Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution

Updated: 19 February 2025

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 different services being delivered by the borough and district councils (such as Reigate & Banstead Borough Council) and Surrey County Council.

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.

What does this mean for Reigate & Banstead?

When the new unitary council comes in, local district and borough councils such as Reigate & Banstead will be abolished following a short transition period when the two councils will operate at the same time.

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. 

Next steps

A final proposal will now be developed and submitted to Government by 9 May.

Local engagement with residents will be part of this process. At the same time, we will work hard to ensure that we continue to deliver high quality local services.

The Government will then review these plans, undertake public consultation and decide what changes will take place and when.

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.