Only Surrey Is Denied the Chance to Delay Elections and the Deadline for Creation of a Town Council

Published on: 21 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 23 Dec, 2025

By Martin Giles

Surrey is the only county not to have been offered the chance to delay elections for the formation of new unitary authorities. Surrey County Council volunteered the county to be on a fast-track route for reorganisation.

Alison McGovern MP

The Ministe,r of state for Local Government and English Devolution, Alison McGovern said: “We have listened to councils who’ve told us of the challenges they face reorganising while preparing for resource-intensive elections for areas which may shortly be abolished.

“Several have submitted requests to postpone elections so it is therefore right we let them have their say so they can focus their time and energy on providing vital services while planning for reorganisation.

“Our goal is to create new councils who can improve services for residents and it is only right that we listen to councils.”

But according to the gov.uk website because Surrey is on a faster timetable for reorganisation, with elections to new councils being planned for in May 2026, the views of Surrey councils “have not been sought on postponements”.

The new West and East Surrey Unitary Authorities are expected to been in operation 12 months after the elections, following a year in which they will “shadow” existing local government in the county.

Across England, there are 204 councils across 21 areas undergoing reorganisation. Sixty-three of these councils are scheduled to hold elections in May 2026 and have been written to for views on potential postponement.

Where delayed, these elections would be postponed for one year, before elections to the new unitary councils in May 2027, with the new councils then expected to be up and running in April 2028.

Associated with Surrey’s reorganisation timetable is the deadline for Guildford Borough Council to have the power to set up a new parish council for Guildford town.

Having recently approved a second public consultation on the subject the council only has until March to set the council up without deferring to the new unitary authority.

Some councillors have expressed the view that a new parish council, which can be renamed a town council once formed, would help decrease the “democratic deficit” cause by the local government reorganisation and help protect the town’s assets being taken by the unitary authority to pay off debts.

Clarification was sought from Guildford Borough Council following a question sent in by Dragon reader Fiona Yeomans, who asked: “Where does the authority for going ahead with this lie, assuming there is a will to do it? Does the new unitary authority have control?”

A GBC spokesperson responded: “We will lose the power to unilaterally set up a parish council in March 2026. After that we would have to make recommendations to the future Shadow West Surrey unitary authority for a final decision.”