Woking: Cuts revealed including day centre and toilet closures

Woking Borough Council is looking at steps to balance its budget

Woking Borough Council's leader has warned of a "complex" financial crisis facing the authority as plans to cut services are revealed.

Proposals to close public toilets, stop funding day care projects and increase prices at Pool in the Park will be put to an executive meeting on 1 February.

A 10% increase in its share of council tax is set to be confirmed in March.

Woking council effectively declared itself bankrupt in June, saying it could not balance its budget.

The plans outline where £8 million of savings could be made via cuts to council services.

A report for the meeting says: "The council faces this extremely serious financial shortfall because of its historic investment strategy that has resulted in unaffordable borrowing, inadequate steps to repay that borrowing, and high values of irrecoverable loans."

Analysis

By Jack Fiehn, Political Reporter, Surrey

A lot of these cuts have been signposted for months but, even so, the confirmation that they are happening will be a bitter pill to swallow.

Although the news that Pool in the Park is not closing after all is something of a sweetener (frankly local councillors were as horrified about the idea as the public were), there are many residents who will feel the impact of the proposals.

For example, I have been speaking to older people who are worried about the prospect of having no day care centres in Knaphill and Byfleet.

Both the council and the government have acknowledged that there is no short term fix to Woking's problems and that they will take years to resolve.

The question is whether this is a first step to try and get back to some kind of normality.

The council's Lib Dem leader, Ann-Marie Barker, said: "We should be under no illusion. The financial crisis we face is complex and cannot be resolved in the short-term.

"These proposals are an important first step towards our objective to live within our means and return Woking to long-term financial sustainability."

Proposals in the report include increasing fees at Pool in the Park to keep it open, and ending older people's day care services in Knaphill and Byfleet, but continuing to offer them at Hale End Court in Old Woking.

Money will be given to community groups to help them take over sports pavilions, while The Lightbox and Citizens' Advice will also be given funding.

All public toilets will close, except in Victoria Place and Wolsey Walk in the town centre.

Car park fees will be looked at in a future report.

The full budget for 2024-25 is due to be signed off by the council on 4 March.

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