Bankrupt Woking Borough Council consults on cuts to services

Residents of a town in Surrey are to be asked which services should be spared the deepest cuts after a council fell into bankruptcy.

Earlier this month, Woking Borough Council issued a Section 114 notice to halt all non-essential spending as its debts were forecast to hit £2.6bn.

The council said it was undergoing a "full restructure" to become smaller and cheaper.

The Unison trade union says it is in talks with the council over job cuts.

The council has said the consultation over service cuts is part of the process of demonstrating to government that everything is being done to cut spending ahead of any bailout request.

A spokesperson for Woking Borough Council said it would "inevitably mean that the organisation will be smaller" and that it understood these were "unsettling times" for its staff.

Jenny Mason, the Unison regional representative for Woking, said despite the looming threat of major job cuts, it maintained a "good relationship" with the council.

But she said: "Staff are understandably concerned and upset. There are concerns about what the future of Woking Borough Council will be like."

She said staff structures were all under review, saying "we just don't know" when or where the axe will fall.

A Woking Borough Council spokesman said it will be consulting with residents "so they can help us shape a leaner council".

He added: "The council has undertaken a comprehensive review of its services and activities to identify savings.

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

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