Staff at bankrupt council to face redundancy talks

Woking Borough Council's debts are forecast to hit £2.6bn

All staff at a debt-ridden council will go through redundancy consultations before the end of the year.

In June, Woking Borough Council issued a Section 114 notice to stop all non-essential spending as its debts were forecast to hit £2.6bn.

The authority has about 350 members of staff.

A skeleton staff would be retained to run services at a “minimum viable” level.

So far, a small number of staff have been put at risk of redundancy, while future redundancies are still being discussed with senior managers, some of whom are at risk themselves.

All remaining staff have been told they will undergo consultation in autumn, with the authority's new, reduced structure to be announced in January 2024.

'Substantial change'

Council leader Ann-Marie Barker said the council faced "huge challenges... due to its legacy of extraordinarily high and disproportionate levels of debt and past financial practices”.

“There will be substantial change over the next five years to the services the council delivers to residents as it becomes a smaller, leaner council focused on delivering core services to residents,” she said.

“Nonetheless we will not lose our ambition, values and commitment to residents. We are committed to becoming a council that lives within its means.”

The council’s chief executive, Julie Fisher, said the authority would deliver “rapid and sustainable improvements in governance, finance and commercial functions”.

“With the support of the commissioners, councillors and partners, I am confident that we will deliver the change needed and achieve best value for taxpayers,” she added.