Debt-laden council's former HQ up for sale

A council's former headquarters has been put up for sale as it tries to claw back massive debts.

Slough Borough Council's St Martin's Place was the authority's HQ for about 12 years but has been vacant since 2020.

An advert for it was mistakenly posted in June 2024 but taken down again days later. One correctly went up earlier this month with Avison Young.

The council, which hopes to raise hundreds of millions of pounds in asset sales, said St Martin's Place costs it about £500,000 a year in business rates, security costs and other charges.

The site is on the corner of Bath Road and Montem Lane and the authority said it "offers an excellent opportunity either in its current form or for redevelopment".

The council is currently based at Observatory House in Windsor Road which it bought for £39m in 2018.

The council's leader Dexter Smith said: "Since the council moved to Observatory House in 2019 and then following the pandemic and the financial challenges, there has been much discussion on the future of both Observatory House and St Martin's Place and whether either had a future as a council building.

"Now we have taken the decision St Martin's Place is surplus to our requirements and it has gone on the open market.

"As with all our assets, we will be looking at getting the best value in terms of a financial return but also what brings most benefits to local people."

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.