In Tandridge District we have a District Council who are responsible for planning, housing, enforcement, refuse collection etc and then Surrey County Council who look after highways, adult social care, schools, buses etc.
 
Tandridge is having to save £1 million per year over the next 4 years to stay in budget and Surrey County Council has identified £57 million in savings for next year.
 
You may have seen in the press about the devolution bill in England where the government is exploring plans to abolish District, Borough and County councils to create a single authority responsible for all services. Therefore, Tandridge District Council, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Woking and Surrey County Council could be replaced as one Surrey unitary council with possibly a Mayor.
 
This would mean that there would be no Surrey County Council elections in May 2025 but elections would be held in 2026 to vote for your new Surrey unitary council and mayor. A unitary can serve between 500,000 – 1.5 million residents. (Surrey currently has 1.2 million residents)
 
Tandridge District is therefore in a tricky situation as we have no up to date local plan. We now have to do a green belt review to identify sites and particularly grey belt and 12 weeks to set out a timetable to the government about how we will make a local plan. Then authorities like us who are starting local plans from scratch have 30 months from now to complete their local plans. Tandridge District now has an eye watering mandatory target of 843 dwellings per annum. Then there is a risk that Tandridge District Council might not complete our local plan if they are abolished by May 2026.
 
Unitary councils will be expected to put in place a Spatial Development Strategies (SDS). The SDSs will help local authorities prioritize housing needs and guide development and infrastructure across larger areas. However they will take years to produce especially when an organisation is being restructured on a large scale. The SDS could also be in conflict with existing local plans.
 
There are concerns that having a unitary authority will mean that residents will be further removed from decisions, there will be fewer councillors representing many more people and how a balance will be struck between urban and rural areas. There is a strong feeling amongst Tandridge District Councillors and Surrey County Council that it would be better if Surrey was split into two unitary’s East and West with possibly their own mayors because one authority would be too large.
 
It is claimed within the government white paper that a unitary will save significant money, which can then be reinvested in public services and improve accountability as fewer politicians. There will however be a significant cost initially with the reorganisation to create a new council.
 
Cornwall has been a unitary council since 2009. It used to have 82 County Council councillors and 249 District Councillors serving a population of half a million. Now as a unitary there are just 82 councillors covering the whole of Cornwall but the Council is currently making 100 council staff redundant as part of their £48.6 million savings for 2025/2026. Cornwall unitary council has blamed central government for underfunding so it makes us question if creating a unitary will help cash strapped Surrey. Especially when Woking is bankrupt by 1.95 billion, Guildford is £300 million in debt and Surrey Heath is approaching bankruptcy so why would Tandridge District or East Surrey which is financially better off want to merge with the bankrupt West.
 
In Surrey there are currently 81 County Councillors and approx. 453 district/borough councillors.
 
Tandridge District could see 43 councillors (District and County) reduced to possibly 18 councillors (one councillor per ward). This is yet to be determined.
 
Council leaders across Surrey have been written to by the government asking for their proposal by January 2025.