West Surrey Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2027 |
| Structure | |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
West Surrey Council is a plannedEnglish unitary authority for the local government district ofWest Surrey.
As part of theStarmer ministry's planned local government reform (as set out by theEnglish Devolution White Paper), a goal of "simpler local government structures",[1] was set out by the government, including a commitment to phase out two tier local government structures.[2]Surrey County Council applied to be part of theDevolution Priority Programme in 2025, which would fast-track the transition to a new local government arrangement. Surrey County Council, Mole Valley District Council, and Elmbridge Borough Council proposed a setup with two unitary authorities, whilst Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Woking Borough Councils, and Tandridge District Council proposed a setup with three unitary authorities.[3]
On 28 October 2025, the government announced its decision for two authorities to cover Surrey.[4][5]Alison McGovern,Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness said that "although both proposals met the criteria, the proposal for two unitaries better meets the criteria in the case of Surrey".[3]
The2026 West Surrey Council election is set to take place on 7 May 2026, with the authority taking over local government responsibilities on 1 April 2027.[6]
A spokesperson for Surrey Liberal Democrat MPsZöe Franklin,Will Forster, andAl Pinkerton said that the party had concerns that the council would be "bankrupt from day one", with BBC figures showing that the districts forming West Surrey have a combined £4.5 billion in debt.[4]
 Local authorities in Surrey | |
|---|---|
| County council | |
| District councils | |
| Planned unitary councils | |
