Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution

Latest update

Help shape the future of your local services by responding to our Future of Your Council survey. We need your help to ensure your views are reflected in the detailed proposals that need to be submitted to Government by 9 May. We are committed to doing what we can to influence Government to create a unitary model in Surrey that serves our residents and businesses best. 

Background

On 16 December 2024, central Government published its English Devolution White Paper (Gov.UK).

The White Paper outlined plans to create unitary councils in areas - like Surrey - that currently have a ‘two tier’ system of district/borough councils and a county council.

It also proposed more Mayoral Strategic Authorities in areas such as Surrey that don’t currently have one. These groupings of unitary councils, once set up, will have powers transferred to them from Government for things like strategic planning, transport, infrastructure, and economic development and skills.

Current structure of local government

Currently in Surrey responsibilities for delivering services are split across a range of councils. These are sometimes referred to as tiers of local government. Local councillors are elected to these different council tiers.

Surrey has a two-tier council system, with some services (like education, adult and children's social care and roads) delivered by Surrey County Council and others (like bin collections, planning and housing) run by the local borough or district council (such as Reigate & Banstead Borough Council).

What does this mean for Reigate & Banstead?

The Government wants to see a new ‘single-tier’ system in Surrey with a far smaller number of unitary councils each delivering all the local council services. This will mean that all 12 councils in Surrey will be abolished in their current form.

The Government has indicated that it expects unitary councils to have a population of around 500,000 or more. This means that it is most likely that we will see two or three unitary authorities across Surrey, each covering a much larger area than current borough and district councils do.

We don’t yet know the final boundaries of these new unitary authorities.

In the future, a new Strategic Authority will be set up as well, covering several unitary areas and with a directly elected Mayor.

What’s happened so far?

On 5 February 2025, the Government confirmed that Surrey will be on an accelerated local government reorganisation programme.

On 21 March, the 11 Surrey district and borough councils, and Surrey County Council collectively submitted an Interim Plan for reorganisation to Government.

Councillors at Reigate & Banstead Borough Council across all political parties unanimously agree a preference for a three unitary council model in Surrey.

The Interim Plan is in two parts – part A and part B:   

• Part A sets out how Surrey County Council and the district and borough councils are working together to progress local government reorganisation, following the directive from the Government.
• Part B includes 1) a reorganisation proposal drawn up by the districts and boroughs, and 2) a proposal drawn up by Surrey County Council. Both discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different options.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is also continuing to explore options for local government reorganisation with Crawley Borough Council.

On 21 March we sent a joint letter to the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution asking for his support to explore opportunities outside of the existing Surrey County boundaries.

The letter outlines the significance of the £13.2bn economy across Reigate & Banstead and Crawley.  We believe his economic area, the largest in the sub-region, needs to be recognised within the devolution and local government reorganisation agendas to maximise the economic growth potential of the already successful Gatwick Diamond economic area. The letter also highlights some key public service considerations that the traditional historic county boundaries of Surrey and Sussex do not take account of. 

Public engagement

Final proposals must be submitted to Government by 9 May. We are committed to doing everything we can to influence Government to create a unitary model in Surrey that serves our residents and businesses best. We need your help to do that.

Help shape the future of your local services by responding to our Future of Your Council survey.  

It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete and will close at 12 noon on Monday 21 April 2025. You can skip questions that are not relevant to you.

As a thank you for participating in the survey, we’re offering you the chance to enter a prize draw to win one of three £50 Love2Shop vouchers.

We are also supporting a broader engagement activity across Surrey – and we would encourage you to complete both surveys. Responses from both will help inform the proposals for Government. The Reigate & Banstead questions are more detailed and will allow us to collect more locally specific information.

The Shaping Surrey’s Future survey is open for comments until Sunday 20 April.

Timeline

Downloads and useful links

• English Devolution White Paper (Gov.UK)
• Invitation from Government for Surrey LGR proposals (Gov.UK)
• Political group leaders of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council jointly respond to Government confirmation that Surrey County Council elections will be delayed to allow local government reorganisation plans to be developed
• Local Government Association Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation Hub (local.gov.uk)
• Letter to Jim McMahon - signed 21 March 2025 (PDF)
• Surrey District and Boroughs LGR submission 21 March 2025 (PDF)
• Surrey County Council LGR Interim Plan 2025 - Part A, 21 March 2025 (PDF)
• Surrey County Council LGR Interim Plan 2025 - Part B, 21 March 2025 (PDF)

More information

We will provide updates as soon as more information is available on our website, social media and via our e-newsletter Borough News.