A Mayor for Surrey Still Subject to Agreement, Council Leader Clarifies

Published on: 29 Oct, 2026
Updated on: 29 Oct, 2026

West Surrey Shadow Council Leader Paul Follows (left) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healy, making his budget statement in Parliament yesterday (October 28).

By Martin Giles

A mayor for Surrey is not yet a “done deal” despite yesterday’s announcement in the Chancellor’s budget statement, Shadow Council Leader Paul Follows has told The Dragon this morning.

See: Chancellor Announces Surrey Mayor in ‘Final Stages’, During Budget Statement

The Lib Dem leader said: “The government cannot impose this: both East and West Surrey would need to consider and agree the details. We need to see the detail. Surrey and Manchester are very different places.”

Angela Rayner Secretary of State

In a letter to both of Surrey’s shadow council leaders, Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Local Government, said: “You will note that the Budget text states that we are working towards final agreement of a Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) for Surrey.

“This is a reflection of the fact that the final decision to establish an MSA for your area will be subject to the formal consent of both of the constituent councils…”

Cllr Follows (Lib Dem, Godalming South, Milford & Witley) explained: “West and East Surrey wrote to the government a couple of weeks ago, essentially saying that we would be open to a discussion but wanted to see what the benefits would be for residents, weighed against the costs.

“The Leader of East Surrey and I were then asked at very short notice on Monday evening to join an online chat with the Cabinet Office that amounted to: ‘We want to announce this, even though we haven’t actually talked about it or any of the detail at all.’

“The key question isn’t simply whether there is a mayoral or a non-mayoral model. It is what powers, funding and opportunities Surrey would receive, and whether those would deliver better outcomes for residents.

“That’s the detail we’re now seeking from the government before reaching a view.”

The Secretary of State said in her letter: “…today’s announcement is a signal that we want to move forward with you towards deeper devolution for Surrey”. But some have questioned the devolution aspects of Local Government Reorganisation given the extensive removal of power over Planning by councils which is being continued with changes that will take effect on Saturday.

Insert: Head of Planning Explains Planning Process Changes

A large carrot of extra government funding, if a Mayoral Strategic Authority is agreed, is also clearly being held out by the Government. Following years of local government “defunding”, exacerbated by huge legacy debts to be handed on by some borough councils, such offers might be difficult to resist for West Surrey given its parlous financial position.

And some, including Conservatives such as the leader of Surrey County Council, are very much in favour of Surrey having a strategic mayor. But there is no indication, so far, that Surrey’s residents will be consulted.

In a message to his Lib Dem colleagues this morning, Cllr Follows said: “I am also mindful than an MSA does absolutely nothing directly to address either the debt or the structural funding problems that exist across local government.

“I am personally supportive of devolution as a concept but I do not believe we should agree to a decision of this significance without first seeing the proposals, the evidence supporting them and, most importantly, what the benefits will be for Surrey residents.”

Cllr Jane Austin

The leader of the opposition in the West Surrey Shadow Council, Jane Austin (Waverley Eastern Villages), reacted to the news: “I share Surrey County Leader Tim Oliver’s view that Surrey cannot afford to be left behind while other parts of the country secure greater powers and investment through devolution.

“With an economy worth more than £50 billion, Surrey has enormous potential to drive growth, attract investment and create opportunities for our young people. A mayor with meaningful powers over transport, infrastructure, skills and economic development could help us unlock that potential for residents and businesses across East and West Surrey.

“Of course, we must ensure any deal delivers genuine financial benefits. But I find the continued pessimism of West Surrey’s Liberal Democrat Leader rather baffling. Why is he so reluctant to embrace an opportunity that could be transformational for Surrey?

“I sincerely hope political considerations are not clouding his judgement. Residents deserve leadership that approaches these negotiations with ambition, an open mind and a determination to secure the very best deal for Surrey.”