Latest statement from MVDC: -

Please find below a joint statement, signed and agreed by Leader of Mole Valley District Council, Councillor Stephen Cooksey.

"Today [Thursday 7 January, 2025] the Leaders of the 11 Surrey District & Borough Councils and Leader of Surrey County Council met to discuss the English Devolution White Paper and what this would mean for the residents of Surrey.

There was acknowledgement from all the Leaders that central government is determined to introduce sweeping changes to local government through their plans for devolution and local government reform which will see the district and county councils merged into new unitary councils.

All the Leaders of the Surrey District & Borough Councils expressed their concerns around the pace of change being imposed by central government and that such widespread and significant change needs wider consultation with the residents, stakeholders, and businesses across the County. In addition there was concern that the change, as proposed, will decrease local representation for residents of Surrey.

While the Leaders concluded that there needs to be a dialogue with Surrey County Council on the proposed changes, there was wide agreement that the County Council’s plan to write to the Secretary of State, Jim McMahon MP on Friday 10 January, requesting to postpone the County elections scheduled to take place on 1 May 2025 was not supported by the District & Borough Leaders and would be opposed if submitted."

To see the joint statement go to https://news.molevalley.gov.uk/2025/01/08/joint-statement-from-the-leaders-of-surrey-district-and-borough-councils/

It looks like Surrey will be in phase 1 of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in England. Surrey’s Cabinet – Conservative administration- are meeting 8 January to agree a letter to Minister McMahon in the Labour government which would take the option of extending the term of current county councillors until first elections to the new unitary councils are held in May 2026. 

If agreed by the SCC Cabinet, and Ministers, which would appear likely, there would not be any elections in May 2025. The district and borough councils would be wound up and probably two unitary councils in Surrey would be formed quite rapidly by April 2027.

These changes were announced by Government 16 December in its Devolution White Paper. 

There appears to be consensus in both Labour and Conservative parties that the remaining two tier areas should move to a unitary model. Many other county areas of England including Dorset Somerset Shropshire Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire moved to a unitary model in recent years and Berkshire has been unitarised since the 1990s. Now it is the turn of the Home Counties including Surrey, Kent Essex and also Norfolk and Suffolk.

The district and borough councils don’t have much choice though they can as in Hertfordshire say they disagree. Ultimately if areas don’t respond with proposals for reorganisation the Government will impose changes. 

A Mayoral Strategic Authority is part of the new model, receiving significant new powers devolved by Government on transport, strategic planning, economic growth, skills and health. This could be for Surrey or a wider regional or sub regional area. 

(Article courtesy of Leatherhead Living 1/1/2025)