Medway Council has confirmed plans to let out parts of its headquarters in a bid to provide much-needed rental income.

The authority's leader Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con) signed off a plan to allow outside organisations utilise some of the space at Gun Wharf, Chatham.

Officers began working on the idea earlier this year and a report detailing some of the plans has been made public after Cllr Jarrett used urgency powers to move forward with them last Thursday.

After surveying more than 1,100 staff on attitudes towards working during the pandemic, the council came to the conclusion it would be beneficial to change the way some of its employees operate.

This would be by allowing them to work remotely and come to Gun Wharf on occasion to be with colleagues. This is known as a "hybird model".

The survey found just over half of those responding had been working from home full time while another 40% were already working in a hybrid model.

Some 29% said they would prefer to work from home full time.

The office space on the Dock Road building's second level will be vacated costing an estimated £30,000.

It is not known if the council has lined up any tenants yet, or how much income the move will generate.

However, documents say it will be more than £20,000 per annum for each letting, but below £1m.

The report states the decision "is expected to deliver additional revenue and operational efficiencies".

During an earlier meeting of the council's business support overview and scrutiny committee, the chief legal officer explained how the approximate cost to heat the building each year was £1.1 million because it is not very energy efficient.

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