Letter: How Will This Debt Be Cleared?

Published on: 22 Apr, 2026
Updated on: 22 Apr, 2026

From John Redpath

In response to: We Should All Be Outraged About the Failure to Deal with Legacy Debt

I agree with Brian Creese. The debt is certainly of Tory making but that surely misses the point and just brings in National Party politicking that we suffer daily. It’s a good reason for voting for a candidate independent of national party politics for Surrey.

Irrelevant of who created the debt, it looks like residents are going to be stuck with it!

It’s odd that the Conservatives haven’t learnt their lesson. If they gain power again in either side of Surrey, according to their manifesto pledges, every household will be entitled to a free garden waste bin. But how will this be paid for and will those living in flats be pleased with this benefit only given to homeowners who have gardens?

The new unitary will need to fund the cost of extra bins, factor in the cost of collecting them and possibly even employ more operatives as well as buy new refuse lorries (c.£250K each) in order to cover the increased workload.

Also, in the Conservative manifesto, they will offer the first hour’s parking in the county’s car parks free of charge. Income from the car parks in Guildford alone contribute about £10 million to the cost of running the borough. This free hour’s parking could reduce this income by half!

One item the Conservative manifesto doesn’t mention is the debt West Surrey is due to inherit. To put this in context the debt is made up by the following approximations:
Woking c. £2,600,000,000
Spelthorne c. £1,000,000,000
Surrey Heath c. £170,000,000
Guildford c. £300,000,000
50 per cent SCC debt c. £500,000,000

Total inherited debt for West Surrey will therefore be c.£4,570,000,000.

To clear down the capital sum assets will need to be sold (and these may include the car parks) or council tax will need to rise. More likely both will be required.

The cost of this debt per residential property in West Surrey (estimated 240K properties) is c. £19,000.

Assuming an interest rate of 5 per cent, the cost would be £228,500,000 per annum, or £948 per West Surrey household, just to cover the interest on this massive debt.

I’m sure there are a lot of people out there better than me at working out the horror of what we are destined to suffer, but I believe my estimates are correct.

Rather than offering handouts of free bins and parking, it would be so much better if the Conservatives explained how they would clear down this debt (one might say their debt) with as little pain as possible to those they vie to represent.