• Urgent debt letter emerges on "excessive risks" taken by Woking Council, received on 11th May by outgoing Conservative Leader
• Senior Ministers now echo concerns raised by Liberal Democrats
• Incoming Liberal Democrat Council Leader pledges to "work tirelessly and constructively for financial answers"

The Lib Dems are delighted to have won overall control of Woking Borough Council after gaining 4 seats at the elections on 5th May 2022.

The Lib Dems won 7 out of 10 seats up for election this year and defeated the Deputy Leader of the Council in the process. The Conservatives failed to win a single seat.

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for being soft on crime, as they reveal that 83.8% of burglaries in Surrey went unsolved by the police last year.

Analysis by the Liberal Democrats of new Home Office figures show that 3265 burglary cases were closed by Surrey in 2021, but in 2735 of them no suspect was identified. That equates to 53 unsolved local burglaries every week.

Moyallen Woking Ltd, the company that runs Woking's Peacocks shopping centre has gone into administration.

Moyallen Holdings, another company in the group, owns 52% of Victoria Square and has managed the development of the shops, hotel and apartments on behalf of Woking Council.

Moyallen Woking Ltd going into administration is a concern for the future of shopping in Woking and there are questions as to how this might affect other Moyallen companies, which are in partnership with Woking Council.

The Lib De ms have called on Woking's Conservative MP, Jonathan Lord, to sack Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak following the revelation that both are to be fined over lockdown-breaking parties at Number 10.

The Lib Dems are also calling for Parliament to be recalled immediately so MPs can hold a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, following the revelation that both he and Rishi Sunak are to be fined over lockdown-breaking parties at Number 10.

Lib Dem Group Leader, Councillor Ann-Marie Barker, introduces the Lib Dems' manifesto for the Woking Borough Council elections on Thursday May 5th 2022.

Councillor Barker said:

Concern is high about Woking Council finances. Borrowing stands at almost £2 billion pounds. Repayments of £60 million have to be found every year. This is why the Liberal Democrats secured a Financial Review. Thankfully the review didn't reveal a catastrophic situation, but it did raise concerns on how the Council will afford repayments in future.

Surrey County Council's plans for a greener future took a major step backwards when it failed to get any financial support from the government for its Bus Service Improvement Plan.

Boris Johnson announced funding for his Bus Back Better scheme in March 2021 with £3 billion available to help transform bus services across England.

Surrey County Council has launched a public consultation on increases to on-street parking charges including those for residents' parking permits, with the aim of increasing parking revenue by £334,000 per year across the range of measures.

Notably the cost of parking permits is set to rise over 60% for the first vehicle in a household, increasing from £50 to £80. Additional household permits will go up from £75 to £100 for the second permit and to £130 for subsequent ones.

Tom Spenser and the Lib Dem team in St John's are pleased to report that, after many years of campaigning, Surrey County Council have agreed to build a pedestrian crossing on the A324, Hermitage Road, near the canal towpath.

During this week's Woking Joint Committee, Councillors approved plans to design and build a crossing on Hermitage Road before the end of the 2022/23 financial year.

41,822 reports of anti-social behaviour in Surrey have gone unattended by the Police in the past three years, new data has revealed.

Lib Dems from across Surrey have blasted the Conservatives for being soft on crime and have demanded a return to community policing. The figures were uncovered through a Freedom of Information Request tabled by the party to Surrey Police.