Opinion: £7m of Overspends in Six Months – The Cost of Lib Dem Rule in Waverley

Published on: 21 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 24 Mar, 2026

Cllr Jane Austin

By Jane Austin

Leader of the Conservative Group at Waverley Borough Council

I have been knocking on a lot of doors recently, and many residents ask why I am standing in the upcoming unitary elections. After nearly three years as a councillor and 12 years serving my community, the answer is simple: I love serving my community.

But there is another reason. In my time as Waverley’s Conservative leader I have been shocked by the scale of spending and the lack of concern for financial discipline by Waverley Borough Council.

While families across Waverley tighten their belts, residents expect their council to demonstrate financial discipline. Instead, the Liberal Democrat Executive has pushed through multi million-pound spending increases.

In the last three years parking rates for 0-1 hour charging window have rocketed by 40 per cent in most car parks across Waverley.

In six months alone: nearly £7 million in project overspends. That’s equivalent to £125 per household.

And it is not just my council group raising concerns. The recent split of the Farnham Residents group from the Executive – citing governance concerns and decisions forced through without discussion or consultation – reflects serious unhappiness about how this council is being run.

Former M&Co Premises at 69 Godalming High Street Google

‘The Money Pit’ – 69 High Street, Godalming

Take 69 High Street in Godalming, known by many as “The Money Pit.”

The building has sat empty for four years since Waverley purchased it. A vanity project gone wrong, the redevelopment cost has now ballooned to £11.4 million… and counting.

Four years after Waverley purchased it, the £4 million commercial unit remains vacant and continues to drag down part of Godalming High Street – although we hope Loungers may finally take occupation later this year.

Behind the building, the council plans to construct 13 affordable flats, but the economics simply do not stack up. The average construction cost will be around £600,000 per flat, despite Waverley itself confirming that the typical cost of delivering social housing across the borough is roughly £300,000 per home.

Market evidence suggests for the same money Waverley’s housing account could purchase 26 brand-new flats of similar specification on the open market.

The housing project is to be funded from Waverley’s Housing Revenue Account, a ring-fenced fund paid for by council tenants. So, some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents will ultimately bear the millions in losses this project has already created through higher rents in the long term.

Conservative councillors – joined by Farnham Residents and even several Liberal Democrats – attempted to block the scheme. The vote was extremely close: 19 for, 18 against. The Lib Demss who voted for this project have, in my view, failed every duty we have to our council tenants.

As a qualified Chartered Surveyor with years specialising in High Street and mixed-use investment, I find this decision-making unfathomable. If I presented financial outcomes like these in any real-world organisation, I would lose my job.

Yet at Waverley Borough Council almost any project seems capable of being justified by the Executive’s loose application of “social value.”

Museum of Farnham Google

Farnham Museum – repeated requests for cash but no clear plan

The situation surrounding Willmer House in Farnham, home to Farnham Museum, reflects a similar pattern. This Grade I listed building of national importance deserves a serious, transparent and fully costed restoration plan.

Instead, councillors have been presented with repeated funding requests, with £1.4 million already committed and further costs expected to run into the millions – yet without a clear long-term plan or financial strategy.

Cranleigh Leisure Centre – Transparency Vanishes as costs hit £36m

Perhaps nowhere are governance concerns clearer than in the new Cranleigh Leisure Centre. Costs have continued to rise while transparency has diminished. As chair of the Scrutiny Committee, I repeatedly asked for detailed financial justification for a further £4.9 million budget increase to £36 million over and above inflationary increases already built in.

Instead of comprehensive answers, councillors received one-sentence replies to complex financial questions involving millions of pounds of public money. That is not transparency. It is stonewalling.

Across these projects the same pattern emerges: rising costs, weak transparency, selective business cases and a culture of blaming circumstances rather than taking responsibility.

You may recall last year I successfully pushed for a £1 million grounds maintenance contract to be rescinded after flawed information was identified in council reports.

This level of financial carelessness would not be tolerated in business. It should not be tolerated in local government either.

Residents Deserve Better

Waverley residents will have just received their council tax bills, asking them to pay the maximum increase again this year. They have every right to expect their money to be handled efficiently and responsibly.

They deserve a council that treats every pound of taxpayers’ money with respect.

Until this Liberal Democrat administration learns that lesson, waste and drift will continue to define Waverley in its final year but we need to ensure these same mistakes are not repeated in the West Surrey Unitary Council.

Waverley Lib Dems have been invited to respond.