From Jane Austin

leader of the Conservative Group at Waverley Borough Council

In response to: CIL Injustice Continues at Waverley

Well said Steve Dally and the victims of CIL at Waverley. We continue to witness these residents being treated in a deeply concerning and dismissive manner by Waverley Borough Council’s Executive.

At last week’s full council meeting, we were blocked from asking follow-up questions on CIL – including those concerning how CIL funds are allocated.

Despite holding over £11.5 million of strategic CIL unspent, the Liberal Democrat-led Executive has once again delayed its long-promised review of the CIL allocation process. The review will now not even be debated until at least next April – conveniently close to the end of this council’s existence. It’s a disgrace.

Meanwhile, WBC is earning over £107,000 in interest every month from this unspent CIL. That interest is not ring-fenced for infrastructure – it flows directly into the council’s General Fund, subsidising day-to-day operations.

To put that in perspective, CIL interest alone is equivalent to nearly 10 per cent of WBC’s total council tax income, effectively propping up the council’s finances, instead of delivering promised community infrastructure.

See also: Cllr Townsend on Waverley’s CIL Issue

Sites across Waverley borough remain unviable because of Waverley’s high CIL charging rate, set in 2019 by the Planning Inspectorate in very different economic times. Waverley’s Liberal Democrat led Executive appear in no rush to reduce it, claiming the charging rate can only be reviewed alongside the Local Plan. But we’ve checked – this is not the case.

Waverley Conservatives believe residents deserve the benefit of much-needed infrastructure contributions now, not more prevarication and delay. We’ve recently been allowed to join the CIL Spending Committee (so the CIL allocation process) and we will work to drive real progress and ensure communities see the investment they’ve been promised.