THE secretive £1 deal brokered by health chiefs to sell Ravenscraig Hospital and its toxic grounds for mass social housing has been slammed as a 'scandal' by a former provost.

Ciano Rebecchi has hit out in the wake of a Telegraph revelation that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spent £7,500 in marketing the property and gaining demolition approval.

Councillor Rebecchi — who said the historic hospital building of regional importance and its land were previously valued at £15 MILLION — declared: "It's a disgrace and a scandal."

He added: "It's awful. The health board are cutting back on spending on this and spending on that, yet somehow they can afford to give away Ravenscraig for a pound.

"How could they not have got a fair deal and spent the proceeds on the hospital we've got? We all know that Inverclyde Royal needs major investment."

The Telegraph reported in June how IRH required £20 million worth of repairs.

We revealed last month how the health board was officially seeking a private buyer for Ravenscraig whilst behind-the-scenes discussions were taking place to offload it to a social housing provider — via the Scottish Government — for £1.

The expensive marketing campaign — conducted by major property firm Montagu Evans — consisted of a mailshot, one newspaper advert and the erection of a 'for sale' sign.

Councillor Rebecchi said: "It is not value for money to spend £7,500 and then sell the place lock, stock and barrel for a pound.

"I'll tell you what, I'll give you a pound if you give me £7,500, how about that?

"It's scandalous."

He added: "Public bodies have an obligation to make sure they get best value for the public purse.

"How can the health board say that what was achieved here is best value?"

The Telegraph has asked several questions of NHS GGC regarding the sale, including whether bosses believe that best value has been achieved, but they chose to delay responding by turning our queries into a Freedom of Information request.

Councillor Rebecchi said: "I know for a fact that Ravenscraig was on the balance sheet of the old Argyll and Clyde Health Board at a valuation of £15 million. It's gone from that to a pound?"

Only Ravenscraig's buildings were being offered on the open market — without its surrounding 83-acre grounds — whilst the sprawling estate in its entirety was being covertly earmarked for nearly 200 social homes.

What has been termed as 'multiple exceedances' of toxic and cancer-causing chemicals have been found in the ground at the site.

MP Ronnie Cowan has demanded that the issue of the harmful poisons 'must be openly and honestly addressed'.

MSP Stuart McMillan has stated: "Before any work whatsoever starts here, much more work needs to be done to ensure it is 100 per cent safe."