One of Scotland's most iconic museums could be remortgaged to help settle a long-running dispute over equal pay in Glasgow.
Council leader Susan Aitken told the Record she could not rule out Kelvingrove Art Gallery being among the buildings used to "leverage" finance in order to pay a multi-million pound bill faced by the city.
Such a deal would see the museum remain in public ownership but will likely raise questions over the state of the local authority's finances.
Council officials in Glasgow are locked in talks over how to pay the second instalment of an equal pay settlement that has overshadowed the city for years.
The local authority paid out £505 million in 2019 to end a legal challenge over an unfair pay grade system which saw some male workers historically earn more than females.
But that settlement only covered the period up to 2018 and a second deal is required to cover the years after.
Aitken - speaking ahead of Thursday's council elections - said the equal pay settlement was the "biggest challenge" she had faced in her five years as leader.
"We are actively working just now to raise the money for the next phase of payment - we always knew there would be a second phase," she said.
"We will have a new pay grading system in place at some point next year - and we are aiming to start paying out the next phase by this autumn.
"We are still talking through various elements with the claimants' representatives but I think we are largely on the same page.
"We are working towards the same outcome here. We all want the same thing."
Aitken said she was not in a position to say what the final bill facing the city would be - but warned it would be "significant".
Glasgow City Council is already £30m per year for the next three decades to pay-off the first part of the settlement agreed in 2019.
The SNP councillor added: "What we have paid out so far costs the city £30m a year for the next 30 years. That figure will grow by more millions.
"I can say it will be paid for in a similar manner to the first phase of settlement.
"By and large it will be the same mechanism that we used last time - which is leveraging our built assets.]
"I'm not going to mention any buildings as we are right in the middle of commercial discussions with partners just now.
"I am keen to be as transparent as possible with the city but, in order to deliver this and to get this right, there are elements that are going to have to be kept private.
"But it will be made public in time."
Asked if that meant buildings like Kelvingrove or the City Chambers being remortgaged, Aitken said: "I wouldn't rule anything in or our just now."
The first equal pay settlement saw venues such as the Old Fruitmarket and Royal Concert Hall remortgaged to raise finance.
Aitken continued: "The first set of buildings all have an income stream. Are we able to keep going back to that? I'm not sure.
"What I can say - and I can make this commitment - is we are not looking to sell anything. That's not the place we are in.
"We are looking to repeat the same deal as last time - which I think was an ingenious deal in many ways - which protected those assets for the city.
Aitken added: "Flogging off the family jewels is not something we are considering."
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