PARKING charges across Woking are budgeted to rise by a “hefty” 20 per cent next year because of the council’s financial crisis.

Woking Borough Council’s overview scrutiny committee also heard on Monday that parking charges will then rise a further ten per cent annually the year after.

The figures were part of the council’s medium-term financial plan published for the July 10 meeting as part of its drive to create a balanced budget, bridge its £11m annual deficit and maximise council-tax revenue.

The plan included 14 guiding principles for how the borough council would operate as well as ​​a budgeted assumption that parking charges would rise by 20 per cent in 2024-25 and ten per cent in each year thereafter.

These, the papers said, would be revised “following receipt of the recommendations of the parking strategy which is expected in autumn 2023”.

Cllr Kevin Davis, leader of the Conservative opposition group, said: “I’m a little dismayed to see we are anticipating a 20 per cent increase in those parking fees and then ten per cent a year after. They are hefty.”

On council tax, the report said even if it was raised by the maximum permitted without a referendum, three per cent, the council’s “spending power will decrease in real terms”.

It added that to do anything “other than maximise potential increases would imperil the council’s ability to sustain statutory services at a reasonable level”.

The report said it was “unknown whether government will permit a higher council tax for Woking as has been agreed in other councils suffering financial distress”.

Addressing fears residents had over inflation-busting rises to their council tax bill, borough leader Cllr Ann-Marie Barker said: “This has clearly been a concern, given what has happened in other authorities. But I just wanted to let people know that if council tax does go up by a substantial amount, if we are pushed to that, it will be a concern to people.”

To allay this, she said 75 per cent of people’s council tax currently goes to Surrey County Council, and a further 14 per cent to the Police and Crime Commissioner, with 12per cent to Woking Borough Council. It would only be Woking’s share that increased.

She added: “Although no increase is ever going to be something that people want… we are taking at ten peer cent £26.51 and 15 per cent would be £39 for the year, or 76p a week.

“That’s not quite as horrific as people think it might be.”