Decision on local government reorganisation in Surrey: CCN responds

The government has made its first decision in its local government reorganisation agenda, and has announced that all councils will be abolished in Surrey, to be replaced by two unitary councils.

This was the proposal put forward by Surrey County Council, with each new unitary, East Surrey and West Surrey, covering an area of over 500,000 people.

Elections for the new councils will take place in May 2026, with the new authorities formally taking over responsibilities from 1 April 2027. This transition period will enable detailed work for reorganisation and devolution to take place, and services will be delivered as usual throughout the process.

Read full details of the announcement here.

Below, the County Councils Network responds to today's announcement.

Simon Edwards, Chief Executive of the County Councils Network, said:

“Today’s decision to proceed with the creation of two unitary councils in Surrey is the right decision. With Surrey seeking a mayoral combined authority, the creation of more than one council was required in this area and the county council put forward the most credible, compelling and evidence-based proposal in line with the government’s criteria, one that commanded a great deal of support from residents, businesses and public sector partners.

“Importantly, we strongly welcome the government sticking to its own statutory guidance, creating two new councils with populations in excess of 500,000. The County Councils Network’s (CCN) research has clearly shown this is only way to deliver significant efficiency savings, maintain financial resilience and minimise disruption to care services, while creating a sustainable platform for driving economic and housing growth. Looking ahead, today’s decision must therefore be a marker in the sand for other areas. Failure to keep to their original guidance and criteria will lead to serious questions over whether there has been a robust evaluation of proposals.”

“Reorganisation in Surrey will involve disaggregation of complex county-wide services. It is crucial that the government puts in place appropriate implementation and shadow executive arrangements. This is in recognition that the upper-tier has experience in delivering high-performing care services in a challenging and fast-paced environment, alongside every council collaborating to ensure the best possible chance for this transition to be a success for the residents and communities they serve.

“With all local authorities being replaced, the new councils will undoubtably mix the talents from all tiers in Surrey. CCN will be on hand to support all councils through transition and inception.”