Waverley Borough Council Liberal Democrats are proud to have been able to balance the Waverley budget for not just this year, but next year as well. This is despite 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.
This follows the recent news that latest accounts for Waverley Borough Council have successfully been audited and given a clean bill of health. Combined, this makes Liberal Democrat-led Waverley one of the top performing councils in the country in terms of financial sustainability.
The recent budget contains ZERO cuts to our services and expands the funding for our Thriving Communities Fund, providing support to dozens of organisations across the borough that help vulnerable people and support our communities.
We are also continuing to support local business through our provision of skills and training via Waverley Training Services (WTS) and through car parking charges, some of the lowest in Surrey, having listened to local businesses about how people interact with the economy.
We remain committed to our manifesto promise of building new, high quality social housing for our residents, built to a nationally recognised standard for quality and environmental sustainability, which is good for the environment and great for residents during this cost-of-living crisis.
Cllr Mark Merryweather, Waverley Liberal Democrat Finance Portfolio Holder, stated, ‘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. Despite considerable challenges, we’ve also presented a balanced financial plan year early for 2026/27 and have a clean set of audited accounts for 2023/24. We cannot be complacent, but I am pleased that we’re entering this period of local government reorganisation in better shape than a majority of our peers.’
Although we passed our budget tonight, the Waverley Conservatives in opposition proposed an amendment true to their national and local form - an uncosted, zero-evidence proposal to essentially close Waverley Training Services, a vital provider of skills training, which is highly valued by local business - and undermine our clear plans to support residents and businesses through this successful initiative and our car parking strategy.
Cllr Paul Follows, Leader of Waverley Borough Council, said, ‘In 2019, when we took over Waverley BC, we stopped Conservative plans for a Woking-style asset buying spree. It seems, though, that they still have not learned any sense of financial prudence and competence. Fortunately, we are to continue to protect residents and public money from their reckless attitude to finances.’
At a time when economic recovery and skills development should be a priority, the Conservative opposition’s proposal to slash funding for Waverley Training Services (WTS) is reckless and short-sighted.
