Cllr Shaun Macdonald, Leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council, has shared a foreword to the statement from the Leaders of Surrey's District and Borough Councils (Surrey Leaders Group) regarding the devolution and local government reorganisation plans proposed by Surrey County Council.
Foreword
As Leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council, I’m focused on making sure that our residents, businesses, and community groups are heard during discussions about local government changes.
The proposed shift to unitary councils brings both challenges and opportunities, and it’s crucial that any decisions reflect what’s best for the people who live and work in Surrey Heath, and across Surrey.
The statement below from the Leaders of Surrey’s District and Borough (D&Bs) Councils, independent of party background, highlights some of our shared concerns about how quickly these changes are being pushed forward, in the absence of sufficient clarity from central government on addressing Surrey’s specific challenges, especially £5bln of debt.
We believe it’s essential to work together, within Surrey and with other adjacent authorities, be transparent, and involve residents every step of the way. By working constructively with everyone involved, we hope to find the right path forward for Surrey, and in my case for Surrey Heath residents.
As any changes to unitary councils across Surrey will take 24 months minimum to be implemented, Surrey D&Bs Leaders believe Surrey County Council elections should go ahead in May 2025 so all those involved in shaping the future of our communities and managing existing essential services have a democratic mandate to represent their residents.
I hope the below statement helps explain our position and shows how important it is to approach these changes in a fair and collaborative way.
Surrey Heath Borough Council will debate these issues at an Extraordinary Council this evening from 7pm which residents are welcome to join in the chamber or via our Surrey Heath Borough Council YouTube live stream
Councillor Shaun Macdonald
Leader, Surrey Heath Borough Council
Statement from Surrey Leaders Group
Yesterday [Tuesday 7 January 2025] the Leaders of the 11 Surrey District & Borough Councils and Leader of Surrey County Council met to discuss the English Devolution White Paper and what this would mean for the residents of Surrey.
There was acknowledgement from all the Leaders that central government is determined to introduce sweeping changes to local government through their plans for devolution and local government reform which will see the district and county councils merged into new unitary councils.
All the Leaders of the Surrey District & Borough Councils expressed their concerns around the pace of change being imposed by central government and that such widespread and significant change needs wider consultation with the residents, stakeholders, and businesses across the County. In addition, there was concern that the change, as proposed, will decrease local representation for residents of Surrey.
While the Leaders concluded that there needs to be a dialogue with Surrey County Council on the proposed changes, there was wide agreement that the County Council’s plan to write to the Secretary of State, Jim McMahon MP on Friday 10 January, requesting to postpone the County elections scheduled to take place on 1 May 2025 was not supported by the District & Borough Leaders and would be opposed if submitted.