Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ

Our vision for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ

Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ is a place of thriving communities and businesses, creative heritage in the arts and, of course, beautiful countryside. It is undeniably a brilliant place to live, work, learn and visit. But for some, life can be challenging. That is why we need more affordable and better local government for the people of Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ. We need to simplify the system, save money and improve engagement with local communities to ultimately improve lives.

In recent years we’ve seen rapid increases in service demand, challenges for the national economy and changes to our climate, alongside a reduction in funding. Our plan for two unitary councils, with a Mayor, will create stronger, simpler and more sustainable local government to give Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ an even brighter future.

How local government is structured now

There are changes coming to Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ through devolution and Local Government Reorganisation. Before we explain these, let’s look at how Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ is currently structured.

Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ has a two-tier system of local government: the county council and 11 district and borough councils. The county council is responsible for services such as adult social care and childrens services across the county, whereas the districts and boroughs provide services in their area. Some functions are shared between county and district.

What is devolution?

Last December 2024, central government published a  paper to set out its approach on  devolution – transferring more powers from government to local or regional authorities.

They proposed that each area should elect Mayors where they don’t currently have them – like Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ. This approach means that additional power is given to Mayor and local government who know their areas best, giving them more control over decision making and implementation of services.

What is local government reorganisation?

To unlock the devolution of further local powers and elect a Mayor, some areas need to reorganise first. This means creating unitary councils to simplify and streamline local government. This includes us in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ.

Unitary councils are responsible for the services currently delivered by the county council and district and borough councils. In Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ, there are twelve councils in total, so this would mean dissolving all of the existing councils and combining services in to two or three unitary councils. Having fewer councils creates efficiency, clarifies service delivery and saves money.

A Strategic Authority needs to work with multiple unitary authorities, so we can’t just combine all the current councils in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ into one.

The government confirmed that Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ would be part of the first wave of devolution, along with other areas like Sussex, Essex and Hampshire. This was so we could get the benefits of devolution quicker for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ residents and businesses. However, we need to reorganise first as we don’t currently have unitary councils. Government asked Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ for proposals on how it could reorganise by May 2025.

Final plan submitted to Government

We have now sent our final plan to government for devolution and local government reorganisation in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ. The final plan was jointly submitted with Elmbridge Borough Council and Mole Valley District Council.

This sets out how we recommend arranging Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ into 2 councils, west and east, replacing the current county council and 11 district and borough councils. These two councils would also work with a strategic authority which will have a Mayor.

We’ve analysed a wide range of data and  our approach is supported by many of our partners including health, police, fire, business and community leaders. There’s a number of reasons why we think this arrangement is best for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ residents and businesses.:

• It saves money and offers better value for tax payers, with stable finances to protect vital services.
• It simplifies services, delivering everything residents need to a high quality, with fewer points of contact and reduced confusion about which council does what.
• It will strengthen our local communities by connecting people through newly created Community Boards in all the towns and villages.

Other plans for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ will also be sent to government. This includes a proposal from most district & borough councils for three unitary councils.

Now government has received plans for reorganisation in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ, they will ultimately decide on which option to take by the autumn. We will then be working together with all councils in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ to make this happen, gearing up for elections to the new authorities next may.

Next steps

Now government has received plans for reorganisation in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ, they will decide on which option to take forward by the autumn. We will then be working together with all councils in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ to make this happen, gearing up for elections to the new unitary councils in May 2026.

How services will change

We will continue to deliver our services as normal during this period of change. Local Government Reorganisation has taken place in several areas in the last decade, including Dorset, Cumbria, Northamptonshire and Wiltshire. We are talking to colleagues in other parts of the country to learn from their experiences and ensure a smooth transition.

Working at Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ

Staff at councils in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ are being kept updated on plans and what this means for them, and most will move over to the new unitary councils in April 2027.

This is an exciting time to work in local government. If you’re interested in working for Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ but not sure how Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation would impact your employment, check out our information for applicants.

Stay updated

We have a number of ways you can keep up to date on the changes in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ and ask questions:

• Follow us on our social media accounts where we interact with residents and share the latest updates
• Visit our website has all the latest on the changes and all our services
• Speak to staff at your local library or our contact centre
• Through your local council communications channels
• Ask a question by email devolutionandlgr@surreycc.gov.uk