In the first quarter of 2010, local authorities sold 148 properties at auctions in England, Scotland and Wales, raising just £26m

This is a big decline from the same period in 2007, when 243 properties were sold for £112.9m (see graph, left).

However, experts expect councils to sell more properties after the election, as public sector bodies seek quick sell-offs.

Simon Parker, head of commercial auctions at Savills, says auctions are well suited for councils looking to sell properties worth less than £2m because “it’s open, competitive, there is lots of marketing done and it’s very public”. He adds that this makes it hard for people to accuse councils of selling buildings cheaply.

Parker says the election accounts for part of the drop in the first quarter of 2010, as authorities await the 6 May election result and what pressure they will put on councils to sell surplus properties to tackle the £167bn budget deficit.

The success rate for councils selling properties also fell slightly in the first three months of 2010. There were 148 properties sold out of the 182 offered — a success rate of 81.3%. This compares with an 89% success rate for the first quarter of 2009.

• Councils need to find £11bn over four years
• Council asset sales set to rise 17% this year
• Government disposals drop 75% in a year
• Ministry of Justice appoints Knight Frank for two sales
• Councils to mimic Glasgow propco