Surrey Councillors & Candidates

“This is historic. The Government have never written off a local authority’s debt before.”

• MP for Woking who led parliamentary calls for the government to write off Woking’s debt, securing the £500m commitment.
• Secured a “cast-iron guarantee” at Prime Minister’s Questions for the debt write-off.
• Acknowledges the bailout is “certainly a step in the right direction” but warns that more support will be needed in the future.

“At the moment, it could be bankrupt from day one. We will continue to press the Government to ensure that this council won’t start on the back foot.”

• MP for Guildford who has expressed “grave concerns” over West Surrey’s financial sustainability.
• Part of a joint statement with fellow Surrey Lib Dem MPs warning the new authority could be “bankrupt from day one”.
• Welcomes clarity on the reorganisation timeline but continues to press for additional financial protections.

• MP for Surrey Heath who joined Forster and Franklin in expressing grave concerns over West Surrey’s finances.
• Cautiously supportive of the reorganisation but concerned about the new authority inheriting £4.5 billion of Surrey’s approximately £5 billion total council debt.
• Welcomed government clarification on debt handling but said it “does not go far enough”, calling the decision to press ahead without tackling the debt mountain “unforgivable.”

“We should not and MUST NOT pick up the tab for another council’s irresponsibility.”

• Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Godalming and Ash (formerly South West Surrey) since 2005. His constituency covers the Waverley and south Guildford area — not Woking itself — but his constituents will be merged into West Surrey alongside Woking.
• Now frames himself as a defender of his constituents against Woking’s debt, warning it “could overwhelm us.” However, he served as a senior Conservative Cabinet minister (Health Secretary 2012–2018, Foreign Secretary 2018–2019, Chancellor 2022–2024) throughout the entire period Woking’s Conservative-controlled council was racking up its debt from £400m to £1.8 billion.
• Despite being one of the most powerful Conservatives in the country during 2016–2019, he raised no public concerns about a neighbouring Conservative council’s borrowing spree — borrowing that was already being flagged as reckless by local councillors like John Bond.
• Has not publicly criticised the former Conservative Woking leaders (Kingsbury, Bittleston) or CEO Ray Morgan who created the crisis, instead directing blame at “another council’s irresponsibility” without naming the Conservative leadership responsible.
• Supports the two-unitary model because “it will save more money” but cautioned “the devil will be in the detail.”

• Conservative MP for Woking from 2010 to 2024 — the entire period during which the council accumulated its catastrophic £2.1 billion debt under Conservative control.
• Despite being Woking’s parliamentary representative while the council’s borrowing spiralled from £400m to £1.8bn (2016–2019), Lord raised no significant public concerns about the scale of investment or the governance failures now identified by the Grant Thornton investigation.
• Lost his seat in July 2024 to Liberal Democrat Will Forster, who immediately began campaigning for the government to address the debt. The Conservatives were simultaneously wiped out at borough level, losing all remaining council seats.
• Has made no significant public statements addressing his role or responsibility regarding the debt crisis that unfolded under his watch as the borough’s MP.

“It is simply not possible to clearly state how effective any model of local government will be without knowing how this will be resolved.”

• Conservative MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, whose constituency includes Runnymede Borough Council — itself carrying £654m in debt.
• Refused to endorse either reorganisation model until the government addresses Woking and Spelthorne’s “billions of pounds” in debt, warning residents should not assume liability for debts accumulated elsewhere.
• His constituency faces a double burden: Runnymede’s own significant debt plus exposure to Woking’s and Spelthorne’s liabilities within West Surrey.

“My main priority is ensuring that my constituents in Englefield Green and Virginia Water are not moved into a Council that is saddled with debt.”

• Conservative MP for Windsor. Parts of his constituency — Englefield Green and Virginia Water — fall within Runnymede Borough and are being absorbed into West Surrey.
• Has focused specifically on shielding his constituents from the combined debt burden of the West Surrey councils, concerned about the concentration of financially distressed authorities.

“The majority of the Council’s remaining debt cannot be managed locally.”

• Minister for Local Government who confirmed the two-unitary model for Surrey and announced the £500m initial debt commitment for Woking.
• Acknowledged that Woking’s debt is beyond local resolution, committing government to provide “an initial tranche of debt repayment support to Woking in 2026/27” with the door open to further support.
• Framed the reorganisation as delivering “simpler, stronger local government” with more accountability for taxpayer money.

“Whatever the rump of the debt remains, the government will pick it up.”

• Leader of the Conservative-controlled Surrey County Council, which will be abolished as part of the reorganisation in April 2027.
• In January 2025, wrote to government urging a full write-off of council debts across Surrey, citing “the unique, significant financial risk of the level of debt currently held across the Surrey local government footprint.”
• Welcomed the £500m government commitment and has indicated commissioners are still selling Woking’s property assets to reduce the total debt, with an expectation that the government will cover whatever remains.
• Focused on “getting the detail right” to ensure the reorganisation delivers simpler, stronger local government.

• Former Conservative Leader of Woking Borough Council during the period when the most significant borrowing took place.
• Described by the Grant Thornton investigation as being “very closely aligned” with former CEO Ray Morgan’s approach to commercial investments, including the Victoria Square development.
• Former Independent councillor John Bond lodged complaints against Kingsbury and Morgan for not acting with “due diligence” over the handling of a £460 million loan for Victoria Square. The complaints were dismissed, with an investigation finding the pair had acted “in the best interests” of the council.
• No longer a councillor. Has not made public statements defending the borrowing decisions in light of the subsequent financial collapse.

• Former Conservative Leader of Woking Borough Council, also identified by the Grant Thornton investigation as being “very closely aligned” with Ray Morgan’s investment strategy.
• Under Bittleston and Kingsbury’s leadership, the vast majority of borrowing took place between 2016 and 2019 when the council was under Conservative control. Debt spiralled from approximately £400m in 2017 to £1.8 billion by August 2022.
• John Bond lodged complaints against Bittleston alongside Kingsbury and Morgan, which were dismissed.
• No longer a councillor. Has not made public statements addressing the debt crisis.

“I felt they failed to advise properly, failed to get relevant external expertise, and often blocked questions, criticisms and information.”

• Former Independent councillor who served for seven years until 2021. One of the few voices to flag the financial risks of the council’s town centre redevelopment from as early as 2016.
• Identified concerns about Moyallen Holdings and the Victoria Square development, warning that the £460 million loan would commit nearly £1 billion in taxpayer money including interest.
• Lodged formal complaints against Ray Morgan, John Kingsbury, and David Bittleston, all of which were dismissed. Described a “Yes Minister” culture among senior officers that blocked questions and information.
• Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both voted repeatedly for the expenditure, with “all but one of the Lib Dems” supporting the 2016 plans.

• Leader of Waverley Borough Council and a vocal advocate for protecting Waverley residents from the financial fallout of Woking’s debt crisis.
• Has led calls for the government to do more to ensure the financial stability of the new West Surrey unitary authority, arguing that the £500 million commitment may not be sufficient.
• Originally advocated for a smaller “south-west Surrey” unitary pairing Waverley with Guildford, rather than the larger six-council West Surrey model imposed by government.
• Oversaw the Waverley–Guildford joint leadership partnership, which has generated an estimated £603,000 in savings since 2022, demonstrating a model for efficient cross-council working.

“If Surrey’s Conservatives cannot manage their own finances responsibly, how can they be trusted to take over everything else?”

• Waverley Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance, Assets and Property, responsible for overseeing the borough’s budget through the transition to the new West Surrey unitary authority.
• Has publicly challenged the financial case for Surrey’s reorganisation, warning that Surrey County Council faces a £387 million budget shortfall over five years, with usable reserves declining by £105 million annually and only £60 million in actual cash reserves.
• Argued the reorganisation is a “scramble to pass the buck”, with Surrey County Council rushing to abolish borough and district councils to obscure its own financial problems. Warned that “internal borrowing” might “make the spreadsheets look tidy today” but “does not remove the risks — it hides them.”
• Oversaw Waverley’s final pre-unitary budgets, delivering balanced budgets for two consecutive years and highlighting over £1.2 million in annual savings from the Waverley–Guildford partnership.
• Also serves as Waverley’s representative to the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors.

“I think it effectively will be bankrupt from day one unless the Government do further bail outs. The deck of cards is being stacked against West Surrey.”

• One of the most vocal critics of the reorganisation model, describing it as an “enormous stitch-up” where all of Surrey’s debt has been placed in West Surrey rather than shared with East Surrey.
• Has warned that well-run councils like Guildford will be left paying the bills for poorly-managed predecessors, with residents ultimately suffering if there is no financial resilience.
• Questions the geographic logic of the West Surrey authority: “What does someone from Staines know about Bellfields?”
• Believes the £500m government bailout is insufficient and that additional support will be essential to prevent the new authority from failing.

“We recognise that Woking’s debt is an ongoing concern not only for our own community but for residents across Surrey.”

• Leader of Woking Borough Council, responsible for managing the authority through its unprecedented financial crisis and the transition to the new West Surrey unitary.
• Has worked closely with government-appointed commissioners to secure a sustainable financial future for Woking.
• Welcomed the £500m government debt commitment as providing “a degree of certainty” for the borough’s future.

• Elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2023 local elections and served as Mayor of Haslemere for the 2024–2025 term.
• Owner of Oliver’s Coffee Shop in Haslemere. One of the first local businesses to sign up for Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign, and has hosted monthly free meals for the Haslemere Food Bank since 2022.
• Ten-year volunteer with Guildford Samaritans, serving as Branch Director.
• Raised £8,802 for his mayoral charities — KSS Air Ambulance Surrey and St Bartholomew’s Church Link Project — during his term.
• Has spoken publicly about the impact of Surrey’s Local Government Reorganisation on Haslemere, describing the question of whether Haslemere might be better served by West Sussex as “a question worth having”, while cautioning that boundary changes may take years.