The Surrey County Council met to discuss the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans, address the findings of the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review regarding the death of Sara Sharif, and consider various committee reports and member questions. The council approved the creation of a single-purpose pension authority for the Surrey Pension Fund, supported a motion to seek clarity from the government on debt issues in Woking and Spelthorne, and passed a motion to scrutinise the review into the death of Sara Sharif. A motion regarding the abolition of Healthwatch organisations was also supported.

Sara Sharif Safeguarding Review

Following the publication of the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of Sara Sharif, a motion was raised to address the failures identified in the report. Councillor Lance Spencer proposed the motion, emphasising the need for urgent action, independent scrutiny, and national advocacy to prevent similar tragedies. The motion was seconded by Councillor Liz Townsend, who described the review as deeply troubling and called for transparency in implementing changes.

The motion mandated three steps:

• An extraordinary meeting of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee to scrutinise the review report in full, in public, with an update on actions already taken.
• The appointment of an independent expert to examine the culture, systems, and processes within the directorate, benchmarking against the review's 15 recommendations and the select committee's findings, with interim progress reported by February and a final report by March 2026.
• A letter from the Leader of the Council to the Secretary of State and local MPs seeking urgent national action on the review's recommendations and requesting cross-party support for any legislative changes required.

The council voted in favour of the motion, with 68 votes for, none against, and no abstentions.

Local Government Reorganisation and Debt Management

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the ongoing Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey. Councillor Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of the Council, acknowledged the government's decision to create two new unitary councils by April 2027 and expressed hope for collaboration among all councils to ensure a successful transition.

Councillor Catherine Powell raised a motion seeking clarity from the government on how they intend to address the debt issues in Woking and Spelthorne, and support the soon-to-be-formed West Surrey Unitary being able to set a balanced budget for its first year of operation in 2027-28. The motion called for the government to:

• Ring-fence the debts in Woking and Spelthorne and deal with them through further debt support.
• Ensure that assets from other districts and boroughs or the County Council would not need to be sold off to reduce the debts held by Woking and Spelthorne.
• Provide a clear path forward on the debt situation in Woking and Spelthorne before the summer recess in 2026.

Councillor David Lewis seconded the motion, emphasising the need for both West and East Surrey Unitary Councils to begin their existence on a firm financial footing. The council voted to support the motion, with 63 votes for and 2 abstentions.

Surrey Pension Fund

The council discussed the preferred option for the administering authority for the Surrey Pension Fund (SPF) following the local government reorganisation. Richard Teer introduced the report, outlining five options considered:

1. One of the new unitary councils becomes the administering authority.
2. Splitting the SPF into two funds aligned to the two unitary authorities.
3. The new mayoral combined authority takes on the role.
4. Merging the SPF with a neighbouring pension fund.
5. Creating a single-purpose pension authority (SPPA) dedicated solely to managing the SPF.

The council agreed to support the creation of a single-purpose pension authority for the Surrey Pension Fund. This decision was based on the rationale that an SPPA would provide independence and improved governance, remove conflicts of interest, enhance transparency, ensure operational efficiency, promote local investment, and offer future flexibility.

Healthwatch Abolition

Councillor Trevor Hogg raised a motion regarding the government's intent to abolish all Healthwatch organisations and replace them with a patient experience directorate as a central function of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The motion expressed concern that this change would remove the independent patient voice and democratic oversight of health services. The council voted to support the motion unanimously.

Other Business

• Cabinet Portfolio Changes: The council noted the leader's changes to cabinet portfolios, including the appointment of Helyn Clack as Deputy Cabinet Member for Children, Families, and Lifelong Learning.
• Councillor Absence: The council agreed that Councillor Fiona White, Guildford West, would continue to be absent from meetings until May 2026 due to ill health.
• Political Proportionality: The council adopted the scheme of proportionality for the remainder of the council year 2025-26.
• Committee Appointments: The council appointed members to serve on the committees of the council for the remainder of the council year 2025-26, following changes to the political proportionality.
• Scrutiny Update Report: The council noted the headline activity of the council's overview and scrutiny function for the period.
• Amendments to the Constitution: The council agreed to a revised set of wording to the constitution and agreed to reinstate the working party on the constitution.
• Members' Question Time: Councillors posed questions to cabinet members on various topics, including school places, weed control, road safety, and the Surrey Property Group (SPG).
• Report of the Cabinet: The council adopted the report of the Cabinet meetings held on 28 October and 25 November 2025.