RESIDENTS are to be consulted on the services they value most to “help shape a leaner council”.

A Woking Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council has undertaken a comprehensive review of its services and activities to identify savings that will bridge the £10million budget shortfall for 2024-25.

“We recognise we cannot afford to deliver the current range of services and significant rationalisation must be delivered at pace.

“This will inevitably mean the organisation will be smaller. We understand these are unsettling times for our staff and we remain committed to working in partnership with our workforce to ensure the best outcome for residents.

“We will be asking residents what services they value the most so they can help us shape a leaner council.”

Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, the leader of the majority Liberal Democrat council, added: “All these details are being finalised over the next week or so, ready to go to executive and council in July. Subject to the decisions of those meetings, the consultation will follow.”

The fate of the presently-paused Sheerwater Regeneration project is also up for discussion. “We expect to be able to give an update to the executive meeting on July 13 and bring forward firmer proposals in September,” Cllr Barker said.

Unison, which has many of its members in public services, is in regular contact with the council, where it has some 30 per cent membership.

Jenny Mason, the Unison regional representative for Woking, said: “Discussions had been going on with senior management before the announcement because they knew the Section 114 notice was coming. It will be a full council restructure they are looking at. Staff are understandably concerned and upset.”

No formal consultations have been held with staff at this point. 

Ms Mason said: “Generally we wait until the council approaches us with its plans before entering into discussions about staff. My suspicion is that will happen next month. At that point we offer individual representation to our members, should they wish to take it.”

Councils in Surrey operate under a two-tier system, with the county council responsible for services that impact the region more widely, such as transport, fire and rescue, education and social care. 

Cuts would only impact council services the borough delivers. Some have to be provided by borough councils by law, including planning and waste management, but not, for example, public toilets or arts funding.

Even within statutory services there is scope for cutbacks – the frequency of waste collections could be reduced, for example, or the planning department scaled back.