SLOUGH Borough Council could stay in its £39m headquarters after all despite its leader saying they will “almost certainly” move out.

Pat Hayes, executive director for property, told councillors sitting on the place scrutiny panel that the “preferred option” is for the local authority to stay at Observatory House in Windsor Road but sell the freehold to someone else.

This could mean the council could still operate at its current headquarters but become a long-term leaseholder, possibly on a temporary rent-free basis, and occupy fewer floors of the six-storey building.

The vacant floors could be leased out to other companies that could make a financial return for the council.

READ MORE: Slough Council will "almost certainly" move out of HQ

Speaking at the meeting on Thursday, January 19, Mr Hayes said: “We may not be able to do that but that’s our favoured approach at the moment and that’s the line we’re going down.”

This is despite council leader James Swindlehurst (Lab: Cippenham Green) previously saying the council will “almost certainly” move out of Observatory House and later confirmed they are working on a strategy to leave “at some point in the future”.

The council bought its current headquarters for £39m, according to a Freedom of Information request, in 2018 after its previous home, St Martins Place, was no longer fit for purpose.

READ MORE: Slough Borough Council will move out of £39m town centre HQ

The original business case was to rent out the top two floors to other businesses but there was a lack of interest, in part because of hybrid working that came out of the pandemic.

Slough Borough Council is selling up to £600m of its assets in order to reduce its £760m borrowing debt.