ASSETS including several golf courses and a pub could be considered for sale by Redbridge Council, according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The Council also owns a restaurant and three theatres which it could consider selling or rationalising to raise money.

The list of assets was which details land and property owned by 600 councils and public bodies was published last week.

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, wants members of the public to know about the assets so they can have their say on what should be done with them.

The list of Redbridge’s assets,range from the allotments in Wanstead Park Road to a patch of ex-tip land on Woodford Bridge Road.

As the Department published the list last week, Mr Pickles said: “The general public probably have no idea of the sheer scale and scope of property and land on the public sector’s books”

And he added: “In many cases it goes way beyond traditional front-line services.

“By cataloguing each and every asset, councils can help government find innovative ways to utilise them.”

Local residents Aileen Brownlie, 63, of St Mary’s Avenue in Wanstead, said: “It would be a good idea to sell things they don’t need.

“But we must make sure things like allotments are safeguarded, and that people aren’t priced out of leisure facilities.”

Dave Satchell, 64, of Heatherwood Close in Aldersbrook agreed.

He said: “Anything used for recreation should be preserved.

“But if there’s a derelict piece of land going to waste, I would be for selling it, as long as there was no damage to the environment.”

Public sector assets are worth an estimated £385bn, with almost two thirds owned by councils.

A spokesman for Redbridge Council said: “Redbridge Council has a good track record of delivering high quality, value for money services and low council taxes. In order to achieve this it does not carry surplus assets.”

He added: “We already actively look to sell surplus assets and the assets that we currently own we have so we can effectively run or fund front line services.

“Any proposal that the Council should sell any of these would have to be considered very carefully so that it could be shown that it would not be a short-term fix that would result in a long-term loss.”

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