Letter: Local Government Reorganisation Secures Central Government Control

Published on: 18 May, 2026
Updated on: 18 May, 2026

From Jim Allen

In response to: Some Councillors Will Have a Bonanza Year

The reorganisation of our local government is going to be a very expensive exercise and extra councillor allowances will play only a small part. There will need to be new offices, new logos, new contracts, and perhaps most significantly and expensive, new computer systems and data reconcilation. These are only some of the costs associated.

This was all unnecessary, caused by the removal of a democratic system everyone understood.

There are insufficient assets to sell off to pay the enormous legacy debt, said to be over £4 billion, off and a fire sale will reduce their price. The only cure is for the the new council to be officialy declared bankruptcy on day one. Central government would then have to take over the finances and the dictatorship takeover of Surrey will be complete and recognised for what it is.

If the new West Surrey Council was to declare bankruptcy (ie issue a Section 114 notice) on day one in April 2027, it would immediately freeze all non-essential spending, effectively halting new projects, hiring, and discretionary services while the council attempts to balance its budget.

In this scenario, as has happened at Woking, the Local Government Finance Act would require the government to appoint an independent commissioner to oversee the council’s finances and operations, potentially stripping elected councillors of their budgetary powers until stability is restored.

While essential services like social care and waste collection must continue, the council would face severe restrictions on borrowing, likely leading to significant cuts to local services and a potential sharp increase in council tax to meet debt obligations.

In conclusion. The new unitary authority and our elected representatives are, and always will be, a phantom body and will remain so controlled by central government diktat.