WAVERLEY is on course to agree a £5 increase for Band D tax payers to plug a £1.5 million hole in the borough council’s budget for 2017 to 2018.

Despite an outcry about proposals to increase car parking charges for season ticket holders and in town centre car parks, members of Waverley’s executive agreed at Tuesday’s meeting to recommend a charge of £1 (now 90p) for an hour at Farnham’s Lower Hart (Waitrose) and Central car parks.

Making a last-ditch appeal before Waverley council rubber stamps the proposals on February 21, Farnham Residents councillor Jerry Hyman said: “I have no problems with a small increase but a 10 per cent increase in central car parks does concern me.

“For workers that can be quite important. I don’t like to push them out to more distant car parks.”

Responding, Waverley leader and committee chairman Julia Potts stood by the increases and said: “It’s incumbent on us as a local authority to use the assets we have to maximise and generate revenue.”

Presenting the budget, Frensham councillor Ged Hall said: “We either raise revenues or cut front-line services. There’s no free lunch. I know people feel uncomfortable about parking so we have reduced not only the magnitude of the increase, but also the number of car parks affected.”

The meeting also agreed to a recommendation that Waverley’s executive rather than council should be allowed to authorise sums of up to £100,000 to finance the borough council’s new economic strategy of investing in “income generating” property to help balance the books.

Mr Hyman asked if it made sound economic sense to borrow in order to invest and wanted to know if delegating more powers to executive could weaken Waverley’s required “checks and balances”.

Members were advised the recommendation was made so that decisions to release funds to invest could be made more quickly in order not to miss out on beneficial loan offers and investment opportunities.