WOKING Borough Council’s “financial chaos” has prompted a former councillor who flagged up the risks associated with the town centre redevelopment as long ago as 2016 to stand once again in the local elections.
John Bond was an Independent ward councillor for seven years but decided against standing again in 2021.
“The financial chaos at the council has made me reconsider and I’m standing as Green Party councillor for the Pyrford ward,” Mr Bond told the News & Mail.
“It is distressing to see how much damage the Tories have done in the centre of Woking with their misguided gamble with residents’ money. It could have been avoided seven years ago if the Liberal Democrats had not refused to provide any opposition when, in my position as leader of the Independent councillor group, I pointed out the extent of the gamble.
“To have allowed this folly to continue growing from the initial £500million to almost £700m is appalling.”
Mr Bond has expressed doubts about the town centre redevelopment since its early days.
“When the plans for Woking town centre were first proposed, I discovered serious financial concerns about the company, Moyallen Holdings, that Woking was using to undertake the development,” he said.
“When I raised this at a council meeting and suggested that the Conservatives were gambling with residents’ money, several Conservative councillors leapt to their feet and shouted at me saying my comments were unacceptable.
“At no point did the Liberal Democrats show any real interest in the points I raised, and they voted with the Conservatives at that time and on all subsequent occasions.
“I find it ironic that the Liberal Democrats now blame the Conservatives. I consider that they put their political ambitions above the financial security of Woking’s residents.”
Cllr Kevin Davis, the leader of the Conservative group on the council, responded to Mr Bond.
“Cllr Bond asking questions around Moyallen was helpful in enabling me to understand the associated risks,” he said. “His recollections differ from mine as the involvement of Moyallen was about bringing in expertise rather than finance, so it is not accurate to then link Moyallen’s involvement to whether a commercial enterprise would have taken on the whole project.
“We knew no-one would take on the project, hence why the area had been an eyesore since the 1970s.
“I agree with Mr Bond regarding the deceitfulness of the Liberal Democrats. The minutes of the council meeting on 8 December 2016 show [Lib Dem] Cllr Forster pushing for an amendment to the plans that was seconded by [Conservative] Cllr Kingsbury.
“This was the meeting where the cross-party decision was taken to start the project when costs were predicted to be £460 million, four years before COVID and war in Ukraine would have an adverse impact on the finances.
“As well as most Conservative councillors, current councillors Barker, Forster and Johnson all voted for it, along with three of their Lib Dem colleagues at the time.”
Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, also took issue with Mr Bond.
“It is disappointing that John is looking backward rather than forward,” she said. “Liberal Democrats have worked over a number of years to deal with the issues of council governance and finance.
“We focused on being a constructive opposition, and our work to put in place better governance and financial controls has gained pace since we started running the council last May.
“We have highlighted plans to lend £250m to the proposed developer of Kingfield [football] stadium; prevented a loan to a private school; secured a financial review of the council by leading accountants EY; and uncovered conflicts of interest, lack of record keeping and project management and poor governance practices.
“The developers of Victoria Place are still a going concern, it is the Peacocks shopping centre business of that company that went into administration.
“Once the project was under way it would not have helped Woking to leave a half-built development in the middle of the town.”