The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee met to discuss Surrey County Council's performance, the local nature recovery strategy, and the climate change delivery plan. The committee requested additional information on electric vehicle charging points, supported continued monitoring of areas with low broadband coverage, and sought assurances that climate change initiatives would continue during the transition to a unitary authority. The committee also agreed to review measurable targets related to the local nature recovery strategy at a future meeting.

Climate Change Delivery Plan

The committee discussed the progress of Surrey County Council's climate change delivery plan and next steps for developing a climate change transition plan.

A key concern was whether resident-facing programmes, such as fuel poverty initiatives, retrofits, warm homes grants and EV charging, were reaching the right households and places quickly enough. Councillor Marisa Heath, Cabinet Member for Environment, acknowledged that while the team had done a good job with the resources available, the scale of the challenge was significant. For example, the Warm Homes Grant had reached 1,421 households, while around 88,000 households needed assistance by 2030.

Councillor Heath noted that funding from central government was inconsistent and insufficient to drive the necessary progress. She also raised concerns about the risks to net zero targets during the transition to a unitary authority, particularly given potential challenges to these targets following elections.

A point was raised about the potential impact of local government reorganisation (LGR) on fleet management. Since the LGR announcement, there had been a decision to avoid purchasing any new vehicles unless an electric option was available.

Councillor David Harmer reflected on the local government reorganisation in 1974 and suggested that the creation of a shadow authority could be a useful resource for sustaining the county's direction.

The committee discussed the countywide 2050 carbon budget, with officers reporting that in 2023, the county was 300 tons over budget, equating to 8% of the total budget. The transport sector was identified as the main contributor to this gap, leading to poor air quality, congestion and reduced productivity.

Regarding decisions on prioritising state retention, disposal and retrofit to meet public sector decarbonisation scheme deadlines and secure savings ahead of local government reorganisation, officers explained that these decisions would largely fall to the unitary authority.

The committee made the following recommendations:

• That Cabinet Members ensure that existing climate change projects and funding are maintained during and after the transition to a unitary authority in April 2027.
• That the transitional plan is brought forward from December to ensure it is delivered in good time.

Local Nature Recovery Strategy

The committee reviewed the draft local nature recovery strategy (LNRS), alongside consultation questions, and discussed recommendations ahead of its finalisation and submission to the cabinet early next year.

Councillor Heath commended the team for their work on the strategy, noting that it was a substantial piece of work.

Officers reported that the main challenges to delivering nature recovery in Surrey were resources, policy uncertainty, and the balance between housing development and nature protection. They also noted that local government reform posed a challenge in maintaining the strategy's profile.

Councillor Heath stated that Natural England had accepted that the strategy had a suitable level of ambition.

Councillor Stephen Cooksey asked how the LNRS would link to the climate agenda, and what measurable targets would link the LNRS delivery to greener futures and climate mitigation and adaptation agendas. Officers responded that the strategy did not have measurable targets within itself, but it did link to national environmental objectives.

Councillor Harmer declared an interest, noting that his division included 14 separate commons, some of considerable national importance. He sought clarity on what actions he should be taking as a councillor. Officers advised him to share the LNRS document with his community and encourage participation in nature recovery initiatives.

Officers highlighted the use of GIS¹ to map biodiversity priorities and identify opportunities for habitat creation and enhancement. They also emphasised the importance of engaging with developers to ensure that nature is considered in planning decisions.

Councillor Cameron McIntosh asked how the LNRS delivery would ensure fair and inclusive access to nature's health benefits, especially for residents facing health inequalities and disabilities in both urban and rural communities. Officers responded that they were considering how to make the places people wanted to go accessible, and were thinking about how to do that through the rights of way.

The committee made the following recommendations:

• That the excellent work undertaken to date on the local nature recovery strategy is recognised.
• That the importance of the local nature recovery strategy being embedded into the new unitary structure is recognised.
• That the Cabinet Member for Environment considers whether this needs more public visibility.
• That the Cabinet Member for Environment considers what measurable targets will link the LNRS delivery to greener futures and climate mitigation and adaptation agendas.

Performance Assurance Report

The committee considered the council's quarterly performance assurance activities for quarter four of 2024-25 and quarter one of 2025-26.

Councillor Lance Spencer raised concerns about the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging points, noting that the council had installed 301 charging points against a target of 2,000 by 2028. He questioned whether the council was on track to meet its target, given that the contract with Connected Kerb² was signed two years prior. Councillor Matt Furniss, who was attending the meeting online, responded that all members are sent all the locations for proposed charge points, and given two weeks to raise any concerns with the EV charging team. If no concerns are raised, it then proceeds to a public consultation.

Councillor Stephen McCormack asked whether metrics could be added to show the level of engagement with divisional members regarding EV charging point locations. Councillor Furniss said that the information around the stats on the charge points would be welcome at some point if they can do it, and then to then share that information with residents where they maybe get questions about, well, why are they putting in a four bay or a six bay rather than a one or two.

Councillor David Harmer expressed concern that his views as a divisional member had been overridden regarding the siting of EV charging facilities, and that the siting of some facilities conflicted with other council policies.

Councillor Saj Hussain asked about dry mixed recycling rates, which were stable at approximately 87.8%. He asked what would move this measure to the 90% target, and requested an explanation for including this indicator in the report.

Councillor John Beckett noted that the new performance assurance framework did not appear to have a metric related to supply performance, and asked whether this measurement existed or would be provided.

Regarding highways, it was noted that the number of potholes repaired had reduced over the last year, with 42,000 repairs carried out between January and August 2024, compared to 38,000 for the same period this year. Officers attributed this to preventative measures and a large resurfacing campaign. Councillor Spencer suggested that the report should include a measure of preventative work against the number of defects.

Councillor Denise Turner-Stewart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, reflected on the success of the Customer Transformation Programme and Fix My Street³, which had influenced the level of reporting.

Councillor Stephen Cooksey raised concerns about the police directorate, where only 66% of customer complaints had been dealt with within the 10 working day target. He asked for the numbers rather than the percentages, and asked what the plan was for ensuring that the department would get back up to the 90% target as quickly as possible.

Councillor Ayesha Azad noted that the planned footway program was delivered at 75% of the target, below the 96% target. She asked what the catch-up plan was, and how members would be kept up to date.

Councillor Spencer noted that demand responsive transport (DDRT) journeys had risen to 8,281, and asked when the target of 4,960 would be revised to reflect current usage. He also asked about the average cost per trip and whether there were any outlier routes.

Regarding broadband coverage, officers reported that 98.69% of premises across Surrey could access broadband speeds of 30 megabits per second or higher. The lowest areas of connectivity were Waverley and Mole Valley, both just under 98%. Councillor Furniss questioned whether this was still a key performance indicator, given that the council's ability to influence broadband rollout was limited. Councillor Cameron McIntosh suggested that there needed to be a renewed lobbying effort regarding data and mobile phone masts, as low coverage was impacting council services.

Councillor Saj Hussain asked about trading standards returns on investment, which had jumped to £959 this quarter versus £99,000 a year ago.

The committee requested that the financial model underpinning EV charge point location rollout is shared with members to support conversations with residents, along with site selection criteria and other key issues. The committee also requested that areas with low broadband coverage and data on traffic volumes continues to be monitored.