SLOUGH Borough Council has confirmed it spent £28,000 on plants when it moved into its new headquarters that it is looking to leave.

Earlier this week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported a spat between councillors over the alleged spend and the state of the 200 indoor plants at the council’s HQ Observatory House on 25 Windsor Road.

Independent councillor Madhuri Bedi (Foxborough) claimed at an annual full council meeting on Thursday, May 19, that the local authority spent almost £50,000 on plants as a “vanity project” and asked what will happen to them if they decide to move out.

READ MORE: Slough councillors in angry spat over 'dying' plants

Council leader James Swindlehurst (Lab: Cippenham Green) previously said the council will “almost certainly” move out of its £41m HQ as it could be sold off with the rest of its £600m-worth of assets to reduce its gargantuan £760m borrowing debt and £479m blackhole.

Initially, a council spokesperson denied the authority spent £50k on plants and that they were not dying as they are being looked after by councillors, staff, and cleaners.

Slough Observer: Claims were made the plants were 'dying'Claims were made the plants were 'dying'

Cllr Swindlehurst said he too waters the plants almost on a weekly basis and the plants are alive and will be taken care of whatever decision is made on the Observatory House.

But he was accused of being ‘misleading’ when he said the plants are alive. Conservative councillor Wayne Strutton (Haymill & Lynch Hill) said: “If you walk around the building, the plants are dying, and the spaces are empty. Let’s be honest with the truth and not mislead people.”

In an email seen by the LDRS, a council officer confirmed a one-off spend of £28k on plants from a local business when members moved into the HQ about five years ago.

Slough Observer:

The plants were bought for staff health and wellbeing, as well as to reduce sick building syndrome, which is a condition of headaches and respiratory problems blamed on poor offices, to improve staff productivity.

Cllr Bedi said spending this much on plants has “no benefits” to the taxpayers of Slough and is “baffled” that they were bought as an investment in the town.

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The council also spent an additional £20,000 on a contract for a gardener to water the plants on the five floors of the HQ every so often, but the contract was terminated in September to save money.

A report by the Telegraph claims the council spent £10,000 when it opted out of the contract, but a council spokesperson denied this.