Woking MP to meet minister to discuss council debt

Woking's MP will meet with a government minister to continue to push for more support with the council's £2bn debt and bankruptcy.

Will Forster spoke to BBC Radio Surrey and said he would meet the local government minister on Tuesday, having written to Secretary of State Angela Rayner in July.

Forster was elected as Woking's Lib Dem MP in the July general election, the first time the seat has not had a Conservative representative since its creation in 1950.

The borough council, where he also sits as a councillor, effectively declared itself bankrupt in June 2023 when a section 114 notice was issued.

Woking Borough Council's debt is largely linked to borrowing for town centre regeneration projects

With debts of £2bn, Forster said the council had £1bn worth of assets, which it would start to sell off.

"We've really started to turn a corner, as a town, as a council," he said.

"We're living within our means, we're not adding to the historic debt, which is a big step in the right direction but we still have this legacy of historic debt."

He said he wanted to get government support for the authority, which had made cuts to services and was given special permission to raise council tax by 10%.

Forster added: "We can't find our way out of this."

The council's debt built during an investment strategy which saw it borrow hundreds of millions of pounds for regeneration projects, including the town's Victoria Square development.

Forster said: "Local government finances are an absolute mess, particularly where we are, and that's going to be a focus for me as a member of parliament."