Letter: Proposals on Unitaries Have Lost All Credibility

Published on: 24 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 23 Mar, 2025

From Richard Mills

Conservative borough councillor for Castle Ward

In response to: R4GV Leader Criticises GBC’s CEO over Reaction to ‘Skewed’ Remark

I have no doubt that, like me, the overwhelming majority of opposition councillors on Guildford and Waverley Councils will have shared the views which Cllr Joss Bigmore [R4GV, Merrow] quite properly expressed as a former leader of Guildford Council.

It was equally unsurprising to see Guildford Liberal Democrat back benchers, for the most part, sitting, as so often, in embarrassed silence throughout the debate.

Surrey’s borough and district councils must now face the uncomfortable fact that their proposals on the most significant issue to face them in decades have lost all credibility. Since we do not know what parts of the document were “skewed” the entire document is now suspect and should be set aside.

This poses an acute dilemma for Surrey’s leaders. The Secretary of State requires their initial response to his reorganisation proposals within a few days. To knowingly mislead the Secretary of State would be unconscionable. At this late stage therefore there are only two options open to them.

Either the section setting out the assessment by the borough and district councils should be excluded, or if it is included it should prominently display a “health warning” that its findings cannot now be relied upon since by the admission of its authors they have been prejudicially skewed.

Responses to Letter: Proposals on Unitaries Have Lost All Credibility

Anthony Mallard Reply

March 24, 2025 at 12:23 pm

One can but hope, not I confess with much confidence, that Cllr Mills has alerted the Secretary of State to his concerns and provided the necessary proofs to support his contention.
H Trevor Jones Reply

March 24, 2025 at 11:41 pm

I understand that even after splitting Surrey into two or three unitaries, it’s still proposed to have some residual county council authority with its elected mayor.

But inter-urban and regional transport really needs organising at regional level, by TfSE[ Transport for South-East] in our case, so do we still need a Guildford borough or parish council.

Actually, with a Surrey council remaining, perhaps it would be better to keep Guildford Borough and not have the new unitaries. But if we are to have the unitaries, why do we need either the county council or the borough council, if we can make the regional body statutory rather than just advisory?
George Potter Reply

March 27, 2025 at 9:06 am

Since my comment on the above was created as a separate letter, and not linked back to this piece, I would like to point out that for all his words here Cllr Mills didn’t speak in the debate on this topic at all at full council:

https://guildford-dragon.com/letter-why-didnt-councillor-speak-in-debate/

George Potter is the Lib Dem borough councillor for Burpham