WAVERLEY’s full council has approved a 1.9 per cent rise in its share of council tax in its budget for 2020/21 and increased parking charges to help save £1.9 million.

At a stormy meeting on February 18, opposition Tories clashed with the ruling ‘rainbow administration’ over the decision to delegate parking charge increases to officers, also querying whether the £300,000 set aside to help make the borough council carbon-neutral by 2030 was enough.

Councillors were united, however, in opposing the government’s “iniquitous” business rates policy in which it receives 95p of every pound collected by cash-strapped local authorities.

Central government has required local authorities to reduce council rents by one per cent every year since 2016. But it has agreed rents can rise from April by 2.7 per cent.

Tory leader Cllr Julia Potts (Frensham) supported Waverley following suit, but added: “We do have concerns around the climate change agenda and the potential cost impact on the budget of retro-fitting 5,000 plus homes to meet the carbon-neutral target.”

Agreeing, Cllr Jenny Else (Elstead, Cons) said: “We have 800 pre-WWII council homes. Boiler replacements are still initially gas boilers. How is 2030 achievable?”

Responding, Cllr Paul Follows (Lib Dem, Godalming) told the meeting: “We need to build more social housing and build it better. The cost of retro-fitting is going down all the time.”

Waverley leader Cllr John Ward (Farnham Residents) said: “We did not commit to achieving it by 2030 but said it was our total aim. We need severe government funding to get there.

“I invite you to march on Downing Street to get that.”