Details of Surrey’s new councils confirmed as government order becomes law
You can view the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's decision order letter to Surrey council leaders online. The Order and the Explanatory Memorandum will also be available online shortly at legislation.gov.uk
What the Order does
The Surrey Structural Changes Order lays out details on:
- what the councils will be known as - East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council
- the current areas that will make up each new council:
- West Surrey Council: Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking
- East Surrey Council: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, and Tandridge
- the establishment of a single tier of local government in Surrey from April 2027
- implementation arrangements, including statutory Joint Committees and the Implementation Team
- Shadow Authority arrangements for East and West Surrey
- electoral matters, including ward boundaries, councillor numbers, how vacancies will be handled during the transition period, and elections of East and West Surrey councillors in 2026 and subsequent years
What happens next
Following the approval of the Order, work will continue to prepare for the new councils, including elections for the new East Surrey and West Surrey councils on 7 May 2026.
Following these elections, a shadow period will run until 1 April 2027.
During this time, the shadow authorities will set budgets and council tax for 2027/28, agree governance arrangements, appoint statutory officers, adopt codes of conduct and members’ allowances schemes, and oversee the final stages of the transition. The purpose of the shadow period is to ensure the new councils are fully operational from day one.
Future elections for the new councils will take place in 2031 and every four years thereafter.
Existing district & borough and county councillors will remain in post until 31 March 2027.
Service continuity
For now, nothing changes in the way residents receive services. All councils will continue to deliver services as usual.
The priority throughout the transition is to ensure residents, businesses and communities continue to receive the support they need without interruption. Residents will still be able to use the same council offices, community spaces, libraries and online services.
Once the new councils are created, they will gradually begin to join up how they work and the systems they use. This will take place over months and years, not overnight. Any changes will be introduced carefully and thoughtfully.
More information
Residents can keep up to date with local government reorganisation through the dedicated Future Surrey website as well as your local council’s social media channels.