English councils are flogging off public assets to plug financial holes caused by austerity
An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism finds 12,000 publicly owned spaces and properties have been sold since 2015-16
Former Chancellor George Osborne allowed councils in 2016 to spend proceeds of sell-offs on cost-cutting measures
Birmingham’s striking bin workers and supporters bring waste sites to a standstill
ENGLISH councils are flogging off land and property to developers to plug financial holes caused by government cuts and to pay for redundancies that they make during austerity.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s claim that “austerity is over” has been shattered by an investigation by the independent non-profit Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Using the Freedom of Information law, it found that 12,000 publicly owned spaces and properties have been sold since 2015-16.
Similar stories
![Strike Map activists visit striking refuse workers in Birmingham, April 29, 2025 [Pic: Strike Map]](https://msd11.gn.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/desktop/public/2025-05/DSC_0759.JPG.webp?itok=MflCUwKT)
Thousands to join ‘megapicket’ in solidarity with striking refuse workers in Birmingham
Based on his experience of Haringey Council Councillor MARK BLAKE believes only a radical policy rethink will reconnect councils with the alienated constituencies they are supposed to serve