Devolution and local government reorganisation

What’s happened so far? 

The government published a white paper on English Devolution and reform to local government on 16 December 2024.  

On 5 February 2025 the government announced that the upcoming Surrey County Council elections scheduled for May 2025 have been postponed 'given the urgency of creating sustainable unitary local government for Surrey ... helping to speed up reorganisation and deliver the local ambitions for devolution with the benefits it will bring." 

This page provides information on what devolution and local government reorganisation means for Surrey Heath and Surrey.  

Why is devolution and local government reform happening? 

The government’s vision is for larger, simpler, and more streamlined authorities, to make it easier for residents to know who is responsible for local services, and allow efficiencies of scale. The aim is for these new authorities to be able to make more strategic decisions to boost growth and deliver better services for communities.