Strong democratic accountability
Our interim plan noted that there are currently 534 elected councillors in Surrey, with 81 at the county and 453 across district and boroughs. Many councillors are ‘double hatters’, meaning that they are both district and county councillors.
Under our proposed three-unitary model, we recommend that the total number of councillors be reduced to 243 which creates significant efficiencies and clear lines of accountability.
Our proposal is to retain Surrey County Council’s existing 81 electoral divisions, which are contiguous with current district boundaries as the fundamental building blocks of the new unitary authorities.
To reflect the increased responsibilities of the new unitary councils, as well as the demands placed upon its members, we propose these divisions each have three elected members.
Our proposal will support reorganisation at speed. This is because Surrey’s electoral divisions were reviewed in 2024 and are therefore current, electorally balanced and reflective of local community identity. This means we will not be required to carry out a costly and time-consuming boundary review, allowing us to reorganise quickly and meet the anticipated deadline of holding elections to the shadow unitary authorities in May 2026.
It also aligns with Local Government Boundary Commission for England guidance.[1] Based on their most recent electoral data, three member divisions would result in the number of electors per member to be approximately 3,300-3,900.[2] This is in alignment with Boundary Commission guidance as well as existing unitary authorities of a similar size.
Our plan for the future electoral map of Surrey is represented on the following page.
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