TFA TELLS HEREFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL TO THINK AGAIN

The Tenant Farmers Association has written to every County Councillor in Herefordshire to urge them to reverse a policy which could see some 20% of its County Farms sold over the next few years.
 
In January and February the TFA received a barrage of calls from farmers on the Herefordshire County Council Estate who had received or were expecting to receive notice to quit their Farm Business Tenancies with the explanation that their holdings were to be sold by the County Council to raise cash for other parts of the County Council’s workload.
 
TFA Chief Executive, George Dunn, who has met most of the affected tenant farmers said “The galling thing is that many of these tenants went into their farms on relatively short Farm Business Tenancies with a promise that they would be extended to more viable lengths at the end of those terms if the relationship between the landlord and tenant was working well. Whilst those promises were not legally binding on the Council those tenants had every expectation that they would see their businesses survive into the longer term and have invested in their holdings accordingly”.
 
The Tenant Farmers Association recognises that the Council has other financial commitments and that, where appropriate, it should be able to capitalise on some of its assets through normal asset rationalisation. 
 
“What I am concerned about in this case is that the Council is taking an opportunistic approach by bringing to an end those tenancies capable of termination rather than thinking strategically about which bits of the Estate it should be disposing. The Council needs a proper asset management plan to do this which is currently severely lacking” said Mr Dunn.
 
By comparison, a neighbouring local authority, Gloucestershire, has managed to raise something like £100 million of value for council tax payers since the mid 1970’s from careful, planned, strategic disposals from it’s farms estate for development opportunity whilst maintaining the size of its estate virtually unchanged over that period of time.
 
I truly believe that the financial concerns of the local authority can be met at the same time whilst continuing the businesses of those farmers reliant upon the County Council for their tenancies” said Mr Dunn.
 
The TFA has made two demands of the County Council. 
  1. That those tenants currently under Notice to Quit should now be offered new tenancies of at least 10 years in duration with appropriate clauses that would allow the County Council to take back bits of land and buildings for development potential where that was available.
  2. That the County Council consults on the development of a proper asset management plan for the County Farms Estate.
 
end

Ref: MR11
Date: 30 April 2008

 
Notes for Editors:
 
A copy of the letter sent by the TFA to all County Councillors in Herefordshire is attached.
 
For further information contact George Dunn, TFA Chief Executive on 0118 930 6130 or 07721 998 961.
 
The Tenant Farmers Association is the only organisation dedicated to the agricultural tenanted sector and is the authentic voice of tenant farmers. The TFA lobbies at all levels of Government and gives expert advice to members.