In 2021 conservative County Councillor Mark Nuti announced that there was £100 million available for local communities and voluntary groups to bid for funding for local projects. The reality of Your Fund Surrey is that Surrey County Council does not have this money available, but instead, it is covering the costs by borrowing the £100m and spending £200k per annum of council taxpayers’ money to run the scheme.
When the £100 million is fully spent, it will still cost Surrey taxpayers £4 million pa into the foreseeable future. SCC Residents’ Association and Independent Councillors expressed their concerns about many aspects of the scheme in Tuesdays Council Budget Meeting.
Leader of the RA/Independent Group County Councillor Nick Darby said:
“Although I fully agree with the basic concept of Your Fund Surrey, there are a number issues with the project’s timing and execution. There has not been a thorough review of the way the applications are handled. Surrey’s mission should be a place where no one’s left behind. A place where people are thriving and striving. However, the reality of YFS is that those who are disadvantaged or who are most in need of help will most likely not be benefitting from the money. Finally, my colleagues and I have serious concerns about the lack of due diligence and timely information on the projects that are being approved.”
Residents’ Association and Independents Councillor Colin Cross, representing Horsleys said:
“If SCC were in the fortunate position of having a £100,000,000 budget surplus then taking up the option of an unregulated charitable scheme for “good causes” might make some sense. But as it actually has a significant budget shortfall to deal with then the timing of this giveaway bonanza is inexplicable.”
Expressing his frustration Councillor Amanda Boote said:
“SCC has been experiencing significant financial pressures for nearly a decade now. The year on year council tax hikes combined with cuts can barely keep us afloat. We cannot maintain our roads and we cannot provide services on the same standards that we used to. In this financial climate it is extremely hard to justify spending borrowed money on projects that do not relieve pressures or generate income for Surrey. Instead, what Your Fund Surrey does is puts an additional burden of £4.2 million annually on the shoulders of Surrey taxpayers.
Eber Kington added:
“The village of Normandy in the Surrey Hills has been allocated £½ million to build a new local shop whilst too many communities in Surrey lack basic needs such as youth facilities, and many of our roads need repairing. In times like this, SCC should be focusing all of its efforts on its core services, protecting the most vulnerable and providing good value for public money
Cllr Catherine Powell, Farnham Residents Councillor for Farnham North added:
“At the first full Council meeting I attended after being elected in May I raised concerns about whether our most deprived neighbourhoods would really be able to benefit from this scheme and if it could really deliver the promised benefits. As of December 2021 none of the 20 most deprived areas in Surrey had a live application, the one application that was made was withdrawn as they were unable to commit the time necessary to further develop the idea. At a time when we are making decisions to save money by reducing the services for children and young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) to our statutory obligations only, essentially withdrawing support for children from lower income households, I really feel that YFS is something we just cannot afford. The capital expenditure should be on things that will reduce ongoing costs”
For more information and comment:
County Councillor Nick Darby – 07719 728 725 or nick.darby@surreycc.gov.uk