The West Surrey Joint Committee held its first statutory meeting, marking a significant milestone in the local government reorganisation process for Surrey. Key discussions focused on the implementation plan for the new unitary authorities, including financial projections and governance arrangements, and the proposed schedule of meetings for the West Surrey Shadow Authority.

Implementation Plan Update

The committee received an update on the progress of the implementation plan, which aims to ensure a safe and legal transition to the new West and East Surrey unitary authorities. The plan includes proposed democratic and programme governance arrangements, a high-level timeline of key milestones, an approach to programme risk management, and principles for service transition.

A significant portion of the discussion revolved around the Illustrative Draft LGR Financial Baseline Report Annex 3 - Illustrative Draft LGR Financial Baseline Report. This report highlights the challenging financial environment the new authorities will inherit, with a continued reliance on council tax, limited funding growth, and, in West Surrey's case, significant ongoing debt pressures. Councillors expressed concerns about the sustainability of West Surrey, particularly in light of Woking Borough Council's debt.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) representatives, Sophie Langdale and Ruth Miller, acknowledged these concerns and reiterated the government's commitment to supporting the transition. They confirmed that unprecedented debt repayment support for Woking Council is being provided and that the government will continue to work with commissioners and the council on its debt position. They also committed to supporting the setting of a balanced budget for 2027-28.

Discussions also touched upon:

• Exceptional Financial Support (EFS): Concerns were raised about the presentation of EFS in the financial baseline, with a suggestion that it should be presented separately from revenue figures to avoid skewing the data.
• Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP): The report highlighted MRP as a potential risk, and councillors questioned the steps being taken to mitigate this risk and ensure compliance across all councils.
• Reserves: The reserves position was discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of the forecast reserves as at 31 March 2027 for the shadow authorities.
• Data Hygiene: Councillor Catherine Powell raised concerns about the approach to data cleansing, arguing that cleaning data before disaggregation is more efficient and less costly than doing so afterwards.
• Foundation Strategic Authorities (FSAs) and Spatial Development Strategy (SDS): Liz Townsend sought clarification on the potential expression of interest for FSAs and the role of the SDS, particularly in light of MHCLG's guidance.

The committee agreed to endorse the draft content of the implementation plan sections, noting the updates on risk management and budget monitoring, and acknowledging the illustrative financial baseline.

Schedule of Meetings for the West Surrey Shadow Authority

The committee considered a proposed schedule of meetings for the West Surrey Shadow Authority during the shadow period, up to vesting day. The proposed calendar includes meetings for the full shadow authority, shadow executive, overview and scrutiny committee, audit and risk committee, standards committee, and employment committee.

Key considerations for the proposed schedule included:

• Timing of Meetings: A proposal was made for meetings to start at 2 pm to accommodate councillors who may have commitments with existing authorities, acknowledging potential equalities issues.
• Diary Clashes: Efforts have been made to align with existing meeting schedules of the 12 sovereign councils and to coordinate with the East Surrey Shadow Authority.
• Flexibility: It was noted that the proposed schedule is a draft and that the shadow authority will have the power to amend it.

Councillors discussed the potential for disenfranchising certain groups, particularly those with caring responsibilities or who work, if meetings are held during the day. A suggestion was made to explore the feasibility of evening meetings for the full council, while acknowledging that other committee meetings might need to remain during the day. The committee agreed to ask officers to investigate potential clashes for 7 pm full council meetings during the shadow year.

The committee agreed to recommend the proposed schedule of meetings to the West Surrey Shadow Authority.