PROPOSED cuts to public services will “increase hardship” in rural Waverley, the borough council has warned.

Surrey County Council last Friday ended its consultation on the future of community tips as well as children’s centres, libraries, special needs provision and concessionary bus travel.

Ahead of this deadline, Waverley Borough Council issued its formal response objecting to Surrey County Council’s cost-cutting plans.

“We recognise the severe financial challenge facing Surrey County Council and Waverley Borough Council,” wrote council leader and Upper Hale councillor Julia Potts.

“We are very concerned some of these proposals will increase hardship and costs across public services, particularly given the rural nature and large size of Waverley.

“But we are also very pleased to engage with you and with other public services and the voluntary sector on trying to find new solutions to provide sustainable quality services at less cost.”

On the proposed closure of recycling centres in Farnham and Cranleigh, Miss Potts shared “serious concerns” this “will have a more significant impact on the environment than the previous restrictions in opening hours”.

Greater travelling distances to Surrey’s remaining recycling centres, and proposed further restrictions on opening hours, materials accepted and charges, will “increase the temptation for residents to fly tip”, Miss Potts added, as well as “adding to pollution levels”.

She continued: “Farnham is the borough’s and one of the county’s largest towns with a population of around 40,000 and plans for 2,780 more houses in the next decade.

“It would be very challenging for residents in the Farnham area to travel regularly to Witley or Guildford.”

Citing the government’s new Resources and waste strategy for England report, Miss Potts concluded: “Recycling centres have to be conveniently placed for people to make the most use of them. We fear closing Farnham and Cranleigh will seriously affect people’s willingness to recycle and that this will entail consequences and costs for waste collection and clearing fly-tipping.”

Surrey has 15 community recycling centres and is considering three possible options which include closing Farnham, Cranleigh, Bagshot, Dorking and Warlingham and Lyne and increasing the number of days Leatherhead, Camberley and Caterham open.

Closing six sites would save the council £800,000 a year.

Waverley has also expressed concern at plans to close 31 of Surrey’s 58 children’s centres – including the closure of Elstead children’s centre and the downgrading of the Potters Gate service in Farnham to a ‘satellite centre’.

Miss Potts wrote: “To focus services on just two main centres – Loseley Fields and Hale – in the largest of Surrey’s boroughs will leave large areas devoid of services and will stretch the resources of the remaining centres. This will then lead to further pressure on frontline social care and health services and greater hardship in our communities.”

She added the proposed reduction in concessionary bus travel would “create barriers...for some of the most vulnerable in our community”, warned that cuts to library services could increase social isolation, and criticised the lack of information on changes to special educational needs and disabilities services.

Petitions to save recycling centres in Surrey from closing have received more than 5,000 signatures, with Farnham residents accounting for more than half of these.

The Proposed closure of Farnham recycling centre’ petition, launched online by West Street resident Yolande Hesse, has 2,178 backers. A paper petition launched by the Herald as part of our Don’t Dump the Dump campaign has mustered 414 signatures and was posted to the county council this week.

Elsewhere, a Keep Cranleigh Community Recycling Centre Open petition attracted 2,090 signatories, while another petition to keep Warlingham tip open has 407 signatures.