Slough Borough Council

History

Slough's first local authority was a local board, established in 1863. Such boards were reconstituted as urban district councils in 1894. The urban district boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1930 when it absorbed areas including Langley and Cippenham.

In 1938 the urban district was incorporated to become a municipal borough. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Slough', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.

The municipal borough was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It was replaced by a slightly larger non-metropolitan district of Slough, which covered the old borough plus the Britwell and Wexham Court areas, and was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Berkshire. Slough's borough status was transferred to the new district, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Slough's series of mayors dating back to 1938.

From 1974 until 1998, Slough Borough Council was a lower-tier authority, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services in the borough. The borough was enlarged in 1995 to take in Colnbrook with Poyle.

Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998. Slough Borough Council then became a unitary authority, taking over the former county council's functions in the borough.

Governance

As a unitary authority, Slough Borough Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. There are three civil parishes in the borough at Britwell, Colnbrook with Poyle, and Wexham Court, which form an additional tier of local government for their area. The rest of the borough is unparished.

Political control

Since the 2023 election the council has been under no overall control, being led by the Conservatives with support from the Liberal Democrats.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Lower-tier non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Slough is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2001 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to April 2025, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in May 2027.

Bankruptcy (2021)

On 2 July 2021, Slough Borough Council issued a notice under Section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, having the effect of preventing any new expenditure on non-statutory services, after serious financial problems had been identified. In October 2021, the government announced plans to appoint external commissioners to help run the council after a series of reports highlighted major problems at the local authority.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

The council is based at Observatory House at 25 Windsor Road in the town centre. It was built in the 1990s as commercial offices. The council bought the building in July 2018 for a reported £41.3 million and converted it to become their offices and meeting place, with the first council meetings in the building being held in September 2019.

The council was previously based at Slough Town Hall at 19 Bath Road, which was built in 1937 and served as the council's headquarters until 2011. The council was then temporarily based at St Martin's Place at 51 Bath Road from 2011 to 2019, holding meetings at various venues in the town whilst looking for a new home closer to the town centre. In February 2025, the Council announced it was putting the St Martin's Place office complex up for sale.

References

References

1. (22 May 2025). "Slough: New mayor and cabinet elected following meeting". Slough Observer.
2. (25 March 2024). "Slough council announces appointment of interim chief executive". Maidenhead Advertiser.
3. (20 November 2024). "Slough Borough Council letter to Managing Director Commissioner". Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
4. (22 October 2024). "Bankrupt council expects longer government oversight". BBC News.
5. {{London Gazette. (14 July 1863)
6. "Slough Civil Parish". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
7. "Slough Urban District / Municipal Borough". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
8. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
9. (28 March 1974). "District Councils and Boroughs".
10. {{cite legislation UK. (1994)
11. {{cite legislation UK. (1996)
12. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
13. (25 May 2023). "Slough: Labour slam 'chaotic' coalition after all male leaders elected". Slough Observer.
14. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
15. (28 November 2001). "English town mourns beloved Wexford son". Wexford People.
16. "Councillor Robert Anderson".
17. "Council minutes, 6 July 2004".
18. "Council minutes, 15 May 2008".
19. (6 June 2016). "Slough Borough Council leader Rob Anderson resigns". BBC News.
20. "Council minutes, 6 June 2016".
21. (29 November 2017). "New leader of Slough Borough Council chosen after Sohail Munawar reigns". Maidenhead Advertiser.
22. "Council minutes, 28 November 2017".
23. (5 May 2023). "Slough Labour suffers brutal defeat as it loses grip on the council". Slough Observer.
24. "Council minutes, 18 May 2023".
25. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
26. "Slough". Thorncliffe.
27. (2 July 2021). "Slough Borough Council bans new spending after Section 114 notice". Slough Express.
28. (26 October 2021). "'Dysfunctional' Slough council placed under government supervision". BBC News.
29. (26 October 2021). "Labour-controlled council taken over after property bets leave £100m black hole". The Telegraph.
30. (26 October 2021). "LocalGov.co.uk - Your authority on UK local government - Commissioners to monitor Slough improvement plan".
31. {{cite legislation UK. (2023)
32. (2 November 2018). "More than £41m spent on new Slough Borough Council headquarters". Maidenhead Advertiser.
33. (10 September 2019). "Health Scrutiny Panel, 10 September 2019".
34. (2 April 1937). "Slough Town Hall: Official opening ceremony by Mrs A. G. Trevener". Middlesex Advertiser and County Gazette.
35. (17 March 2011). "School chosen for Slough Town Hall site". BBC.
36. "Council's former HQ up for sale".