Woking Taxpayers Escape Another Major Tax Hike While Waverley Balances Its Books

Published on: 3 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 6 Mar, 2025

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

A “transitional” budget for Woking Borough Council has been approved as members claim it is in a “markedly different place to last year”.

Woking declared itself effectively bust in 2023 with debts of about £2 billion. It forced the council to cut new spending, axe non-statuary services and increase tax by 10 per cent. In 2024, Woking approved a budget of emergency savings and damage control in an attempt to tackle its swollen debt of £2 billion.

Now the broke council is working on a “business as usual” budget separate from the council’s legacy debt and borrowing costs. The deficit on the budget for 2025/26 is £2.8 million and is expected to be covered by the Exceptional Financial Support. Woking council is still essentially spending above its resources, despite the level of cuts and savings made.

Cllr Dale Roberts

“This council has not asked for a penny more of government support than it needs,” said Cllr Dale Roberts (Lib Dem, St John’s), portfolio holder for finance, introducing the budget. He added Woking council “is doing everything it can to live within its means”.

The budget was labelled by the council as one “the community can afford” – with exceptional support from the government. Crucial services have been saved after a major government bail out was offered of £74.9 million for the 2025/26 financial year on top of the £96.5 million agreed for 24/25.

Cllr Chris Martin

Although Woking council wouldn’t exist if the government had not given “exceptional financial support”, Cllr Chris Martin (Lib Dem, Pyrford) said he did not like the “rabbit out of the hat” trick.

He seemed to argue for a more substantial solution to the council’s overwhelming legacy debt rather than throwing money at the problem.

Cllr Peter Graves

Cllr Peter Graves (Lib Dem, Pyrford) opined: “This is not the government’s money, but the money that belongs to the people of our country.” He told members that Woking “should be a lesson for any council that wishes to go cap in hand to the government and think there is no impact.”

A sombre response was given by members in the chamber as the budget was passed through a full council meeting on February 27. Council tax increases will be officially voted on at a further meeting on March 3.

Residents may have dodged a bullet as they will not be hit with increases above the normal council tax limit – unlike nearby Windsor. Instead, the people of Woking face a 2.99 per cent rise in council tax, like many other local authorities this year. The average B and D household will increase to £298 per month, according to council documents.

Cllr Liam Lyons

In a surprise move, Woking is reducing its car parking charges in the town centre for three hours from £5 to £3.50. Cllr Liam Lyons (Lib Dem, Mount Hermon) praised the drop as “amazing” and said it will “encourage people to spend longer in the town centre”.

Parking for up to six hours will be reduced by 50p (from £8 to £7.50) and parking for three to 24 hours on a Sunday will be reduced by £1 (from £4.50 to £3.50).

Councillors applauded the hard work of officers for balancing the books, but expressed discomfort at above-inflation increases to some charges and services. Meals on Wheels to fragile members of the community is facing a nearly 15 per cent hike in fees, generating almost £49k income.

Cllr Steve Greentree

“We are not in a position to subsidise non-statutory services such as community meals,” said Cllr Steve Greentree. He said the charges are high and the cost is high, but “it will fall as the council becomes more efficient”.

Woking’s balanced budget includes continued support for delivering core services, especially housing. The council has agreed to invest another £16m into taking care of its housing stock after many years of under-investment, according to a report.

Cllr Roberts told members the £16 million was “four times historic levels”, however it does mark a slight decrease from the £16.8 million set aside last year. He also emphasised Woking council is still investing in new homes, infrastructure and building projects by allocating 75 per cent of its capital budget for housing.

Waverley Council Balances the Books

Last week, Waverley Borough Council Liberal Democrats announced that they were “proud to have been able to balance the Waverley budget for not just this year, but next year as well.”

Cllr Mark Merryweather

This was despite they said: “…14 years of under-investment by the now former Conservative government, a 0% grant from the current Labour government and nationwide increases in inflation and costs, rounding off six straight years of sound financial management by the Lib Dems since taking office in mid-2019.”

The announcement was made following news that latest accounts for Waverley Borough Council have successfully been audited and given a clean bill of health.

Cllr Mark Merryweather (Lib Dem, Farnham Moor Park), Finance portfolio holder, said: “A huge effort has gone into presenting another balanced and robust budget for 2025/26 with no service cuts and even an above inflation increase to our support for our partners in the voluntary sector. We’re committed to ensuring the financial stability of this council and the prosperity of our community.”

But Conservative councillors called for Waverley’s Lib Dem-led administration to rein in “excessive and irresponsible” spending in the budget, proposing a fully costed amendment signed off by Waverley’s chief financial officer to freeze proposed parking rate increases. This was defeated.

Cllr Jane Austin

Opposition leader Jane Austin (Con, Bramley & Wonersh) said: “This budget throws caution to the wind to increase spending on this scale and increase staff levels by 10 per cent just prior to the council’s own end is both reckless and irresponsible.

“The Executive are keen to ‘spend spend spend’ the council’s reserves before the new Unitary structure comes in. This budget balances but only because the Executive has chosen to completely ignore £1.8 million reorganisation costs and because £822k of new staffing costs are being funded from reserves. This is an exercise in burying their head in the sand – to the cost of the Waverley taxpayer.”

“The Lib Dem-led Executive has allowed Waverley Training Services to accumulate a staggering £1.7 million loss over the past five years. This situation demands urgent investigation to restore the service to profitability, as it was under the previous Conservative administration.”