The Cabinet of Surrey County Council met on Tuesday 27 October 2026. The meeting included discussions on the progress of adult social care services, the financial health of the council, and the future of online education provision for vulnerable children. Key decisions included approving an increase to the Surrey Online School contract spend limit and noting the council's financial position as of August 2026.

Cabinet Member of the Month: Adult Social Care

Sinead Mooney, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, presented an update on achievements within her directorate. She highlighted the successful launch of Connect2Community and the transformation of 11 locality teams into four Living and Ageing Well area teams, described as a significant change to adult social care in Surrey. Early results indicate over 70% of care contacts are connected to community support, and over 70% of assessments are completed within 56 days. The Planning for Your Future campaign has been successful, with over 5,000 attendees in the last three years, and funding has been committed for its continuation.

Progress has been made in strengthening safeguarding arrangements with a new quality portal and serious incident and escalation protocol. The Prison Social Care team received a good rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), noting outstanding practice. The West Reablement Service also received an outstanding rating from the CQC.

In terms of accommodation, all three new supported independent living developments are complete and nearing full occupation. Supported living developments in Byfleet and Cobham are complete, and new short breaks provision has opened with The Squirrels in Banstead and Emily Lodge in Woking. Meadowcroft Lodge, an extra care housing scheme in Guildford, is nearing completion, with residents expected to move in from March 2027.

Councillor Helyn Clack, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, commented on the tangible nature of the investments in supported living, short breaks, and extra care housing. Councillor Maureen Attewell, Deputy Cabinet Member for Youth Services, highlighted the positive local impact of the supported living development in Hawley.

Increase to the Surrey Online School Contract Spend Limit

Helyn Clack, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning, presented a report seeking approval to increase the spend limit for the Surrey Online School contract. This service provides online education for vulnerable children and young people unable to access their usual educational setting. The current contract spend limit is £3,605,000, with expenditure averaging around £100,000 per month.

Two options were presented:

1. An increase of £2 million, raising the limit to £5,605,000, aligning it with forecast spend until August 2028.
2. An increase of £1 million, raising the limit to £4,605,000, aligning it with forecast spend until August 2027.

It was emphasised that this is not a request for additional budget, as costs are recovered from commissioning schools and council services. The Cabinet agreed to the second option, approving an increase of up to £1 million, raising the spend limit to £4,605,000 to meet forecast demand until August 2027. This decision was made with the understanding that any further spend authority beyond that date may require a subsequent decision by the new unitary authorities.

2026/27 Month 5 (August) Financial Report

David Lewis, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, presented the council's financial position as of August 2026. The report indicated a forecast revenue overspend of £5.5 million for the year, a reduction from the £12.3 million forecast at Month 4, due to mitigation measures. The overspend is primarily driven by increased costs in Adult Social Care (£1.9 million) and Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (£9.2 million), largely due to the cost of external placements.

The report also noted an underspend of £4.9 million in the Place directorate. Efficiencies totalling £50.4 million are forecast for the year, exceeding the original target.

In terms of the capital budget, a forecast underspend of £15.6 million was reported, primarily due to delays in Alternative Provision projects and some infrastructure schemes. The High Needs Block within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is forecasting an overspend of £164.1 million. The council is expecting to receive a £205 million High Needs Stability Grant from the government to cover a significant portion of the cumulative deficit.

The Cabinet approved an increase of £0.9 million to the capital budget for the Boxgrove Roundabout improvement project, bringing the total budget to £3.4 million. This increase will be funded by reallocated grant funding and underspends from other projects.

Other Discussions

The Cabinet noted delegated decisions taken since the last meeting, which included decisions relating to admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and the amalgamation of Merrow C of E Infant School and Merrow Junior School. A decision was also made regarding the distribution of the balance of the Tulk Fund for school sports facilities, which will be distributed to secondary schools via a bidding process.

The Cabinet noted the revised Gypsy and Traveller Plot Allocation Policy and supporting documentation, following an Ombudsman review. This policy introduces a structured waiting list, scoring methodology, and defined eligibility criteria.

Finally, the Cabinet received an update on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Capital Programmes. The Cabinet noted the allocation of £26,878,636 in DfE funding to support the creation of additional specialist places across East and West Surrey.