WAVERLEY Borough Council has been accused of "turning its back on elderly residents", after the council's executive committee ignored a recommendation by backbenchers to maintain two community organisations' grants at their present levels.

The council's community overview and scrutiny committee last week voted unanimously against a proposed 32 per cent cut to the grant for Age UK Waverley, which operates advice, gardening and handy-man services for elderly residents across the borough, and a 6.4 per cent cut for The Clockhouse day centre in Milford – reasoning that Waverley should be enhancing its provision for the borough's increasing elderly population.

But at Tuesday's meeting of Waverley's executive, council leaders over-ruled the overview and scrutiny committee and instead endorsed the proposed cuts ahead of a meeting of the full council on February 18.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.