Could ‘Your Waverley’ and Guildford councils be joining Woking and Surrey Heath?
Or Woking Guildford and Waverley or if the county was split into two Waverley Guildford, Woking Surrey Heath, Runnymeade and Spelthorne.
Is anything possible? But at the moment, that could change before you read this post.
Why is such a vital reorganisation being carried out at breakneck speed? And how can any local authority, faced with recruitment issues, other than temporarily, recruit suitable candidates?
Spelthorne BC councillors have voted to reorganise three unitaries after considering the options. One of the county’s MPs, Zoe Franklin, agreed that three would “strike the right balance.”
Local government minister Jim McMahon recently announced that Surrey is on the fast track for reorganisation. With a population of 1.2m, Surrey could reorganise into two or even three unitaries to meet the government’s requirement for new unitaries to have a population of around 500,000. However, it would consider new organisations at 350,000 where it made sense.
The debt mountain
Guildford BC has imposed strict financial controls to manage its £300,000m debt and has been making savings year on year since joining Waverley, which is debt-free. However, Woking has a £2b debt millstone around its neck. Surrey Heath is in debt to £170m.
The entire Surrey debt is estimated at around £6 billion, but some say it is considerably more!
Lib Dem Zoe Franklin, MP for Guildford, who ousted Conservative Angela Richardson at the general election, said restructuring would be “the best way forward.” A Guildford councillor for many years, she thinks the change will simplify local government for residents.
However, she is “concerned” that the government hasn’t indicated how restructuring will alleviate the financial problems councils face, highlighting adult social care, children with special educational needs, and highways.
You have to reorganise to ensure we get the right balance between reorganising that can financially manage things and keeping it as close to residents as possible. The government hasn’t yet indicated how to address this, so I have asked the minister to meet with all Surrey’s MPs to have that conversation.”
She added that the public expects their elected representatives to have a seat at the table. She said cancelling the local elections was a “travesty”, and she had received correspondence from residents angry and aggrieved that their voices are effectively silenced.
Good morning WW
Entire Surrey debt: £6m – do you mean £6 billion?
Thank you, JWS. Too much vino last night!
Why are Waverley being tied to everyone else’s debt. Where is the Waverley council say No. We should be allowed to vote. Stuff Guildford and the rest
Totally agree where’s our vote
To more local government closer to the people it must be more transparent, placed under the obligation that its accounts are independently audited annually and that councillors should like MPs hold surgeries to address local resident concerns. Local democracy is a myth that it is why it has racked up so much debt with hidden feckless financial decisions. The Government requirement for investment best practice has been ignored with impunity.
I totally agree.
The Government’s Public Works Loan Board handed out £squillions to Local Authorities like giving sweets to children, with insufficient accountability on both sides. Only latterly did the Government wake up, and told Local Authorities they couldn’t borrow if they were investing in property to secure income. Which of course was the government’s original intention for the PWLB (to take the place of inadequate government funding)
The Government appointed Commissioners are still trying to untangle Woking’s debt of £2billion mostly owed to the PWLB and secreted throughout over 20 special purpose vehicles (subsidiary companies to you and I)
Government should have held Woking to account and followed-up on these enormous loans.
Utter incompetence bordering on the wrong side of legality.
I meant to say earlier, well done Zoe Franklin for “ousting” greasy pole climber, Angela Richardson.
By the time the Conservatives get back into power, she will have slid right back down, and the the pole will require re-greasing.
Here, here. What we want to know is? Where the heck is her photographer who captured her every move? At the job centre.