Letter: Shouldn’t Costed Plans Precede Consultation?

Published on: 17 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 17 Sep, 2026

From Gavin Morgan

In response to: Proposal for a Guildford Town Council Needs Further Consideration

I was struck by the last sentence in this article, the “Executive should instead publish a properly costed plan setting out the council’s initial responsibilities, administrative costs and future financial implications, and then consult Guildford residents again before reaching a final decision.”

I believe Conservative Chairman Thom Van Every is highlighting a principle that structures should be designed first and then consulted upon, rather than asking people to support a concept before the details are known.

But doesn’t that also apply to the West Surrey Unitary Authority? I don’t remember seeing costed plan or being consulted on it.

Responses to Letter: Shouldn’t Costed Plans Precede Consultation?

George Potter Reply

September 17, 2026 at 3:15 pm

The Conservative Chairman also clearly didn’t read the relevant papers before writing his letter, since the details considered by the GBC council meeting (where a majority of his own party’s councillors supported a parish council) included an indicative budget for the parish council.

Given that a parish council will be elected, and that it will then democratically decide how to spend its budget and what services it will provide, an indicative budget is the most detailed that anyone can get when trying to predict what a new democratically elected body might decide to do in future.

George Potter is a Lib Dem borough, county and West Surrey Shadow Authority councillor