FORMER Sun editor and media executive Kelvin MacKenzie has waded into Woking’s debt crisis.

In a tweet that has had more than 196,000 views, the founder of TalkSPORT suggested Woking Borough Council was asking Michael Gove, the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and communities, for dispensation to increase council tax by 15%.

“Why should residents pay for the councillors’ incompetence,” he said. “Make them pay.”

The tweet came after three local authorities – Thurrock, Croydon and Slough – were given permission to hike their council tax beyond the usual limits, without needing to hold a referendum on increases above 4.99%.

Deputy leader for WBC, Cllr Will Forster, responded to say it has not asked the Government for permission to drastically increase council tax.

“The new Lib Dem council is starting to clear up the mess left by the previous Conservatives administration,” he said. “But a 15% council tax rise is not something we are planning to do.”

But the original tweet sparked plenty of opinion on how the financial crisis has developed, and who should be held accountable.

“It’s hardly a surprise – the quality of many of the councillors isn't what it needs to be, they are running billion-pound organisations when their experience is no greater than running a lemonade stand,” responded Neil McRae.

“A decade of unchecked spending by the previous Conservative council has put us in this mess,” argued Woking Lib Dem councillor John Morley. “Residents understand the situation (and who's to blame) which is why no Conservatives held their seat at the last local elections.”

He said the Lib Dems had overhauled the way the council's ‘arms length’ businesses are governed, with professional directors rather than councillors making the calls. “I am one of Woking's councillors and I'm happy we now have more expertise on board.”

Others pointed to the Government cutting centralised funding by 38% in the last 13 years as a big contributing factor, or added that local councils weren’t to blame for rising inflation along with soaring energy and wages costs.

But there was a groundswell of opinion that the huge debt had not brought local happiness, with tweets pointing to “tall buildings and a mess of a town centre” and worrying that services for the vulnerable were non-existent in Woking now “to pay for this vanity project”.

“Looks like the council borrowed to fund building of office and retail space, and a sustainable energy power station,’ said Marc Blanc. “Now people are working and shopping from home, and the power station’s tanked, but the Lib Dems running it all are stuck with paying the interest.”