The Government claims that this is necessary to resolve the issue of the high levels of debt that make some Surrey councils unviable. However without a sustainable resolution of these debts, a quick change will simply set up new Councils to fail. 

Whilst Lib Dem councillors have worked cooperatively to support the process of reorganisation, local Liberal Democrats believe the rushed timescales introduce significant risks which could harm local government in Surrey for a generation and miss some of the opportunities the changes could offer. These risks include:

• the new structure of Unitary authorities has been decided before the likely costs and financial benefits can be properly determined;
• with many fewer elected councillors, residents will find it harder to get support when they need help to engage with councils and other service providers, such as housing associations – see “How well will local residents be represented?”
• the viability of the new authorities will continue to be jeopardised by the excessive debts inherited from some of the current councils; concerns about the treatment of this debt have only been partially resolved;
• Public support for the new councils may be undermined by the lack of any formal consultation
• The process of change is being overseen and led by the County Council administration whose electoral mandate has expired since the cancellation of the 2025 County elections 
• Lack of time to consider options for the new Mayoral Strategic Authority mean it is unlikely to deliver the Government’s hopes for economic growth or to enable meaningful devolution of powers from Westminster – see “Strategic planning and creating economic growth”