Surrey’s local authrities gang up against the county council’s power grab

The leaders of Surrey’s 11 borough and district councils oppose the County Council’s blatant attempt to postpone the May 1 county council elections.

The leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver (Con, Weybridge), wants to postpone the elections and asks the government for Surrey to be one of the first areas to reorganise.  as proposed in the English Devolution White Paper.

The cash-strapped SCC, which could lose control if an election goes ahead, is determined to be among the first councils to reorganise. Leader Tim Oliver claims it will happen whether we like it or not.

Surrey’s borough and district councils do not oppose reorganisation but endorse it. However,  they strongly object to Cllr Oliver’s indecent haste and steamrolling tactics. 

The borough and district council leaders met with Cllr Oliver (January 7). hammering it home that they disagreed with his proposal to write to the Secretary of State, Jim McMahon MP, today, Friday, requesting postponement of the elections, warning they would make their opposition known if the letter was submitted.

Will wannabe Emperor Oliver take one blind bit of notice of his -so-called local authority colleagues? You bet he won’t.

Council leaders expressed their deep concerns about the pace of change proposed in the Government’s planned local government reorganisation under the English Devolution White Paper.

Cllr Oliver, Surrey’s Conservative leader, has raced to apply for Surrey to be in the first wave of reorganisation.

On Wednesday, the Surrey Leaders Group, including Waverley’s Leader Paul Follows, leaders of all 10 other Surrey borough and district councils and the SCC leader, met to discuss Devolution and what it would mean for Surrey’s residents.

The chair of the group, Cllr Hannah Dalton (Residents’ Association, Stoneleigh, Epsom & Ewell), said:

“All the leaders of the Surrey District & Borough Councils expressed their concerns around the pace of change being imposed by central government and that such widespread and significant change needs wider consultation with the residents, stakeholders, and businesses across the county. In addition, there was concern that the proposed change would decrease local representation for Surrey residents.

All the leaders.  Including Tory-controlled Reigate & Banstead council,  unanimously acknowledged that central government is determined to introduce sweeping changes to local government through their devolution and regional government reform plans, which will see the district and county councils merged into new unitary councils.

She said:

“The Government is saying it wants upper and lower tiers to work together, and they’re saying that that’s really important to them. So I think what we will do [if SCC requests postponement] is write to the Secretary of State and make it clear that whilst we’re supportive and appreciate the need to work together, we won’t give our support if they’re going to lay secondary legislation here in Surrey and delay county elections.

“I think the general feeling is that this county council has been in place now for three and a half years. They don’t have the mandate to do this, especially when the Labour Government doesn’t have the mandate either. Although devolution was within the Labour manifesto, the abolition of borough and district councils wasn’t, and they still need to have legislation put around it.”

 Former Waverley Cllr Brian Edmonds told the Waverley Web.

SCC councillors were elected for a 4-year term. After that period, they had no democratic mandate. The critical change necessary for the financially fatally flawed governments at national and local levels is that they act prudently within their zone of competence and recognise that democracy is a fundamental right sustained by the rule of law.

For over 30 years, Surrey Councils have not delivered a good deal from central government nor have they been governed with prudence. Billions lost by local government due to grossly negligent property speculation prove central governments’ irrational delegation to local government is often fatally flawed and sustained by the self-interest of too many politicians.