Surrey councils plan 'flawed', say opposition

Opposition councillors on Surrey County Council (SCC) have written to the local government minister arguing that a plan for two new unitary authorities in the county is based on "inconsistent, incomplete and flawed data".

SCC, Elmbridge Borough Council and Mole Valley District Council want to see two new councils being created, one in the east and another in the west.

The other nine borough and district councils are backing a proposal for three authorities, while councils in Crawley and Reigate & Banstead have also submitted a plan which would see the two boroughs being combined.

Tim Oliver, leader of SCC, said: "The recommended geography for a two unitary split of Surrey is based on evidence, with a huge number of factors taken into account."

Mr Oliver said detailed evidence showed very similar benefits and challenges between the options, but when wider factors were considered, two authorities was believed to be the better choice.

The letter from leaders of four political parties and groups said there was concern that the debt owed by councils in Surrey had not been resolved and about a "lack of a commitment" by ministers to cover the costs.

Councillors Paul Follows from the Liberal Democrats, Catherine Powell from the Residents' Association and Independents Group, Robert Evans from Labour and Jonathan Essex from the Green Party also criticised the plan for two unitary authorities as "not balanced".

"We believe this is based on inconsistent, incomplete and flawed data," the letter said.

"The new plans must be ones that will stand the test of time and have overwhelming public support.

"The only answer is the three unitary authority model proposed and supported by the majority of Surrey's Districts and Boroughs, all four of us and the majority of our groups and the general public."

The letter added there were "strong concerns about the lack of political support" or public engagement for the Reigate & Banstead and Crawley plan.

Richard Biggs, leader of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, previously said he was "confident" that the three unitary model would achieve the "best balance of delivering value for money for our residents" while "maximising local economic growth in the surrounding areas and delivering high-quality service".

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Our ambitious reorganisation plans will put power into the hands of local leaders so they can drive growth, improve public services and put more money into people's pockets.

"We will be carefully considering the submissions made by councils in Surrey for unitary local government and any plans will then be subject to a statutory consultation."

Mr Oliver will field questions from BBC Radio Surrey presenter James Cannon from 09:00 BST on Wednesday.

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