Letter: We Should Concentrate On Our New Devolved Council

Published on: 6 Feb, 2025
Updated on: 6 Feb, 2025

From Brian Creese

former chair of Guildford Labour

In response to: Government Agrees – County Council Elections Will Be Postponed

Interesting to see how the headline is the postponement of the May local elections rather than the positive news that Surrey will be in the vanguard of the Government’s radical new devolution plans.

Elections in May 2025 would be a scandalous waste of money – what exactly would the councillors actually do?

However, the elections in May 2026 will be absolutely vital for shaping the new authority and ensuring it delivers better, more effective, more transparent services to the people of Surrey.

Strange that those making the most noise about this are the same team that have failed Guildford so badly in recent years. Just read the Heminsley Report if you have any doubts on the utter inadequacy of the current Lib Dem council.

We need this new authority badly, and we need new and fresh councillors with vision, drive and professionalism. We should stop worrying about how the old council dismembers itself and concentrate on ensuring we get the best possible representatives on our new devolved council.

Responses to Letter: We Should Concentrate On Our New Devolved Council

Jim Allen Reply

February 6, 2025 at 12:45 pm

Vanguard? It’s more like a “forlorn hope for local democracy” and we certainly don’t need a new authority “badly”.

“Elections are a scandalous waste of money” says Mr Creese and “what would the councillors do?” They would have a mandate to make the new process work or scupper it depending on who won the newly “mandated” seats.

So when are the next elections? The devolved framework won’t be in place for three years, according to the previous schedules displayed. The minister delaying the elections was very clear she would not say a year or two years or three (according to Hansard). She was asked the question and refused to answer.

No councillor at Surrey will have legal mandate from the people of Surrey to continue after the May Election Date. So it is time for all councillors, both borough and county, to resign in April, force by-elections across Surrey and prove once and for all that we actually want more distance from our local councillors and less democracy.

Just being told we do by central government is a dictatorship mandate. We didn’t give our councillors power for anything more thanr four years.
Bernard Quoroll Reply

February 6, 2025 at 5:54 pm

Yes but what new council? A unitary county, a unitary district with Guildford as the seat, or one where Guildford plays second fiddle to some other town? The last thing GBC should be doing is taking its eye off the ball. New councils will not be up and running for several years.There is not even a guarantee that there will be a new unitary council.Previous attempts at wholesale reorganisation have foundered in the realisation that imposed change has been wildly unpopular in some areas.

There are other downsides.Reorganisation diverts management effort from the day job. It creates a free-for-all in the job market. Larger areas means fewer councillors to vote for Guildford’s interests when there is competition for resources. GBC has many problems to deal with, not least avoiding bankruptcy but most importantly creating a legacy which assures the best future of the town.

And by the way, is anyone volunteering to pick up Woking’s gargantuan debts?
Nigel Keane Reply

February 7, 2025 at 1:38 am

Mr Creese has forgotten that when residents of Guildford Borough were offered the chance to have an elected Mayor it was firmly rejected.

All we have to do is look at London and it’s Mayor who struts around his fiefdom like an Norman Baron. Ignoring people who do not agree with his weird ideas

Large Unitary Authorities allows one man dictatorships and is not beneficial to local residents and I think is a form of cultural cleansing.