Letter: Unitary Authorities in Surrey Would Be Better

Published on: 13 Aug, 2024
Updated on: 13 Aug, 2024

An example of how Surrey could be divided into three unitary authorities.

From David Roberts

In response to: Unitary Authorities Are the Way Forward

I strongly agree with Mr Creese that three unitary authorities (each with a population of about 400,000) would be the best solution for Surrey. This would be consistent with the size of unitary authorities elsewhere in the country. A single unitary council for Surrey would be too big and remote.

Three authorities would also help solve the structural divide that afflicts Guildford borough, where at least half the population lives in town but 80 per cent of the borough is green belt countryside. This sows social division and makes fair policy planning needlessly difficult, as our lopsided Local Plan shows.

New boundaries need not be based on existing boroughs as in the map above. I would prefer to see rural Guildford, for instance, merged with similar parts of Waverley and Mole Valley.

And don’t let’s forget about parish councils, which have too little power. Despite being statutory consultees on planning applications, their views are all too often treated with contempt by borough and county council officers, who fail to give them the weight they deserve.

Neighbourhood Plans that have been so painstakingly put together are routinely ignored, despite being the only local government document that residents actually get to vote on directly.

This brings local democracy into disrepute and greatly encourages public cynicism about councils generally. Subsidiarity should be the rule.