Ministers step in at Woking council as debts forecast to reach £2.4bn

Woking borough c England in Surrey is to be overseen by a team of expert commissioners.

Government review reveals staggering scale of authority's borrowing spree has left it on verge of effective bankruptcy.

Council will have debts of 2.4bn by 2026, Surrey mes the size of its annual 24m budget.

Residents now face drastic cuts to local public services as 11m is axed from its budget over the next three years. Ann-Marie Barker 2026 mmaryFeed_highLightText 100 xlGi">Woking annual as 24 "summaryFeed_highLightTe England Gi">two 2.319,000 pan class="summaryFeed_highLightText__NxlGi">1.5 up to £3 11 ass="summaryFeed_highLightText_ the next three years /span> betwe the next few months pan> Conservative 6.4 xlGi">14 years more than £2 ghLightText__NxlGi two ay 2022 Woking council Democrats Lee Rowley htText__NxlGi">62 the next few months England 22 300 ryFeed_highLight the next three years /span> Treasuryup to £400m. class="summaryFeed_hi 700 ightText__NxlGi">Slough between £300 and £350 an> Thurrock the past half decade