Commercial Assets Sub-Committee
Decisions taken at the meeting held on Monday, 26 January 2026.
Meeting Time:
1.30 pm
Meeting Venue:
Council Chamber, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB
PRESENT: Councillor Sean Beatty, Councillor Rose Chandler, Councillor Lawrence Nichols, Councillor Denise Saliagopoulos, Councillor Howard Williams and Mark Bunney
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1. Apologies for absence & substitutions |
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There were none. |
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2. Minutes |
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The minutes of the meetings held 17 November and 15 December 2025 were agreed as a correct record of proceedings.
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3. Disclosure of Interest |
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Councillor Williams advised he was employed part-time at a unit in the Elmsleigh Centre.
Mark Bunney, Independent Member of the Sub-Committee, advised he was employed by Knight Frank Investment Management LLP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Knight Frank LLP, and would not provide an opinion or view on matters where Knight Frank had provided valuation.
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4. Questions from members of the Public |
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There were none. |
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5. Urgent Actions |
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There were none. |
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6. Forward Plan |
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The Sub-Committee received the Forward Plan for future Committee business.
The Sub-Committee resolved to note the Forward Plan.
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7. Exclusion of Public and Press (Exempt Business) |
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It was proposed by Councillor Beatty, seconded by Councillor Williams and resolved to exclude the public and press for the following agenda items, in accordance with paragraph 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) because it was likely to disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information because the disclosure to the public would prejudice the financial position of the authority in being able to undertake even handed negotiations and finalising acceptable contract terms.
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8. Disposal of A Commercial Office Asset* |
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The Sub-Committee resolved to:
1. Approve the offer and the proposed disposal in principle and recommend that the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee support the disposal of this commercial asset, prior to recommending for approval by Full Council,
2. Delegate authority to the Chief Finance Officer and Group Head of Assets, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commercial Assets Sub-Committee, to agree the sale of the property at the agreed price or negotiate a sale price within a tolerance of 10% of the value and agree any variations to the Heads of Terms; and
3. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter into a transfer to complete the disposal and any ancillary legal documentation required in relation to the proposed disposal.
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9. Commercial Portfolio Update |
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The Sub-Committee received updates on the rent collection, arrears and voids withing the Commercial Portfolio.
The Sub-Committee resolved to note the updates. |
NOTES:-
(1) Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:
(a) Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;
(b) Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;
(c) Those decisions:
i. reserved to full Council
ii. on regulatory matters
iii. on member conduct issues.
(2) Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.
(3) Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.
(4) The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.
(5) When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:
a. Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or
b. Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or
c. Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.
(6) Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.
(7) The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(8) Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.
(9) In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(10) In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.
(11) The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on 29 January 2026.