This Land Development

The Council's wholly owned company This Land has made the news yet again. Unison is not allowed to ask questions on what is happening to the millions of pounds the Council has loaned This Land, we are also denied a response to what impact it is having on jobs and our Terms and Conditions. Articles in the news appear to the most consistent and reliable source of information for all employees of CCC.

What we do know about This Land, is that it is not the roaring success that the 2016 administration (Conservative led) thought it would be. The likelihood is that it will at some point, either become a success, OR cost a lot of money to be written off, adding to the our financial crisis as this will be £160 million the Council will not get back. This is the belief of the auditors; KPMG said there was a "high probability" This Land would "default" over the lifetime of the loan.

The latest financial figures for This Land do not appear to indicate a healthy future, or that the loan will be repaid by 2029 as indicated. It must be highlighted that This Land has not defaulted on payments to the Council on its loans. It does appear to have borrowed more though, when times were challenging to make that loan repayment.

If you want to read more, these links will take you to some relevant articles.

BBC News July 2025: Cambridgeshire council plays down fears over £120m housing loan - BBC News

Cambs News January 2025: Cambridgeshire County Council slips £6.3m to This Land Ltd

BBC News Sept 2021: Cambridgeshire County Council land firm to be reviewed - BBC News

Wisbech Standard February 2021: Councillor in the Eye of a storm | Wisbech Standard

This Land is a regular in Private Eye: Private Eye Rotten Boroughs