Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on whether Multi-Academy Trusts are required to take the highest price offered for a land disposal where that land is the last open green space in a town and used by the community for leisure and sport; and whether social and environmental well-being can be considered as having a value in a disposal.

Multi-Academy trusts wishing to dispose of school land are required under both legislation and the terms of their funding agreements to seek the consent of the Secretary of State. The department publishes guidance on the consent process at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6abcb46c3239bb3cc19f51d5/Involving_the_Secretary_of_State_in_land_transactions.pdf .

For disposal of school playing fields, the department would ask for details of local consultation, and how any existing community use of the land would be affected.

Where land is being disposed of, the guidance includes that multi academy trusts must provide “an explanation of how you have assured yourself that the consideration received represents best value” and then clarifies that “best value, in this context, will normally be the best price reasonably obtainable in the market or the open market value, but may, exceptionally, include other benefits which can be assessed in monetary terms”. Social and environmental well-being can therefore be factored into an assessment of value for a disposal, depending on the circumstances.