A Teesdale parish council wants to know why a home that could have been used for social housing has been auctioned off.
A bungalow in Leekworth Gardens which had previously been occupied by tenants, was sold by Home Group in December for £95,000 through auctioneers Allsop.
The issue was discussed at the latest meeting of Middleton-in-Teesdale and Newbiggin Parish Council.
Cllr Colin Headlam, who is a member of the council’s housing working group, said residents had spoken to him about the bungalow being sold off despite the demand for social housing in the village.
He said that the house had initially been made available for rent to potential tenants who matched the criteria but was then suddenly put up for public auction.
“When that house came up on the website you had to bid for it,” he told fellow councillors at the Pathway, in Middleton.
“Anybody can bid and then the one with the most relevant (priority) points gets to go and look at it. Three or four people in the village had done that.
“The next thing you know, I was told by an interested person that she went on the website the next day to see if it was still (available) but it had been taken off completely.
“The next step was it was going to be auctioned on December 18 and it was eventually sold at £95,000.”
Following a discussion of the issue, councillors agreed that parish council clerk Judith Mashiter would write to Home Group on behalf of the parish council to find out more information.
The subsequent statement in the meeting minutes read: “It was resolved to approve the recommendation from the housing working group that the parish council write to Home Group enquiring about the recent sale of a property and of the association’s future strategy for housing provision in Middleton.”
Home Group were contacted by the Mercury and spokesman Matt Roberts said: “We are expecting a communication from the council and we will respond accordingly.
“Any decisions we make are in the best interests of our customers in Middleton-in-Teesdale and the wider area.”
