Le Seelleur properties (FOI)

Request

Some years ago the late Mr H Le Seelleur left a portfolio of properties to the Health and Social Services Committee so that the proceeds from these properties be "specifically used by Health for the benefit of the elderly and sick"

A

Please name these properties left to Health in the will of the late Mr H Le Seelleur.

B

Please name those properties sold and the individual sale prices received.

C

Please advise where each property sale proceeds has gone, ie to the Health and Social Services as per Mr Le Seelleur's wishes or have any property sale proceeds gone, used or given to any other Government Department including the Treasury?

D

Was the Le Seelleur workshop advertised for sale by Public Tender and how much was realised from its sale and what were the legal and other expenses deducted from its sale price?

E

Are there still any Le Seelleur properties that remain unsold and please advise their current use or uses

Response

A

In 1996 nine sites in total were bequeathed to the Public of the Island "for the benefit of the aged, infirm and needy residents of the Island" by the late Mr Harold Ernest Le Seelleur. They were:

1-4 The Denes, Grève d’Azette, St Clement

9 Chevalier Road, St Helier

Beau Sejour, Mont Millais, St Helier

Claremont, Bagatelle Road, St Saviour

La Pouclee Lodge, La Pouquelaye, St Helier

Le Boulevard Flats, La Rocque, Grouville

Le Seelleur Oxford Road Workshop, St Helier

Sous L’Eglise, La Rue du Presbytere, St Peter

Stonecot, Mont Millais, St Helier

B

The information requested is accessible within a previous Freedom of Information response, available at the following link:

Properties given to the States in the Will of the late H.E. Le Seelleur (FOI)

C

The acceptance of the bequest by the States was expressed in the terms of proposition P.71/97 of the Health and Social Services Committee, adopted by the States on 2 June 1997. See copy below:

Bequest of the Late Mr H E Le Seelleur

Under the proposition it was decided that the administration of the Estate of H. E. Le Seelleur should be carried out by the Minister for Health and Social Services (formerly known as the Health and Social Services Committee).

On 8 May 2014 the Minister for Health and Community Services (HCS) adopted a Property Strategy which recommended the sale of several of the properties and requested that the Treasurer invest the non-property (cash) assets of the fund in the Common Investment Fund (MD-HSS-2014-0015). The link to the relevant Ministerial Decision is below:

Le Seelleur Trust Property Assets: Investment Strategy

Proceeds of £4.655 million from the property sales were attributed to the Le Seelleur Fund. The balance of Le Seelleur Fund including the value of property as at the 31 December 2019 is £9.59m of which £2.1m is held through property ownership, £22,000 is held in the bank, the remainder is held in the Common Investment fund.

It has recently been agreed that £1.020m of the fund be transferred to Health and Community Services. This money will fund palliative care services at Jersey Hospice Care and be used to purchase 34 defibrillators and 2 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) (portable defibrillators). This will replace equipment originally purchased in 2010 that is now in need of renewal.

Further information can be found within the relevant Health and Community Services Ministerial Decision on the Gov.je link below:

Le Seelleur Charitable Trust Fund: Transfer to fund Palliative Care Services and the purchase of defibrillators

D

The Oxford Road Workshop was marketed using Buckley and Co, a commercial agent. The agent placed advertisements in the Jersey Evening Post classified section on three occasions as part of the marketing of the property, as well as advertising the property on their own website.

Several offers were received, and the highest one was accepted. The property was sold with the adjoining 9 Chevalier Road property on the 3 March 2017. The only disbursement from the sale proceeds was the usual commercial agent’s 1% fee.

E

1-3 The Denes, Greve d’Azette are residential properties being let to tenants. The properties Stonecot and 4 The Denes are currently undergoing, or awaiting, refurbishment.

Article applied

Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.