Barnsley Council selling off stock on eBay

Savvy shoppers can bag a bargain and pick up everything from highway materials, plant equipment, transport parts, street lighting materials, protective clothing and general supplies and materials.

Barnsley Council’s Environment and Transport section has set up a new eBay account, which has gone live this week, and is using the site to sell non-electrical, obsolete or surplus stock items.

The authority says it is sometimes left with unwanted or obsolete items and it is now running a six-month pilot to see if the move can generate extra cash at a time when the authority is facing cuts to its budgets.

Coun Roy Miller, said: “Using eBay will provide us with another channel to manage surplus stock and will also give members of the public, along with council staff and partners, the opportunity to bid for items and goods.

“In a time when we are facing Government cuts to our funding, we are having to think more creatively and business-like in order to maintain our services. A few other councils have been successfully using Ebay so I’m happy that we are also giving it a go here in Barnsley.”

The authority says it already has systems in place to deal with surplus stock but hopes that eBay will offer another alternative to generate cash for the authority.

People who want to check what Barnsley Council has for sale can visit www.ebay.co.uk/usr/barnsleymbc

The pilot will be reviewed in six months with a view to expanding the scope of items that are eligible for auction.