Former County Council Leader Criticizes Current Leader Over Council Finances

Published on: 15 Feb, 2018
Updated on: 16 Feb, 2018

Cllr Andrew Povey

The former leader of Surrey County Council (SCC) has criticised the current leader David Hodge (Con, Warlingham), over the financial difficulties the council is now facing.

As a result of a reported £100 million funding crisis, council tax is set to increase by 6%, cuts of £66 million are expected and the council is being forced to dip into its reserves.

In an interview on BBC Radio Surrey yesterday (February 14, 2018), Dr Andrew Povey, who led SCC until 2011 said: “They [SCC] had a report from CIPFA, a professional institute for accountants, … in September 2016, and at that time the leader was very much pushing the idea of a 15% [council tax rise] referendum in Surrey, which was really a complete non-starter and this report told him that in history no one has ever won a referendum like this… and that there was an absence of any credible cost reduction plan.

“So in September 2016 that’s when he [Hodge] should have started to make savings because those savings would then have been made in 2016, they would have continued through into ’17 and ’18 so we would now be in a much better position than we are…”

Cllr David Hodge

Povey and Hodge fell out in 2011. Povey resigned following the resignation of Hodge, his deputy at the time, and Hodge took over as leader.

At the time Povey said: “It is my intention to stand down as leader of Surrey County Council… so I can develop my business interests.” He also told the BBC: “It got to the point where we were seeing things differently… we have a different style, are very different people – that can be a strength, but I think it got to the point where it was going the other way.”

Andrew Povey also stood down as a councillor but, after a four-year break, made a surprising comeback in last year’s county council election when, with the apparent approval of Anne Milton MP, he stood as the Conservative candidate for the Cranleigh & Ewhurst division, following the controversial deselection of the incumbent, Alan Young.

Now, some observers are questioning whether Povey’s public criticism of his leader is the first sign of a new leadership bid.

Cllr Hazel Watson

Responding to Cllr Povey’s comments on BBC Radio Surrey, Cllr Hazel Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said yesterday: “I am pleased that Cllr Povey agrees with what the Liberal Democrats and I have been saying about Surrey County Council’s finances over the last 18 months.

“He is right to draw attention to the criticisms of the county council contained within CIPFA’s report Financial Resilience Review – Surrey County Council. This report was commissioned by the current leader of the council and was kept hidden from county councillors for months.

“He [Povey] is correct in his judgement of the folly of the leader in pursuing a doomed policy of a 15% council tax rise which was subsequently abandoned. The CIPFA report clearly stated that such a referendum was unwinnable but the leader of the council refused to act on their advice.

“Instead of blaming the government for lack of funding and backing an unwinnable referendum, the Conservative administration should have been working on identifying sensible efficiencies and a realistic level of deliverable savings without cutting services. It should also have acted much earlier on the many empty buildings it owns across the county, which have cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds each year to maintain.

“Surrey County Council is in a poor financial position with no clear plan to improve the situation. Unless a solution is found, then we only have to look to Northamptonshire County Council to see the consequences of when the money eventually runs out.”

But this evening (February 15), avoiding the question posed by The Dragon as to whether his criticism was part of a new leadership bid, Cllr Povey only expressed disappointment with the Lib Dems at Kingston.

He said: “It was very disappointing that the small Liberal Democrat group at County Hall failed to put forward an alternative budget again this year. The county council is in a difficult financial position and the more ideas and suggestions that come forward the better. An alternative budget would have been helpful and could have been part of the council’s discussions.

“All councillors have a role in scrutinising the budgets and policies of the council and this is an important part of the democratic process that I welcome.

“I will always listen with interest to any suggestions for savings from the Liberal Democrat group. However, their suggestion of cutting primary school budgets that they made some years ago was not one that I supported.”

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