Opinion: Who Can Sort Out This Sorry Mess?

Published on: 15 Oct, 2026
Updated on: 15 Oct, 2026

By Bernard Quoroll

former local authority CEO

One reason why we may not get a Mayor is that Surrey is not a region.

Most of the early so-called “devolution deals” were done in very large urbanised metropolitan areas or were formed around wide-area transport regions, as in London.

There was some logic for this approach. Mayoralities had few powers but they were at least taking back regional funding, which had, many years earlier, been subsumed by centralising governments.

But “devolution” was also adopted as a back-door means of persuading some councils, as in Surrey, to cooperate in structural reorganisations, in order to abolish shire counties and districts in favour of unitary councils, but without properly consulting their citizens or frankly, taking the time to work out how to do it properly.

They are frequently accompanied by calls for new town and parish councils to make up for the democratic deficit – a sort of consolation prize. Such councils can have a role but it is naive to believe that they can do much to influence councils the size of West Surrey.

…”devolution” … a back-door means of persuading some councils to reorganise… but without properly consulting their citizens…”

What is unusual in Surrey is that its councils seem to be the only ones, not to have questioned what was being done in the name of devolution.

Surrey will soon be divided into two unitary authorities East and West Surrey.

Every other shire council seems to have reached for its lawyers and stopped these half-baked proposals in their tracks. Writing to the government to seek access to legal advice which is never offered, is no more than a cynical exercise in kicking the can down the road until it is too late.

I call all of this, political opportunism. It was never a properly thought out policy but rather one made up as they went along. It only worked logically for large combined areas which could be justified because they looked like regions where there are potential benefits in looking holistically at transport, trains and buses, employment initiatives, training and the like.

Mayors constitute yet another tier of government which has to be paid for…”

Surrey is not a region and Hampshire which might have been a partner looks toward the south coast.

Beware what you wish for. Mayors constitute yet another tier of government which has to be paid for, as do new town and parish councils. The estimated first-year cost of a Guildford town council is simply fiction. It will grow like topsy. So much for simplifying structures to save money.

Then there is the mission creep, as in London. Mayoral authorities get bored with only looking after transport and economic development budgets which are largely already spoken for, so they start angling for new powers and using budgetary discretion around the fringes to do new things.

You only get devolution money if you are doing what the government of the day wants you to do. It comes with strings.”

In doing so they begin to duplicate the roles and functions of single and two-tier councils. And their mayors often have wider ambitions, as our new Prime Minister has just demonstrated.

It gets worse. You only get devolution money if you are doing what the government of the day wants you to do. It comes with strings.

As Mayors try to spread their wings and enlarge their empires, they come into conflict with unitary councils as they try to paddle in the same ponds. And when traditional councils look as if they want to resist what central government wants them to do, some of their powers are removed for mayoral decision.

There is however only one unifying logic – money or the lack of it. Politicians can sometimes be forgiven for doing appalling things in the hope of a good outcome. At national level, central funds are only in outcome, being redistributed to councils further north as a reward for their loyalty.

The debt legacy that comes with reorganisation in Surrey is a poisoned pill which will not stay down.”

The same thing happened when another government was in power but in the opposite direction. Counties are acutely aware of this, especially after so many years of austerity, the rising demands of an ageing population and so much more.

The hope of drawing money into the area by having a devolution deal mayor explains everything. But it is a false hope. Most such funding is already spoken for.

The debt legacy that comes with reorganisation in Surrey is a poisoned pill which will not stay down. Our political leaders may find that their quiescence or worse will be rewarded in the ballot box much sooner than they think.

The problem I have is who the hell can I put my confidence in to sort out this sorry mess.