Guildford Borough Council has announced a recruitment freeze, as the current Lib Dem administration are struggling to balance the Council's budgets after having been in power for over four years.
This comes as the current Council leadership has failed to manage and control the Council's finances leading to a £2.6 million budget deficit.
The Council has also launched a review of all the current agency, interim and consultant staff it employs as it is trying to avoid issuing a Section 114 notice as its debts have surpassed £300 million.
Only last month, strict financial controls were implemented in an attempt to bring down spending, as the Council is faced with the looming threat of bankruptcy. The budgets of services where allocated money has not yet been spent will be reduced, directly impacting all residents within Guildford Borough.
This news comes as the Lib Dems have agreed to pay an interim Finance Director £927.68 per day, Mr Richard Bates, on a shared basis with Waverley Borough Council. Both Councils have been sharing some senior staff since 2021 in an attempt to save money. Mr Bates has warned that difficult decisions will have to be made.
