By Martin Giles

The leader of West Surrey Shadow Council has written to the Minister for Local Government asking him to reconsider his position on changing the name of the council to include South Middlesex.

The letter indicates that the Lib Dem shadow council would like to press ahead with the change. But there has been little public consultation on the proposal and it is likely that it has very little support in West Surrey outside Spelthorne Borough.

Cllr Paul Follows

The letter from Council Leader Paul Follows (Lib Dem, Godalming South, Milford & Witley) seeks further clarification of the legal situation and follows Minister Jim McMahon saying, in Parliament, that the council should “crack on” with the name change. But Cllr Follows indicates in his letter that Government approval is needed for the change.

See: ‘Crack On With It’: Minister On Inclusion of ‘South Middlesex’ in New Council’s Name

An earlier letter from the Minister seemed to have been interpreted by the leadership of West Surrey Council to preclude the possibility of a name change within the deadlines required to make necessary arrangements in time for the new council taking full power, on April 1 next year.

The council wants to make a decision on the name so that branding, letterheads, signage etc can all be set up in time for the the April deadline.

In the new letter (see above), Cllr Follows writes: “If you are unable to assist us, then the absolute minimum level of branding will have to be implemented, limited to council tax bills and other essential communications, with no changes to physical signage.

“Following the vote in the chamber in April 2027, we anticipate then needing to revisit the branding arrangements, potentially resulting in unnecessary disruption, increased costs and wasted resources, and potentially leading to confusion and a lack of clarity for the residents we serve.

“We would therefore be extremely grateful for any assistance you can provide to help us avoid this situation.”

In his first letter and in his Parliamentary statement, the Minister indicated that the council did not require  ministerial approval for the name change to proceed.

Some observers suggested that Cllr Follows might have been relieved that he would not have to make the change likely to have been widely unpopular but the letter suggests he still wishes to do so.