Local Government Reorganisation

Posted on 12/08/2025 by Cllr Ashley Tilling

What is LGR?

In December 2024, central government published a paper to set out its approach on devolution – transferring more powers from government to local or regional authorities. They proposed that each area should elect regional Mayors where they don’t currently have them. This approach means that additional power is given to the Mayor, giving them more control over strategic decision making for their area.

To unlock the devolution of further local powers and elect a Mayor, some areas need to reorganise first. This means creating unitary authorities to simplify and streamline local government. Unitary councils are responsible for the services currently delivered by both the county council and local councils. In Surrey, there are eleven district or borough councils, responsible for waste collection, planning, cemeteries, parks and recreation grounds, and Surrey County Council responsible for Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and highways. LGR would mean dissolving all of the existing councils and combining services into unitary authorities. Having fewer councils creates efficiency, clarifies service delivery and saves money. It is, though, debatable whether this is ‘devolution’, which surely entails giving responsibility for democratic decision-making to the most appropriate local level.

The effect of being in the first wave

The Tory-led SCC administration volunteered to be in the first wave of devolution knowing that this would mean the cancellation of the county elections due to be held in May 2025 and extending the term of office of current councillors by two years without a further election. It has also meant that there has been very little time to thoroughly explore all the options for the configuration of the new unitaries, how the debt of councils will be managed and the complexities and costs of organising new teams to handle the key areas of Children’s and Adult Social Services.

Final plans submitted to government

A six week public consultation finished on the 5th August. Congratulations if you waded through the dense, opaque language in the numerous questions better suited to officers working in local government rather than members of the public.

Three unitary proposals

Nine of the eleven local councils are promoting a grouping of current councils into three new unitary authorities. They argue:

Our proposal offers local government that is built around Surrey’s distinct and recognised functional human and economic geographies. By aligning local government with well-defined and understood places, we can create a system that is more responsive, effective and attuned to the diverse needs of the people, communities and businesses that call Surrey home.

Put simply, we believe that local authorities with administrative boundaries that reflect functional and locally recognised areas are better equipped to meet the needs of these areas. They will also improve the potential for partnership working across the system and with community partners.

Two unitary proposals

Surrey County Council, Elmbridge and Mole Valley have promoted a final plan to government splitting Surrey into two councils, East and West. They say:

We’ve analysed a wide range of data on how the two councils would operate and our approach is supported by many of Surrey’s key public sector organisations including health, police, fire, business and community leaders. Existing county council services across Surrey are proven by independent inspectors to be strong, with successful outcomes for residents, and Surrey County Council and many of the district and borough councils have stable finances. This puts us in a good position to see Surrey through reorganisation smoothly.

What next?

The government is now considering the proposals and will make their decision know by the end of September or October. It is rather worrying that in the rush to provide lengthy proposals, key aspects such as how many councillors will represent each ‘division’ (‘wards’ will disappear) have not yet been put forward.

EBC’s Transformation of Community Services

Posted on 03/08/2025 by Cllr Ashley Tilling

Weybridge: Building on working together

In Weybridge, the Community Centre has traditionally provided services mainly for older residents and, for the last year, has also been used by the Library during the refurbishment work of the Library building.

When the Weybridge Library re-opens in September, the centre services for the elderly will transfer into what will be know as The Library Hub, with the council continuing to provide these services. Building on the experience already gained by the SCC Library Services working with the EBC Community Services team, it is expected that new activities will be developed to target more residents of all ages who require support.

After the move, the Weybridge Community Centre will still be available for bookings by different groups with the aim of the voluntary and charity sector eventually taking over as part of a wider programme for all Elmbridge Centres. The Centres will become Community Hubs (probably an over-used term!) run by the community for the community. The council will invest £70,000 in each of these hubs and provide an additional £200,000 in funding to strengthen the voluntary sector. Financial support will also be given during the bidding process and the handover of the centres to ensure a successful launch for the new organisations. The council will hold information and advice events for interested parties in the coming months.

Connected Communities

Currently, community services in Elmbridge reach fewer than 1% of residents but costs around 20% of the council’s annual budget (around £4m), while nearly 12% of residents face serious challenges to living well. The Connected Communities transformation will enable the council to reach more unpaid carers, families facing financial hardship, isolated individuals, and older residents, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Over the next 18 months, the programme will:

strengthen partnerships with Elmbridge’s outstanding voluntary and charity sector to deliver more joined-up support
transform day centres into welcoming, inclusive Community Hubs that reflect the needs of many more of our residents
introduce Local Area Coordinators to provide tailored preventative support close to home
secure long-term resilience by delivering £1 million in annual savings and reinvesting in frontline services

A good example of a successful transformation that has already taken place is the Centre in Thames Ditton. This was taken on last year by a local resident who set up a not-for-profit organisation called Vital Village. It is now a busy, vibrant, multi-generational community centre used by many more people: www.vitalvillage.co.uk

New Mayor launches his Charity Appeal

Posted on 29/05/2021 by Cllr Judy Sarsby

Following his election as Mayor of Elmbridge at the Annual Meeting of the Council on Wednesday 19 May, Councillor Tony Popham held his charity launch via Zoom on Thursday 20 May. Councillor Tony Popham has chosen to support The Grace Dear Trust for his Mayoral term of office.

Judy Sarsby writes:

In a year like no other, when so many are struggling to stay positive, it was encouraging to hear that the new Mayor has chosen a charity that reflects the needs of the young people of the borough struggling with mental health. The Grace Dear Trust is a powerful and active mental health charity set up in the memory of a sister and daughter, Grace, lost to suicide in February 2017 aged just 27. Grace had been suffering with depression and anxiety from the age of 13. The aim of Grace’s father, Graham, and sister, Hope, is to help save the lives of other young people suffering with mental health issues. Mental health is still seriously underfunded and requires more effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Their slogan “it’s ok not to be ok” communicates the message that we can all have feelings of depression, but that we can reach out so that we do not have to suffer alone as there is help available. Many young people struggle to understand their own feelings and don’t know how to talk about them; this can lead to them suffering in silence without seeking the help they need. The charity supported by the Mayor, who lives in Hersham and has a teenage daughter, raises money to deliver presentations to schools and organisations on the importance of good mental health. The charity partners with local schools and clubs, providing mental health training courses and sets up strategies to support club members and pupils. They have embraced the pairing of sport with good mental health and also set up a young persons’ theatre project where they talk about their feelings through creative and performing arts. The Grace Dear Trust is certainly an appropriate cause in a year when showing empathy, listening and community spirit are of optimum importance to the young.

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-urgent-mental-health-helpline

Volunteering during the lockdowns

Posted on 02/12/2020 by Cllr Ashley Tilling

An interview with Cllr Ashley Tilling

Focus: How did you get involved with volunteering during the Covid-19 pandemic?

When the national call for NHS Volunteers was broadcast in April I put my name forward. But for a couple of weeks I heard nothing. I then bumped into a neighbour who was involved in the Surrey First Responder volunteer scheme – organising the collection and delivery of medicines to people who were shielding, isolating or too ill to go out. He was very happy for me to join his small team.

Focus: How does the scheme work?

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I received a list of prescriptions requiring to be picked up from pharmacies and to whom they were to be delivered. Some of these were marked urgent, so needed to be collected that afternoon, while others could wait until the following morning.

Focus: Typically how many people were on your list?

Usually between four and six scattered around Elmbridge. I decided to use the scheme to try to keep fit and so dusted off my road bike. A typical route would be from Weybridge to Hersham, Esher, Claygate, Thames Ditton, Molesey and back via Walton on Thames, collecting and delivering along the way. Between April and July, I had made well over 80 deliveries all over Elmbridge. I was also recently called up again and helped during ‘Lockdown 2’.

Focus: Have there been any challenges?

Sometimes I would turn up at a pharmacy to find that they had not received the prescription on my list – it then took some persuasion and co-operation from the pharmacist to sort this out with the issuing GP practices. Finding the location for a delivery could also be a headache – a lucky encounter with a passing postman once helped!

A regular Weybridge recipient comments:

“We are so grateful for our prescriptions being delivered. Both my husband and I have multiple prescriptions, all cheerfully delivered. We have shielded since before the first lockdown and are so looking forward to the vaccination. Thank you to all those who have worked delivering our medicines”.