Council says property sale will help to balance books

KIRKLEES Council wants to sell 12 more assets including a former swimming baths, community centres and land.

- By ABIGAIL MARLOW

The council is aiming to make a minimum of £6m from the disposal of assets in 2025/26 and a further £4m in 2026/27. The local authority says it is on track to meet its target in the current year but needs to identify a pipeline of surplus assets for future years.

Twelve more buildings and land have been identified in a report to next Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. If approval is given, the assets which are declared surplus to requirement will be sold.

Among them is Batley Baths and the adjoining car park land on Wellington Street. The baths closed its doors in 2023 as Kirklees Active Leisure fell on hard times. The report states that two expressions of interest were made for a Community Asset Transfer but both fell through.