Godalming Town Council leader and Waverley deputy leader Paul Follows has taken Jeremy Hunt to task after the MP spoke out in favour of scrapping Waverley Borough Council.

Mr Hunt made the comments after Waverley councillors voted to object to proposals by Surrey County Council to replace local councils with a unitary authority.

The proposal comes ahead of an anticipated government Recovery and Devolution White Paper, which is due to be published in the autumn.

Instead of Surrey County Council's suggested approach, Waverley councillors said that other forms of unitary set-ups should be explored, including considering opportunities to work with neighbouring counties and districts.

Mr Hunt yesterday weighed into the debate, saying he was in favour of scrapping Waverley and strengthening town and parish councils to give them a louder voice in the decision-making process.

"My preferred solution would be to scrap Waverley and devolve planning and licensing to beefed-up town councils so that the most contentious local decisions were taken even closer to residents," he said.

"In a dream world I would also go for elected mayors for those town councils, which work so well in France and Germany.

But Mr Follows told Nub News: "I find it interesting that the MP for South West Surrey holds these views as he seems to be entirely at odds with the policy direction of the Conservative government to centralise at all costs.

"Central Government agenda seems intent on building (whatever the objection from residents) and seems more than happy to bypass the existing democratic structures to do that. Do residents of Waverley really want decisions about planning made in far-flung Kingston?

"Mr Hunt is either exceptionally naive or unable to be honest with residents about what these proposals really mean.

"Nothing about either the specific proposals from Surrey or the manner in which they have gone about this so far should give anyone the hope that they have anything other than lip-service localism on their agenda.

"Towns and parishes will be left with either the scraps or unfunded mandates.

"For this and many other reasons all parties on Waverley Borough Council voted to oppose the Surrey plans. Liberal Democrats, Farnham Residents, Green, Labour and Independent councillors of the WBC administration were joined by almost the entire Conservative opposition to voice their concerns and empower the council Executive to explore alternatives.

"Many other boroughs and districts in Surrey are following a similar pattern of vocal opposition."