Today is 1st May 2025. Today should have been polling day in the Surrey County Council elections.
Today should have been your opportunity to make your voice heard at the ballot box, about everything from highways to Children’s Services and SEN.
That voice has been silenced by the Conservatives who run Surrey County Council, and who chose to seek local government reorganisation - which they were not forced to do. They chose this just six months from the end of their four-year terms and, in doing so, not only took away your right to hold them to account, but put all local district and borough councils in Surrey at risk of being exposed to serious debts and the end of discretionary services, which help thousands of vulnerable people across the county.
Not only this, but they now seek, as part of the process, just two massive unitary councils that will run all services. This process, something that normally takes years, is being dangerously and recklessly rushed through and risks exposing even more residents to difficulties as services decline.
Liberal Democrats right across the county have been fighting this, and trying to achieve the best local outcomes for residents out of the negative situation the Conservatives have brought upon our county. Not only have Conservatives been responsible for starting this reorganisation process, the serious debt issues plaguing the county were all established under the now former Conservative boroughs of Woking, Spelthorne and, of course, Surrey County Council itself.
Liberal Democrats have said, from day one, that we believe any discussion about local government reorganisation should have been part of this county election process so that you, as residents, had at least some say. The County Council continues to offer you no meaningful input into the process.
On top of their anti-democratic behaviour at this level, Conservatives are also seeking to undermine our elected town and parish councils, as they pursue replacing them with unelected community boards and other experimental arrangements. These would take even more of the services, and the voice residents enjoy locally, away. We continue to oppose this as part of our response to local government reorganisation.
Read the detailed proposals here:
Petition: Reject Surrey County Council's Local Government Reform Proposal
We, the undersigned, reject Surrey County Council's proposal for Local Government Reorganisation, which includes just two large unitary councils in Surrey and taking on the debt of other boroughs.