How will communities in Surrey manage “hyper-local” issues?

Consolidation of Districts/Boroughs in Unitary Authorities will mean that local communities risk losing influence over important community assets such as sports, arts, leisure and culture facilities. This could become critical if the new Councils are looking for savings to service debts inherited from their predecessors or to run services that have historically been under-funded.

Unlike the other counties around London, Surrey has large areas without Town or Parish Councils ("civil parishes") that could readily take on this role, In the case of Mole Valley most of the rural villages have Parish Councils but the towns (Dorking & Leatherhead) and larger villages (Ashtead, Bookham, Fetcham) do not. 

The Working Group is looking at how this democratic deficit can be addressed, including how to inform local residents about the options of forming civil parishes in their areas.

Note: we expect a further Government White Paper in February which may outline their intentions in this area.