Calls have been made for the leader of Waverley Borough Council to resign after he was allegedly caught on microphone attempting to manipulate official reports ahead of a key vote on local government reorganisation.

The controversy stems from a clip posted on social media from the Waverley Executive meeting on March 11. In the recording, Cllr Paul Follows is heard asking Pedro Wrobel, the Joint Chief Executive of Waverley and Guildford borough councils, to “skew” officer reports in favour of a three-unitary authority model for Surrey.

In response, Mr Wrobel is heard confirming that “he is doing that anyway” before the audio is muted ahead of the official start of the meeting.

In a joint statement, Councillors Jane Austin and Philip Brooker, leaders of the Conservative groups at Waverley and Guildford borough councils, have called for Cllr Follows’ resignation, citing concerns over fairness and transparency.

Cllr Follows, who was also the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Godalming and Ash constituency at the last general election, has defended his comments, insisting that the conversation was informal and taken out of context.

“Firstly, I want to say that the conversation we can see in the video is an informal exchange before the start of the meeting. It was held in public and there is nothing secretive about it.”

He explained that the discussion related to an early draft of a proposal for local government reform, which all 11 district and borough councils in Surrey are set to consider.

Cllr Follows stated that the proposal outlines options for either two or three unitary authorities covering Surrey, and that his remarks simply reflected a preference for the three-unitary model.

“I was simply asking for the commentary included in the proposal to be explicit that of the two options, we preferred three unitaries covering Surrey, and the evidence clearly supports this.”

Claiming to speak on behalf of residents, the Conservative councillors expressed their “dismay following review of the recording of the meeting of the Waverley Executive on Tuesday last.”

“Viewers of the YouTube recording witness, in a private moment captured prior to the start, your brazen request to the Joint Chief Executive to ‘skew’ Officer reports in the favour of three unitary authorities,” said councillors Austin and Brooker.

“In the video, the joint CEO of Waverley and Guildford confirms that ‘he is doing that anyway.’

“Clearly this was not meant to be caught on mic as the next portion of video is muted until the meeting proper commences. We are concerned both at your request and that presumably in response to similar prior requests, that it was ‘being done anyway.’

“It further raises concerns that the reports being prepared for the upcoming full council meeting in Waverley next Tuesday (March 18), where councillors will vote on their preference for two or three unitaries, may already be biased.”

Calling it an “inappropriate and outrageous request” in the context of joint council officers preparing reports ahead of full council meetings across Surrey, the councillors argue that the process is now compromised.

“At these meetings councillors across Surrey will be asked, using the reports provided, to vote on a preference – for two or three unitaries.

“The repercussions of your actions reach across Surrey because the wording of reports are replicated to all of the 11 District and Borough Councils,” they said.

“Councillors across Surrey will now be rightly concerned that the information they will receive is inappropriately ‘skewed.’ Your use of the word skewed is particularly interesting – it appears to acknowledge wrongdoing.

“We feel that your intention was to knowingly misrepresent and undermine the work done to try to profess this process is fair.”

The Tories claimed Cllr Follows’ actions would erode trust in democracy.

“The vast majority of councillors work tirelessly to represent their local communities as public servants,” they said. “They choose not to ‘skew’ reports or make immoral requests of their officers – instead they value the democratic process, transparency, and high moral standards of public life.

“You have offered the public yet another opportunity to lose faith in politics, in the democratic process, and sadly even potentially our hardworking officers.”

The councillors called for Cllr Follows to step down immediately.

“On behalf of residents of our joint councils of Waverley and Guildford, you have failed in your duty and in the office of Leader of Waverley Borough Council. We request you resign your post, and that those other councillors who witnessed this but remained silent, also consider their position.”

Cllr Follows stood by his statement in the meeting.

“I have made no secret of the fact that I believe the interests of Surrey residents would best be served if the new councils cover consistent geographic and economic areas,” he said.

“I simply do not believe that a unitary council that stretches from Staines to Haslemere and another covering the whole of the east of the county could possibly do that or that they would be responsive to local needs or accountable to local people.

“But it’s not just my view that matters – the proposal will need be agreed across all 11 district and borough councils in Surrey will need to agree.

“The report will be published tomorrow, and people will be able to judge for themselves the merits of the proposals”