The Future of Local Government: Your Views Are Important, Residents Told

Published on: 27 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 30 Mar, 2025

Residents can have their say on the future of local government in Surrey, in a new survey launched by eight district and borough councils.

An initial proposal for Local Government Reorganisation, which would see the county divided into two or three unitary councils, was published by district and borough councils last week, and they are now asking for the initial views of residents and local businesses.

A statement from Guildford Borough Council says: “Given that the current system of local government has been in place for the last 50 years, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change things for the better. Eight district and borough councils are therefore offering local people the opportunity to give their feedback on plans for the future governance of the county, to influence the next phase of the process.

“Most district and borough leaders in Surrey support a move to three unitary authorities. They believe this would strike the best balance between efficiency and maintaining genuine local accountability, as well as maximising opportunities to support economic growth by ensuring that unitary authorities reflect the economic geography of the county. But regardless of any stated preferences, all district and borough leaders are keen that local people should have the opportunity to contribute to the debate.”

The new unitary authorities would assume responsibility for the services currently delivered by Surrey County Council and the 11 district and boroughs. This transition would pave the way for the creation of a new strategic authority covering the county.

Cllr Hannah Dalton

Cllr Hannah Dalton, Chair of the Epsom & Ewell Borough Council Residents Association (Majority Group) and co-chair of the Surrey Leaders Group, said: “This is a pivotal moment for local government in Surrey. There are a number of compelling advantages to unitary councils – and cost savings is only one of them. We also need to ensure we create new organisations that can manage economic growth more effectively, and which recognise the importance of community, identity and local democracy.

“Local Government Reorganisation provides us with an important opportunity to secure Surrey’s future prosperity, safeguard high-quality public services and ensure that decisions continue to be made close to the people they impact.

“The voice of our residents is what really matters. We want to hear what you think about the future of your local councils. Please get involved in the survey and give us your views.”

The survey is open for comments until Sunday, April 20th.

Responses to The Future of Local Government: Your Views Are Important, Residents Told

David Frith Reply

March 27, 2025 at 5:42 pm

Probably another excuse to increase the over-blown Council Tax.
John Perkins Reply

March 27, 2025 at 5:55 pm

Words like “offering local people the opportunity to give their feedback” have a hollow ring following the experiences of the Local Plan, Three Farm Meadows [aka former Wisley Airfield] etc.
Pete Bennett Reply

March 28, 2025 at 9:11 am

“Would you rather have three unitary authorities or a hole in the head?” Ok – that isn’t one of the questions, but the questions are clearly designed to get the “correct” response (three unitaries good, two unitaries bad).

It is not therefore clear what the point of this “consultation” is. Presumably they are aiming to include some statistics on local opinion in the next version of the submission, but do they really expect the government to be persuaded by such an exercise?

Of course public opinion is important, but currently all that anyone knows is that two unitaries gives savings (small or significant depending on the assumptions you make) and three unitaries keeps some power slightly more local (although which powers isn’t clear and local would still be one-third of Surrey).

At this point, time and money would be better spent working out the detail than on political exercises.
Ben Paton Reply

March 29, 2025 at 5:36 pm

Your views are important, they claim.

That’s more likely to provoke hollow laughter than to encourage anyone to respond.