THE controversial sale of £31m worth of council-owned farms will see the majority of cash ploughed back into the rural economy.

Cheshire West and Chester Council plans to sell-off all 47 of its farms over the next three decades.

Cash raised from the sale of the 4,575 acres of farmland and 107 acres of woodland – described as ‘Cheshire gold’ – could be used for:

Affordable housing

Faster broadband

Helping to start up new rural businesses.

The farms attract rent of just over £500,000 a year, which is a fraction of that raised by other council assets, and there have only been 14 new farmers during the last decade.

The current tenant farmers will get the first opportunity to buy at market price.

Tarporley councillor Eveleigh Moore-Dutton admits the sale ‘could be controversial’ but insists the cash raised would help benefit a greater number of rural people long term.

Cllr Moore-Dutton, who chaired a review on the issue, said: “I believe by utilising some of the tens of millions of pounds that are currently tied up in county farms we could create, or facilitate, many more opportunities for rural business start ups.

“We could also invest in other ways that would make our rural areas more competitive and productive, like faster broadband and affordable housing.

“I believe that the number of people who could benefit from these opportunities would be many times greater and that many of those people would be country people.”

However, Cllr Mark Stocks fears they are losing valuable assets for the future.

“Agricultural land is rising in price, it’s ‘Cheshire gold’ and we are not growing any more of it,” he explained.

Cllr Ralph Oultram argued: “The small income from the estate does not take account of the capital appreciation. Land prices are spiralling upwards week by week.”

Deputy leader Cllr Les Ford added: “We should not be in a rush to get out.”

The former county council-owned farms date back to 1908 and were intended to help would-be-farmers who did not have the cash to buy their own land.