It's noticeable that there are growing concerns in the press about the new wave of local councils investing in commercial property - especially considering the nature and scale of the investment by some high-profile councils. However we are frequently seeing councils up and down the UK making considered commitments, in their local area, that will benefit their local communities in the long run.

From the data released - Spelthorne BC's spending equates to a quarter of all spending on commercial property by all councils in England in the past five years - which stands at circa £4bn. This is clearly not representative of the majority of  councils' attitude towards commercial property investment. They typically target assets with investment lot sizes between £5-20million.