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Tandridge concern over 'inheriting' Woking's debt

Cash Boyle
BBC News, South East
Tandridge District Council A headshot of Tandridge District Council leader Catherine Sayer, who has shoulder length fair hair and is wearing a beige jacket. She is only visible from the shoulders up. Tandridge District Council
Tandridge District Council leader Catherine Sayer is concerned about how the government will manage Woking Borough Council's debt

The leader of a district council in Surrey has expressed concerns the authority may be forced to take on a share of a neighbouring council's debt.

The Tandridge District Council (TDC) leader spoke amid a major redesign of local government which could see the smaller councils in Surrey being abolished and replaced with fewer local authorities.

Woking Borough Council is £2bn in debt after effectively going bankrupt in 2023.

Councillor Catherine Sayer said: "It would be hugely unfair for Tandridge residents to inherit someone else's debt."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: "We have a framework to support those in financial difficulty, and we will continue to support financial recovery in areas where government has needed to intervene."

Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver has previously asked for such debts to be written off.

Councillor Sayer says TDC has moved from "almost becoming bankrupt to being comfortably solvent".

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