THE Audit Commission could investigate the controversial sale of Windlestone Hall after intervention from a local councillor.

County Councillor John Shuttleworth has written to the watchdog –whose remit is to protect the public purse – to ask it to hold a “full and public investigation” into Durham County Council’s sale of the stately home for £241,000.

The District Auditor for the county council, Gareth Davies, has now been asked to examine correspondence supplied by Coun Shuttleworth with a view to conducting a formal investigation.

The Northern Echo revealed last month how Windlestone, a grade II* listed building, near Rushyford, County Durham, which was the family home of former Conservative Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, had been sold to private buyers.

But there has been criticism that the authority failed to get the best value for the property, which has lain empty for several years and fallen into disrepair after a special school which latterly used it moved to new premises.

The estate, which comprises the hall, clock tower, adjoining buildings and 25.5 acres of parkland, was placed up for sale by the county council in 2006.

The council later accepted a conditional £2.3m offer from a housing group, Randall Orchard Whitelam Homes, which intended to build luxury flats within the hall’s grounds.

The offer, which was subject to planning permission, was later revised down to £1.5m due to planning restrictions and structural damage to the hall.

However the deal collapsed in 2010 after lengthy planning wrangles prompted the developer to withdraw from the process.

In his letter to the Commission, Coun Shuttleworth, who represents Weardale, said the £241,000 sale of Windlestone did not “represent good value for the council tax payer given its size and grandeur”.

He also said he had spoken to a property developer who claimed – even in the current economic climate – he would be willing to pay £1m for the property, which has been described as one of the most historically significant buildings in the North-East by English Heritage.

In a statement Stuart Timmiss, Durham County Council’s head of planning and assets, said: “The council was committed to getting the best value for Windlestone Hall in the current market, while also protecting the building’s historic importance.

“With refurbishment and repair costs estimated at £3m, the final offer for the hall represented good value for money.

“It also enables the building to be retained as a single private residence, as it was originally designed and used.

“Furthermore, the sale has reduced the council’s legal responsibility and liability in maintaining a listed building into the future.”