Review of our seminar which took place at Burpham Village Hall on 4th April.

This meeting, enabled by contributors from the major political parties, established a general feeling that unitary organisation would be good for simplifying local government, avoiding excess costs and producing more joined-up planning, ending competing agendas. The major political parties support it.

The move will bring an end to Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council and merge them into smaller unitary authorities which combine all the previous functions of the separate councils.

Reservations were expressed about its capacity to deliver savings (some of those would be uncomfortable anyway), anxiety about which other authorities we would be bundled with, and scepticism that it would improve local participation. The speed of the change seems very quick, possibly unrealistic to iron out all the logistical challenges of reorganisation and to hear what residents have to say.

Being early in the process, we do not yet know whether this would be a county of 2 or 3 unitaries or how the period between a new shadow council being appointed (in 2026) and taking power (in 2027) would play out, especially if there was a political shift in the make-up of the council. There is plenty of room here for tensions and omissions.

The new council will be closer to people than Surrey County Council but further than Guildford Borough Council. Not only will we be packaged with other authorities (some of whom have considerable debts), but the new ‘ward’ system is – we were told – almost certain to be 2 councillors to each current county division. This means we would be packaged as a ward with Merrow, in all likelihood.

The question of how local and in touch the council would be seemed like an important issue. Some people think there should be a new structure of very local parish councils. Burpham, unusually, does not have a parish council, and some people commented that paltry funding would mean it had only small responsibilities. Much more strategic power would be held even higher up with a Surrey mayor.

There was some feeling that this wish for local voice and participation has less to do with numbers and more to do with operating style. This is where BCA will focus in future, to make sure our Burpham voice is heard whatever happens.

You can tell the council what you think in its brief survey: The survey is available until Sunday 20 April.