Have your say on options for a new Slough Town Hall
Slough Borough Council is asking residents to have their say on options for a new Town Hall.
Artist's impression of what a new Town Hall could look like on the Bath Road siteThe original Town Hall was built in the 1930s with new Town Hall buildings added in the 1970s.
A recent survey revealed that the council would need to invest £2million over the next five years to maintain the building in its current state – without improvements or modernisation.
Slough Councillors have therefore agreed that the most economical and efficient option is to provide a new Town Hall, by selling the land that the current Town Hall sits on, and leasing a Town Hall office building on the same site, or in the town centre, and they want residents’ views on what would be the best location.
Along with this, the council will be asking residents whether they think the core of the old Town Hall building – the main Bath Road entrance and council chamber - should be retained.
To have their say, residents are being invited to a series of roadshows at MyCouncil on the High Street and the old Town Hall (Bath Road entrance):
* Thursday 18 October, 10am to 12pm (MyCouncil)
* Thursday 25 October, 12 to 2pm (MyCouncil)
* Wednesday 31 October, 5 to 7pm (Town Hall)
* Tuesday 6 November, 5 to 7pm (Town Hall)
Residents who attend the Slough Town Hall sessions are asked to enter the building via the Bath Road entrance, as the public entrance will be closed. A tour of the Town Hall will also be available during these sessions.
If residents can’t make a public roadshow, they can have their say online by seeing the new Town Hall web pages, emailing newtownhall@slough.gov.uk or by picking up a consultation leaflet in any council venue and returning the questionnaire by freepost.
Cllr Geoff Howard, commissioner for Slough resources, said: “We have always set out to consult with residents, staff and stakeholders as we want to find out what would be the best option for all these groups.
“We also want to understand how residents feel about where the Town Hall should be located and what value they put on the original Town Hall building.”
Around 1,400 staff are currently based in council offices in the town, including MyCouncil in the High Street, where the public go to access council services.
The number of services provided from MyCouncil will continue to expand in the future, so that it will be the first point of public entry for all council services.
The main function of a new Slough Town Hall, as well as containing back office and support staff, will be to provide facilities for council meetings and committees. The public will continue to be able to attend these meetings to see decisions being made.
The consultation ends on November 9th.
Slough Borough Council