This is a copy of an email sent to our mailing list subscribers on Monday 6th January.
Below is a brief outline of the first potential implications of the plans for local government reform, as well as a link to a petition objecting to a proposal by Surrey County Council to request the government to postpone the Surrey County Council elections scheduled for May 2025.
We also attach a copy of a DRAFT letter prepared by Surrey County Council which is included in the agenda for consideration at a specially convened Surrey County Council meeting this Wednesday, 8th January. Link to Extraordinary Meeting of SCC
Very briefly, the proposal is that Surrey CC should apply to become a “unitary authority”, replacing the current County Council and Borough Councils (including Elmbridge). This would be under a programme originally initiated by the Conservative government. The new Labour government is giving it more impetus and recently published their White Paper on local government reform.
The draft letter proposes that a new unitary authority should be up and running for its first unitary authority elections to be held in 2026. In our view, however, this would not allow sufficient time for proper democratic involvement in determining vital matters such as the size and shape of the new authority, the new local districts and a structure which will enable the local voice to be heard and heeded. There are also important matters to be resolved to the satisfaction of all residents such as the costs of the new authority and questions of who should be responsible for the deficits of insolvent borough councils. Given the financial position of some of our neighbouring councils this is of great concern to us. A timescale of two years should be allowed for this and for the first unitary authority elections to take place in 2027.
On this basis we feel strongly that the Surrey County Council elections scheduled for May this year should NOT be postponed.
If you wish to make your own views known to the Leader of SCC (who is also our Weybridge County Councillor) prior to the Extraordinary Meeting on Wednesday you can of course write directly to tim.oliver@surreycc.gov.uk
Kind regards
Weybridge & St. George's Independents
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