Secrecy Still Rules at GBC Over HRA Investigation

Published on: 21 Jan, 2026
Updated on: 22 Jan, 2026

By Martin Giles

As expected, the investigation being conducted to assess the amount of misspent money, believed to be millions of pounds, from Guildford Borough Council’s Housing Revenue account was discussed only in private last night at the council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee with the public and press excluded.

See also: GBC’s Financial Fiasco Faces Scrutiny – But Will Public Be Allowed In?

Cllr Philip Brooker

Chair of the committee, Cllr Philip Brooker (Con, Worplesdon) said today (January 21): “We were given very clear legal advice that the item could not be discussed in public, but the matter will be brought back to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and not go straight to the Executive, as was proposed.

“It was also recommended that the next report to the committee be prepared to ensure that as much as possible could be heard in public in keeping with the council’s commitment to full transparency.”

Cllr George Potter

Cllr George Potter (Lib Dem, Burpham) is said, according to corroborated reports, to have asked why could not, even, a high level summary of the papers have been put into the public domain and to have argued that some of the matters discussed at the meeting were not covered by legal privilege and should have been discussed in public.

Cllr Maddy Redpath.

Cllr Maddy Redpath (R4GV, Castle) supported his view and said today: “It is disappointing that the committee’s recommendations to the Executive weren’t read out in public, as agreed by the CEO and the monitoring officer.”

But the committee chose to exclude the public, and Phil Brooker, as chair, declined the monitoring officer’s suggestion to come back into public session at the end of the item to summarise the agreed recommendations for members of the public.

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