The Council approved the final budget for 2024/25 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2028/29. An amendment to the budget, which would have created a voluntary contribution fund for residents in more affluent areas, was rejected. The Council also approved the appointment of Leigh Whitehouse as interim Chief Executive and Anna D’Alessandro as the interim Section 151 officer, as well as changes to Members’ allowances.

The Budget

Councillor Tim Oliver, Leader of the Council, presented the final budget for 2024/25, which he described as solid and balanced given the unprecedented pressures facing local government. He highlighted that 70% of the budget was spent on Adult Social Care and Children's Services, and said the Council would not leave those people behind .

Let’s not pretend otherwise, times for local government at the moment are tough.

And there is no doubt that things are going to get tougher.

Councillor Oliver highlighted that despite rising costs, the Council had committed to increased investment in highways and environmental services, bus services, libraries, countryside sites, and waste management, and was continuing to invest in Surrey’s roads and pavements, street lighting, and bridges, as well as the fire and rescue service.

The Council’s capital programme also included investment in new supported independent living schemes for elderly people and those with disabilities, new children's homes, schools, community-led projects through Your Fund Surrey, and transport infrastructure.

Councillor Oliver thanked the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for providing an additional £11 million of funding to the Council as part of the 2024/25 Local Government Financial Settlement¹. He said that this would be directed to preventative measures and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The opposition group leaders, Councillor Will Forster (Lib Dems), Councillor Catherine Powell (Residents’ Association and Independent Group), Councillor Jonathan Essex (Green Party) and Councillor Robert Evans (Labour) all highlighted the difficult national picture for local government funding, pointing to high inflation and rising demand for services. They all criticised the short-term nature of the funding settlement, which only confirmed funding for one year.

Funding remains unclear beyond 2024/25 … uncertainty highly likely to remain and at least after the next general election

Surrey County Council 2024/25 Final Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy

Councillor Forster also pointed to what he described as inefficiencies in the Council’s budget, including a £10 million overspend on the MySurrey IT system², £500,000 spent on compensation for pothole damage, and £19,000 in legal fees spent defending a judicial review ³ into the Council's decision not to house a child in need.

Councillor Powell highlighted the need to contain the Council’s growing debt burden, and called for a greater focus on preventative services, particularly for children at risk of entering care.

We need to recognise that we will only contain mounting statutory costs by a real focus on prevention in children’s and adult services.

Councillor Catherine Powell

The Budget Amendment

Councillor Powell proposed an amendment to the budget, which was seconded by Councillor Essex, calling for further investment in SEND play and leisure provision, foster carer support, support for neurodiverse children in schools, strength and balance classes, and technology-enabled care. The amendment also called for the creation of a voluntary contribution fund, which would allow residents to make additional contributions to the Council’s budget.

Councillor Powell argued that this fund would give residents the opportunity to help address the “urgent need to invest what we can in effective early intervention and prevention”.

Budgets are only going to get tighter over the coming years.

Councillor Catherine Powell

Councillor Oliver did not accept the amendment, arguing that it had not been properly scrutinised by the relevant Select Committees. He also argued that the proposed voluntary contribution fund was unfair.

We have many philanthropic residents in this county that willingly give of their time and money, and it is not for this council to tell them what to do.

Councillor Tim Oliver

Many Conservative councillors criticised the amendment, arguing that the voluntary contribution fund was effectively a tax, and that it would undermine charitable giving.

Residents already pay their council tax, and what do they expect from their council tax? They expect the services that this Council delivers, and to be held accountable to them the residents for what this Council does.

Councillor John O’Reilly

Some opposition councillors defended the amendment, arguing that it was a creative attempt to address the funding gap facing local authorities.

It is not a tax. It is encouraging charitable donations.

Councillor Will Forster

This is not about one charity over another, but it is about giving people the opportunity to be able to directly fund things for those people in most need through a service that is respected.

Councillor Catherine Powell

The amendment was put to a vote and was defeated.

Other business

Appointment of Interim Chief Executive and Section 151 officer

Following the announcement that Joanna Killian, Chief Executive of Surrey County Council, would be leaving to take up a role as Chief Executive of the Local Government Association (LGA) ⁴, the Council approved the appointment of Leigh Whitehouse as interim Chief Executive. Whitehouse was previously the Executive Director of Resources at the Council. Anna D’Alessandro, who was previously the Director of Finance at the Council, was appointed interim Section 151 officer ⁵.

Members' Allowances

The Council approved a number of changes to Members’ allowances, including an increase to the Basic Allowance in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) ⁶, capped at the average staff salary increase. A one-off payment of £300 was also approved to be given to members in May 2025 for bespoke IT solutions to cover the four-year term of office.

Thames Water Outage

The Council approved a motion noting the “disruption to potable water supply” in parts of Guildford and Waverly in November 2023, caused by an outage at the Shalford Water Treatment Works. The motion called on Thames Water to provide a detailed report on the outage, and on the company’s plans to improve its communication with residents. It also called on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to commission an investigation into the incident.

This Council notes:

• The chronic underinvestment from the water industry which risks the possibility of future water shortages and increased raw sewage discharges and notes the three lead executives at Thames Water during the previous financial year were estimated to have been paid a total of £1.52 million, exclusive of bonuses, benefits, pensions and other incentives.

Surrey County Council Motion: Water Outage

Integrated Transport

The Council approved a motion calling for greater integration between the Council’s different transport provision, including Home to School Transport Assistance, non-emergency patient transport, and community transport. The motion called on the Cabinet to bring forward the second phase of the Freedom to Travel transformation programme, which will explore the benefits of pooling transport provision across different Council directorates.

Bringing forward Phase 2 and extending it to include the NHS and borough and district councils would increase bus use, helping deliver on our Local Transport Plan and improving the viability of fixed bus routes and DDRT.

Surrey County Council Motion: Integrated Transport

Skills and the Local Economy

The Council approved a motion commending the Council for its work on promoting skills development and education for all residents, and for its development and implementation of the Surrey Skills Plan. The motion also welcomed the creation of a new single Surrey-wide Careers Hub, and encouraged the Council to continue its efforts to promote skills development and education for all residents.

Surrey is a strategically important economic powerhouse which contains a productive and highly skilled workforce. We have a large, highly productive economy which contributes £48bn in GVA and with a high employment rate.

Surrey County Council Motion: Skills and the Local Economy

Vision Zero Road Safety Strategy

Following a motion on road safety passed at a previous Council meeting, the Council noted that a new draft Surrey RoadSafe Partnership Vision Zero Road Safety Strategy had been drafted, which included a new 20mph speed limit policy.

Noted that both proposer and Committee are broadly supportive of the revised strategy but that concerns remain specifically in relation to funding to meet the demand to implement more 20mph speed limits which is likely to be high, and over the process for local engagement and consultation which could prove lengthier than the existing approach and risks making 20mph more rather than less difficult to achieve.

Surrey County Council Report: Vision Zero Road Safety Strategy

The Council noted that a public consultation on the strategy would commence in January 2024 and would run for ten weeks.

New Free School and Special School

Councillor Rachel Lake BEM spoke about the completion of work on a new free school in her division, Walton on Thames, as well as the submission of a planning application for a new special needs school to be built opposite the school.

Flooding Response

Councillor Maureen Attewell spoke to thank staff involved in the response to flooding which took place in her division, Laleham and Shepperton, in early January. She paid particular tribute to Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, Spelthorne Borough Council, and Adult Social Care staff who helped residents evacuate their homes.