Following statements in the House of Commons by Angela Rayner MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, that Surrey will be part of the first wave of the government’s local government reorganisation agenda and that the local elections in Surrey will be postponed from May 2025 to May 2026, Councillor Hannah Dalton, Chair of the Surrey Leaders Group, has commented: 

“The ambitions set out by the Government will see the biggest shake up of local government for fifty years. In Surrey this means that the county elections in May this year have been postponed to 2026, which this Group has already opposed. 

In addition, the Government announcement does not address the serious concerns we hold around local government reorganisation including establishing unitary authorities for populations of 500k people, which will take decision making further away from communities, or provide any clarity around how the debt held within Surrey is going to be addressed so that new authorities are not set up to fail. 

Throughout the upcoming process, councils across Surrey are committed to delivering the best possible solution for all our residents. Our focus over the coming weeks and months will be to continue to work together, to deliver a proposal that ensures our residents and local communities receive the high-quality public services they rely on both now, and for years to come.” 

All councils across Surrey will keep residents up to date on any news or developments via social media, council newsletters and websites.