Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to appoint auditors to investigate the sale by Basildon Borough Council of a plot of land for development for £1, having purchased the land for £1 million two years earlier.

There are no plans to appoint auditors to investigate the sale. Local authorities have a duty to manage their housing stock and have the statutory power to dispose of properties and land. They also have a fiduciary duty to their council tax payers.