Surrey councils could merge in government shake-up

Surrey Heath Borough Council is one of 11 borough or district authorities in Surrey

Smaller councils in Surrey could be abolished and replaced with fewer local authorities, potentially even a single one, under plans for a major redesign of local government.

In a paper published on Monday, ministers said they were looking at "four foundation nonmayoral Single Local Authority devolution agreements" in England, including with Surrey County Council (SCC).

The county currently also has 11 borough and district councils, as well as parish and town councils, providing local services.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

The English Devolution White Paper notes that ministers expect "all two-tier areas and smaller or failing unitaries to develop proposals for reorganisation".

It adds: "New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks.

"For most areas this will mean creating councils with a population of 500,000 or more, but there may be exceptions to ensure new structures make sense for an area."

It is currently estimated that Surrey has a population of 1.2m.

In 2020, the county council developed its own plan to replace borough and district councils in the area with a single body, but this was later abandoned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Tim Oliver, the Conservative leader of Surrey County Council, said the authority would work with the government on the latest proposals.

"The government has set out an agenda for change, including potential reorganisation of local government, particularly in two-tier county areas like Surrey," he said.

"I believe there is general consensus that the current structure – here and elsewhere in the country – is not the most effective.

"Therefore, we welcome a real examination and review of how local government is organised to make it more efficient and more effective for residents."

Paul Follows, the Liberal Democrat leader of Waverley Borough Council and group leader on SCC, said: "In my opinion, the worst outcome for this county and its people would be a single Surrey unitary.

"(It) would be even more broken, even more financially challenged and, critically, even more distant from the needs of residents and the local challenges within Surrey."