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Written question asked by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Friday, 10 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 April 2026. It was answered by Alison McGovern (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Woking Borough Council: Debts

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 120065, on Best Value: Surrey, and with reference to the Woking Borough Council: Commissioners’ sixth report, published 24 March 2026, para 11, what the most recent estimate is of the remaining amount of debt that Woking Borough Council holds; what amount is borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board; what amount of debt will be left after the capital receipts referred to in paragraph 11, and what amount of the total debt is deemed to be unrecoverable.

Answer

Local authorities provide the Government with data on their borrowing, including source of borrowing. The data can be found at Live tables on local government finance - GOV.UK.

The Government recognises that Woking Council cannot manage the entirety of its debt locally and has made an unprecedented commitment to repay in-principle £500m of the Council’s debt in 2026-27. This is a first tranche of support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point. Further, we remain committed to providing interim financial support to the new unitary council until a final decision is made on further support. It is crucial that any debt support must take into account value for money for local and national taxpayers, and the Council’s continued commitment to reduce debt as far as possible within their local capacity including via an ongoing asset disposal programme.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
124751
Session
2024-26
Related items
Best Value: Surrey
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Debts Best value Woking Borough Council Surrey
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk