys Council
13
Durham County Council
12
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
12
Brighton and Hove City Council
11
Scottish Borders Council
10
Wiltshire Council
9
Dumfries and Galloway Council
9
Tables 6: Councils with the most farms Organisation
Total
Gloucestershire County Council
130
Devon County Council
115
Cornwall Council
108
Lincolnshire County Council
105
Central Bedfordshire Council
103
Leicestershire County Council
79
Dorset County Council
78
Hampshire County Council
75
Hertfordshire County Council
74
Herefordshire Council
68
Staffordshire County Council
66
Pembrokeshire Council
54
Durham County Council
52
North Yorkshire County Council
47
Bolton Borough Council
46
Warwickshire County Council
45
Wiltshire Council
44
Sheffield City Council
38
West Sussex County Council
33
Powys Council
33
Flintshire Council
30
Tables 7: Councils with most theatres Organisation
Total
City of Edinburgh Council
8
Carmarthenshire Council
7
Fife Council
5
Hillingdon Borough Council
4
Eastbourne Borough Council
4
Bradford City Council
4
Northampton Borough Council
4
Durham County Council
4
Walsall Borough Council
3
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
3
Nottingham City Council
3
North Norfolk District Council
3
Newtownabbey Borough Council
3
Leeds City Council
3
Kirklees Borough Council
3
Cardiff Council
3
Brent Borough Council
3
Birmingham City Council
3
Tables 8: Councils with the most pubs Organisation
Total
Birmingham City Council
17
Plymouth City Council
13
Cardiff Council
12
Harlow District Council
12
Southwark Borough Council
11
Brighton and Hove City Council
10
Knowsley Borough Council
10
Southampton City Council
9
Durham County Council
9
Coventry City Council
9
Wirral Borough Council
7
Swindon Borough Council
7
Stevenage Borough Council
7
Salford City Council
7
Calderdale Borough Council
7
Bracknell Forest Council
7
Thurrock Borough Council
6
Swansea Council
6
Pembrokeshire Council
6
Oxford City Council
6
Northampton Borough Council
6
Tables 9: Councils with the most restaurants and cafes Organisation
Total
Brighton and Hove City Council
59
Exeter City Council
32
Bournemouth Borough Council
27
Bristol City Council
25
City of Edinburgh Council
13
Southwark Borough Council
11
Oxford City Council
11
Isle of Wight Council
11
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
9
Swindon Borough Council
9
Leeds City Council
8
St Albans City Council
8
Arun District Council
7
Northampton Borough Council
7
Tendring District Council
6
Middlesbrough Council
6
Lambeth Borough Council
6
Hartlepool Borough Council
6
Hackney Borough Council
6
Chorley Borough Council
6
Canterbury City Council
6
Tables 10: Councils with the most shopping centres Organisation
Total
Walsall Borough Council
13
Derby City Council
12
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
9
Mansfield District Council
7
Wiltshire Council
6
Birmingham City Council
6
Solihull Borough Council
5
East Dorset District Council
4
Sefton Borough Council
4
Telford and Wrekin Council
3
Tameside Borough Council
3
Redditch Borough Council
3
Exeter City Council
3
Cardiff Council
3
Bromley Borough Council
3
Barking and Dagenham Borough Council
3
Allerdale Borough Council
3
Tables 11: Councils with the most shops Organisation
Total
Wolverhampton City Council
251
Barking and Dagenham Borough Council
209
Enfield Borough Council
206
Bristol City Council
198
Brighton and Hove City Council
185
Southampton City Council
173
Stevenage Borough Council
166
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
163
Hackney Borough Council
157
Wigan Borough Council
154
Crawley Borough Council
140
Milton Keynes Council
123
Oxford City Council
123
Birmingham City Council
119
Cardiff Council
119
North Ayrshire Council
117
Bath and North East Somerset Council
114
South Ayrshire Council
113
Exeter City Council
111
West Lothian Council
111
Tables 12: Councils with the most hotels Organisation
Total
Bristol City Council
9
Eastbourne Borough Council
9
Swansea Council
8
Cardiff Council
7
Brighton and Hove City Council
6
Southampton City Council
6
Nottingham City Council
5
Durham County Council
4
Coventry City Council
4
Birmingham City Council
4
Salford City Council
3
Portsmouth City Council
3
Hampshire County Council
3
City of Edinburgh Council
3