According to the official records at Companies House Thameswey Ltd, a property development company owned 100% by Woking Borough Council, has still not filed annual accounts for the year ended 31 December 2019. Even allowing for the Covid related extension to the filing deadline these accounts are now nearly 4 months overdue.

We all know that when times are tough there is a risk that the mortgage on our home may exceed the price we can sell it for. WBC has borrowed at least £1.5 Billion to plough into property development in the last few years. Many of these properties are being developed by companies owned in whole or in part by WBC.

Having reviewed the most recently published version of WBC's Green Book it is clear the current Conservative leadership has borrowed at least £1.5 Billion and in the process has committed the Council to repaying these loans, plus interest of at least £3.2 Billion over the next 50 years. Whether the Victoria Square project thrives or not WBC will have to find this cash. This is the equivalent of £84,000 for every household in the borough.

The Lib Dems have called for an ambitious package of £48 billion for local authorities to tackle the climate emergency, of which an extra £140 million would be invested directly in the local community in Surrey.

This new funding would go directly to Surrey County Council to fund green infrastructure and improve the local environment.

Local Liberal Democrat Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Paul Kennedy is calling for a return to proper community policing, as half of all people say they never see police patrols in their local area.

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats reveals that 32229 crimes reported to Surrey Police last year were closed without a suspect being identified - including 4419 burglaries, 1162 car thefts and 183 robberies.

Victoria Square - Secret Financial Forecasts

The Conservative Leader of the Council, and past holder of the Finance Portfolio, wrote an article recently referring to the Victoria Square project saying "council taxpayers are not paying for Victoria Square". She then went on the say "it will make money for taxpayers and it is forecast to return £255million on investment". Note the use of the present tense. Is that really the current March 2021 forecast?

Following publication of the list of candidates for this year's Surrey County Council elections, it has emerged that 25 out of 56 Conservative County Councillors are stepping down - a dropout rate of 45%.

The decision of so many Tory Councillors to leave office comes less than a year after the County Council was heavily criticised for wasting £250,000 on a failed bid to become a unitary authority by abolishing Surrey's Borough and District Councils, including Woking Borough Council. The County Council is widely regarded as an out-of-touch authority, which cannot get the basic services like repairing local roads and pavements right.

Following a request from Lib Dem Councillors, Woking Borough Council has committed to improving the subway under Woking Station.

Councillor Liam Lyons got unanimous support for his motion during last week's Full Council meeting. Liam Lyons and his Lib Dem colleagues called on the Council to take advantage of the significantly lower numbers of pedestrians using the subway underneath Woking Station, as a result of the current coronavirus restrictions, and arrange for the subway to be refurbished.

The Lib Dems are calling on Woking Borough Council to improve its parks and open spaces as more people have been using them during the pandemic.

With the Government's coronavirus restrictions encouraging people to stay local residents are spending a lot more time in the Borough's green spaces.

However, Woking's parks and open spaces fall way behind those run by other local authorities including neighbouring Guildford Borough Council's parks. The Green Flag Award, the national scheme that recognises well managed parks and green spaces, has only been awarded to one in Woking but ten of Guildford's parks.

Woking Liberal Democrats are pleased to announce our manifesto for the 2021 Woking Borough Local Elections. For more information on who your candidate is look here.

You can watch a short video that summarises the manifesto here.

We will provide affordable homes, be open and transparent and control development, fostering a vibrant post covid economy in a clean, green and safe borough that offers leisure and wellbeing for all.