The Surrey County Council cabinet met to discuss the government's reorganisation of local government in Surrey, which will see the county's 12 councils replaced with two unitary councils in April 2027, and to address a number of other issues including a petition against the booking system trial at Camberley and Lyne Recycling Centres, and the expansion of the Woodland School. The cabinet also approved an increase in the net revenue budget of £1.274.8 million due to additional public health funding.

Local Government Reorganisation

Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of the Council, announced that the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government has decided to replace Surrey's existing 12 councils with two unitary councils effective from April 2027, which aligns with Surrey County Council's submission. The government has also committed to a first tranche of £500 million in 2026-27 to repay Woking Borough Council's debt, with a promise to keep the debt under review. Elections for the new councils will take place in May 2026, and the new authorities will formally take over responsibility from 1 April 2027.

Mr Oliver stated:

This is a once-in-a-generation reform to local government in Surrey, and an opportunity to have stronger local councils in charge of all local services, equipped to drive economic growth, improve local public services, and lead and empower our communities.

The government intends to create a mayor for Surrey, with the ambition of having a directly elected mayor in May 2027. The existing 12 councils will remain as sovereign bodies until 31 March 2027, and the new shadow unitaries will work closely with them during the transition period. The council is disaggregating £1.2 billion of services and aggregating approximately £200 million of services from the district and boroughs. Mr Oliver also touched on the neighbourhood area committees, which are a crucial part of the new structure, with four pilot areas underway.

Petition to Scrap Recycling Centre Booking System Trial

Councillor Robert King presented a petition signed by 694 residents calling for the immediate scrapping of the booking system trial at Camberley and Lyne Recycling Centres. He shared residents' experiences of inconvenience and unnecessary red tape, arguing that the system penalises families and shift workers, reduces accessibility, and lacks clear evidence of addressing congestion.

Natalie Bramhall, Cabinet Member for Property, Waste and Infrastructure, responded that the trial aims to improve service for the future, citing reports from other authorities with booking systems of increased recycling rates, less congestion, and reduced carbon impact. She also noted a reduction in traffic congestion at the trial sites, better customer experience, increased recycling rates, reduced abuse by traders, and elimination of use by out-of-county residents.

Mark Nuti, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, and Public Health, said that he uses the Lyne site and finds the system easy to use. He also noted that staff are available to help those who have difficulty using the system.

Councillor Mary Serna expressed that her residents are not happy with the booking system, and that she has received numerous emails and held public meetings on the issue.

Mr Oliver concluded that the trial would continue until 10 November, after which the data would be analysed and a decision made on the future of the booking system.

Expansion of Woodland School

Jonathan Hulley, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, announced the decision to expand the Woodland School onto the satellite site at Cranmeria Primary School. He placed this decision in the context of the council's Alternative Provision (AP) and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Capital Programme¹. He noted that the council has significantly invested in the expansion of maintained specialist education provision since 2019, increasing places from approximately 3,320 to over 4,500 at the beginning of the current academic year, with a projected increase of a further 1,000 places over the next 12 months.

Mr Hulley also appealed for pressure to be applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to release funding for building three free schools that were agreed upon with the department. Mr Oliver reinforced this point, noting that the government had not funded three new schools as part of the safety valve agreement² with the government.

Fund Surrey Application

Denise Turner-Stewart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, reported on a successful Fund Surrey application to support women's and girls' and disabled sports in Epsom. The project was able to return the Value Added Tax (VAT) to the council.

Disposal of Former Care Home

Natalie Bramhall, Cabinet Member for Property, Waste and Infrastructure, presented a report requesting that the cabinet declare a former care home surplus and approve its sale. The purpose-built care home, constructed in the 1980s, was closed by adult services in 2022, and no other service expressed interest in the site. Agents were instructed to market the property, and valued bids have been secured.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Ray Park Vehicle Maintenance Workshop

Kevin Deanus, Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue, and Resilience, requested capital expenditure to refurbish the Surrey Fire and Rescue Maintenance Workshops at Ray Park, which repair and service over 1,000 emergency vehicles annually. He stated that the current facilities are not fit for purpose and that the investment is necessary to maintain operational resilience and long-term sustainability. Ms Bramhall added that the redevelopment would substantially reduce the council's carbon footprint, with an anticipated completion date of March 2027.

Cabinet Member of the Month Report

Jonathan Hulley, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, presented the Cabinet Member of the Month report, welcoming Helen Clack as Deputy Cabinet Member. He thanked the Executive Director of the Directorate and her five directors for their support. Mr Hulley highlighted the directorate's purpose of ensuring that children in Surrey are seen and heard, feel safe, and can grow, and that everyone benefits from education in Surrey.

The report covered various initiatives, including the operation of 11 Ofsted registered children's homes, expansion of the SEND Service team, the £211 million SEND and AP Capital Programme, the National Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, and the Holidays, Activities and Food Programme (Club 4).

Financial Report

David Lewis, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, presented the month five financial report, providing the financial position at the end of August. The report noted a small improvement in the forecast overspend, which came in at £3.3 million. He noted pressures within demand-led services but expressed determination to achieve a balanced budget by year-end. The report also highlighted a slight underspend in place for home to school transport. The capital programme is currently running at approximately £10 million under budget. The cabinet approved an increase in the net revenue budget of £1.274.8 million due to additional public health funding.