Brian Creese

It shows just how committed the government is to getting local government reorganisation done that confirmation of Surrey’s bid to be one of the first authorities included in the scheme came out yesterday (February 5th), well ahead of the March deadline we expected.

This announcement confirms that the May Surrey County Council elections will be postponed until May 2026 when elections will be held for a ‘shadow’ new authority. My understanding is that the new authority will come into force in 2027.

There has been some hysteria whipped up about postponing these elections, but this happened to many councils over lockdown and democracy seems to have survived them! Expensive elections for a council whose main job is to wind itself up really would be silly. Far more important will be the new elections for a team of councillors who will define the new system.

Otherwise we have no new details – we don’t know what the new authority will look like what its boundaries will be, how it will align to a regional mayorality…. But proposals on all these issues will need to be submitted within weeks, so this story is going to progress rapidly!

This statement from SCC is probably the best summary we have at this moment:

Today, the government has confirmed that Surrey is to be part of the first wave of areas looking to take the opportunities presented by the government’s devolution agenda.

Last month the government invited councils across the country to consider being part of its accelerated programme for reform, which aims to simplify and streamline local government.

The Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution has also confirmed to Surrey County Council’s Leader, Tim Oliver, that the government has decided to postpone Surrey’s local elections in May until 2026.

Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “Now we’ve received confirmation that Surrey is in the first wave of local government reorganisation, we will develop a business case for reorganisation and submit a draft to government in March.

Arrangements will also be made to postpone local elections in May so the detailed work for reorganisation and devolution can take place. The resource and time that would have been spent on elections for a soon-to-be-abolished council can now be directed to working on the best possible outcome of reorganisation for Surrey.

I can be absolutely clear that, throughout this process, our vital work supporting residents will continue – services will be delivered and we will still be here for those who need us most – until whatever new council is fully established to take on that delivery.

I have always been a firm believer that further devolution from Westminster to local regions and communities would be in the best interest of Surrey residents and businesses.”

“Of course, any proposal will now need to be worked up in collaboration with local government and other partners across the county so that together we can really grasp this opportunity to deliver something meaningful for the future of Surrey. We’ll keep residents and staff updated every step of the way.”