Liberal Democrats in Waverley have hit back at Conservative accusations of excessive spending in the borough council’s latest budget, arguing that their financial plan is balanced and protects local services.

Earlier in the week, Conservative councillors accused the Lib-Dem-led administration of pursuing a “spend, spend, spend” approach that they claimed wasted taxpayers’ money.

However, Waverley Borough Council leader Cllr Paul Follows dismissed these allegations, defending the budget as responsible and sustainable.

“Waverley Borough Council Liberal Democrats are proud to have been able to balance the Waverley budget for not just this year, but next year as well,” said Cllr Follows.

“This is despite 14 years of under-investment by the now former Conservative government, a zero percent grant from the current Labour government, and nationwide increases in inflation and costs, rounding off six straight years of sound financial management by the Lib Dems since taking office in mid-2019.”

He also pointed to the council’s latest audited accounts, which received a clean bill of health.

“Combined, this makes Liberal Democrat-led Waverley one of the top-performing councils in the country in terms of financial sustainability,” he added.

The budget maintains existing council services, expands funding for the Thriving Communities Fund, and continues support for local businesses through Waverley Training Services (WTS) and competitive parking charges.

Cllr Mark Merryweather, the council’s finance portfolio holder, described the budget as “another balanced and robust budget for 2025/26 with no service cuts and even an above-inflation increase to our support for our partners in the voluntary sector.”

Parking charges remain a contentious issue. The budget includes a 10-12 percent increase in parking fees for some users, although Cllr Jerry Fairclough clarified that the average increase is 4.65 percent.

He noted that 53 percent of users would see no increase in costs, with some even benefiting from reductions. The council is also investing £250,000 in new parking machines to allow card and contactless payments, removing the current 10p fee for the RINGO service for those who opt not to use it.

Conservatives have also accused the administration of failing to account for the financial impact of a potential local government reorganisation. “The Executive are keen to ‘spend, spend, spend’ the Council’s reserves before the new unitary structure comes in,” said a Conservative councillor.

In response, the Lib Dems insisted that their approach to reserves was appropriate. “The use of reserves for one-off or temporary growth is entirely appropriate when the aim is to drive future savings, avoid additional costs, or address changes in workload and legislation,” they stated.

The budget includes funding for 33 new staff positions, not 42 as initially claimed by Conservatives. The council clarified that 24.9 of these full-time equivalent roles are Waverley-funded, with 16 being either externally funded or temporary roles. Only nine are ongoing positions, costing £434,000.

“The need for these posts is driven largely by statutory changes and additional requirements placed on the council, for key services such as planning,” a council spokesperson said.

The future of Waverley Training Services has also sparked debate. Conservatives highlighted its £1.7 million losses over the past five years, but the Lib Dems defended the programme, stating it provides vital skills training for local businesses and young people.

“Over the past five years, including the challenging period of the pandemic, we saw a temporary decline in the number of customers. While recovery has taken longer than anticipated, we are actively conducting a thorough review of WTS, which has led to the development of a new business plan,” the spokesperson said.

The divide between Waverley’s political groups reflects broader tensions over local government spending. While Conservatives argue the budget is unsustainable and fails to prepare for future restructuring, the Lib Dems maintain it is both balanced and fiscally responsible.

“In 2019, when we took over Waverley Borough Council, we stopped Conservative plans for a Woking-style asset buying spree,” said Cllr Follows.

“It seems, though, that they still have not learned any sense of financial prudence and competence. Fortunately, we are to continue to protect residents and public money from their reckless attitude to finances.”