First meeting of West Surrey Shadow Authority marks milestone for new council

Paul Follows, Leader West Surrey
The newly elected West Surrey Shadow Authority held its first meeting on Thursday 21 May marking an important step towards the new West Surrey Council assuming operational responsibilities in April 2027. Following elections earlier this month to the new West Surrey council, councillors came together at its inaugural meeting to begin preparations for the new authority.

 The Shadow Authority replaces the previous Joint Committees and will lead the transition to a single unitary council for West Surrey. In the meantime, existing councils will continue to run services smoothly while plans for the future strategy and operating model for the council are developed.

At its first meeting Councillor Paul Follows was agreed as Leader of West Surrey Shadow Council. He said:

“I am focused on the significant task ahead - building a strong, effective and financially sustainable council that puts residents first, delivers high-quality services, and makes a real difference to people’s lives as we move towards 2027. I am hugely grateful to staff across all existing councils who are working hard to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. In an increasingly challenging world with democracy under threat, I would also like to thank all those involved in securing fair and free elections on the 7 May.”

The Shadow Authority will work closely with councils across Surrey, partners and local communities to shape how the new West Surrey Council will operate, ensuring it reflects local priorities and continues to deliver high-quality services.

The meeting also included the following decisions and actions:

  • Appointments of West Surrey Shadow Authority leadership roles:
    • Chair: Cllr Penny Rivers
    • Vice Chair: Cllr Masuk Miah
    • Shadow Authority Leader: Cllr Paul Follows
    • Shadow Authority Deputy Leader: Cllr Shaun Macdonald
    • Shadow Cabinet Executive Members:
      • Cllr Alan Ashbery
      • Cllr Liz Townsend
      • Cllr Victoria Kiehl
      • Cllr Julia McShane
      • Cllr Ann-Marie Barker
      • Cllr Shaun MacDonald
      • Cllr Ellen Nicholson
      • Cllr Leslie Rice
      • Cllr Dale Roberts

The individual responsibilities of the Cabinet Executive Members will be agreed in the coming weeks.

  • Confirmation of key governance arrangements including The Constitution of West Surrey Council in the shadow phase, which explains how the council will operate, makes decisions, and act fairly, transparently and within the law, and schedule its meetings.
  • Agreement on initial priorities for the transition programme through the Surrey local government Implementation Plan which sets out the approach, plans and timetables for the transition of services to the new West Surrey Council from 1 April 2027.
  • Began overseeing the work needed to establish the new council including committee structures and members allowances.
  • Designated the interim statutoryofficers required for the shadow period:
    • Andy Brown as Interim Head of Paid Service – Andy is also Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director for Resources (s151 officer) at Surrey County Council
    • Vicky Radford as Interim Chief Finance Officer (s151 officer) – Vicky is also Director of Finance (s151 officer) at Surrey Heath Borough Council
    • Susan Sale as Interim Monitoring Officer – Susan is also Joint Strategic Director of Law, Democracy and People (Monitoring Officer) at Guildford Borough Council & Waverley Borough Council

Interim statutory officers will support members of the new Shadow Authority, ensuring that decisions are made lawfully and that the new organisation has a robust governance framework in place. They will ensure that the new council can operate safely and legally up to and beyond day one and function properly from that date. The appointed interim statutory officers may carry out these duties alongside elements of their current jobs. 

Recruitment for the permanent Chief Executive will be external and nationwide; this process is expected to begin in early summer with the aim of making appointments by the end of July. Other senior team appointments will follow as soon as practicable, with existing staff being fully and fairly included in the selection process.

Ends

Notes to editors

  • Webcast of the meeting
  • West Surrey Council will replace the current county, borough and district councils in Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking.
  • The new West Surrey council is planned to go live on 1 April 2027.
  • Shadow authorities were elected in May 2026 to oversee the transition to the new councils.
  • The newly elected councillors are not yet responsible for running council services. Their focus is preparing the new East and West councils to take over on 1 April 2027.
  • This is an essential task to make sure that services continue without disruption during the transition. To reflect this, the newly elected councillors will be called 'shadow councillors' for the next year.
  • Shadow councillors will become full councillors and take on responsibility for all local services from 1 April 2027.
  • Existing county, district and borough councillors remain responsible for all council services until 1 April 2027.
  • Current council services will continue as normal during the transition period to end of March 2027.
  • Residents should continue to contact existing county, district or borough council or councillors for enquiries about a day‑to‑day council service. Shadow councillors can respond to questions about the creation of the new councils, but they cannot take on service‑related casework.
  • Find out more about what’s happening over the next year, in the run up to the new councillors taking over from 1 April 2027: https://www.surreylgrhub.gov.uk/homepage/28/shadow-authorities

 

Last modified: 22/05/2026