The government will help a council repay its multi-billion pound debt ahead of local government reorganisation, it has been announced.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it had committed to providing “initial debt repayment support” to Woking Borough Council (WBC), but had not yet agreed on an amount.
A ministry spokesperson said: “It is not typical for a council’s debt to be addressed or written off centrally. However, the government accepts that there are exceptional circumstances in Woking due to significant unsupported debt which cannot be managed locally in its entirety.”
Dale Roberts, WBC’s deputy leader, previously welcomed the government’s commitment to future financial support.
He said: “While there is…