Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, outlines the county vision:
The potential for Surrey to have a new local government system – with one council instead of 12 – has been much discussed over the last couple of months.
The debate has raged locally, following a clear indication from government that they wanted to see reorganisation of council structures to address long standing issues of burdensome bureaucracy, duplication, waste and needless complication.
The Government’s aim to publish plans this autumn on Local Government reform was, without doubt, an opportunity for Surrey that we simply had to engage with.
As other responsible local authorities did across the country, we engaged fully with this agenda – seeing it as an opportunity to be better.
Deliver a better local council for residents. Drive better outcomes for our county. Unleash a better future for Surrey.
While the White Paper and associated reform has yet to be published, undoubtedly through a combination of competing government priorities and the uncertain times we find ourselves in, the work we have carried out is already proving immensely valuable in improving the local services we deliver and our relationship with residents.
What is most important in all this, and has been the focus from the start, is our residents and giving them more influence over what really matters to them in their local area.
We want to deliver power to the people.
The bedrock of our vision is the creation of local community networks
These networks will give local people a greater say in the issues that affect them, using local knowledge to influence councillors and officers.
We will continue to develop these exciting plans regardless of direction from government on reorganisation and we have already moved to this model of doing things as a County Council.
We are working alongside local partners and empowering communities in Surrey through our Community Projects Fund, Libraries transformation, Youth centres transformation, Greener Future Design Challenge and infrastructure projects like The Farnham Masterplan.
We will take this work forward, and go further, hopefully in partnership withthe District and Borough councils.
If the current system is to remain, we must work together to make it simpler and more effective for residents.
Let’s make sure Surrey is a place where people and businesses can thrive, where they can have a real say over their local area and we can overcome shared challenges, together.