The Welsh Government could have sold off 18 substantial pieces of land, well below their market value, Welsh Conservatives revealed yesterday.
The sites, which, according to Ministers, had an approximate value of £20.6million, were handed over to fund managers to canvass potential purchasers rather than engage in formal marketing.
The list of sites includes Wrexham Industrial estate, Llantrisant Business Park and Brackla Industrial Estate, Bridgend.
Byron Davies AM, Shadow Minister for Transport & Regeneration, said, “These are concerning revelations about Labour Ministers flogging valuable land owned by the Welsh taxpayer.
“These major sites should have been sold at market value in an open and transparent way to maximise the possible return to the Welsh Government’s coffers.
“Rather than allowing fund managers to cherry-pick potential purchasers to sell public property, there should have been a formal campaign on the open market.
“I will be referring these findings to the Wales Audit Office, who may wish to investigate whether the taxpayer has lost money from these deals.
“Welsh Ministers need to examine their procedures for disposing of public land to ensure that taxpayers do not lose out.”
