Appendix 2 - Surrey Leaders Group Letter to Right Hon Jim McMahon MP

Sep 16, 2026

Appendix 2 contains a formal response letter from the Surrey Leaders Group to the Rt Hon Jim McMahon MP, dated 10 January 2025. The leaders welcome the English Devolution White Paper and endorse the government’s objectives to devolve power, improve efficiency, and strengthen local government services. They highlight the need for timely consultation and stress that Surrey-wide elections in May 2025 should not be cancelled. They also commit to preparing collaborative devolution proposals via a virtual team.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

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Pages3

Reading Time1 min

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Surrey Leaders Group response

Endorsement of the English Devolution White Paper

Position on the May 2025 county election

Commitment to collaborative proposals

APPENDIX 2 The Rt Hon Member Jim McMahon MP Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Surrey Leaders Group Reigate Town Hall Castlefield Road, Reigate Surrey RH2 0SH 10 January 2025 Dear Jim McMahon MP, Surrey Leaders response to the English Devolution White Paper As the Leaders of all the Districts and Boroughs of Surrey, and as the MPs representing the residents and businesses of Surrey, we welcome the White Paper on English Devolution. We welcome and share the Government’s commitment to devolve power to communities, to improve the efficiency of local government, and to support every area to achieve its full potential. We believe that optimising the value of local areas is critical to achieving Government’s Missions, set out in its Plan for Change. We owe it to our residents to fully consult as we work at pace towards establishing a system that is more efficient, more financially robust, and which delivers the effective , value-for-money services that our residents and businesses have a right to expect. We have seen Cllr Tim Oliver’s letter to you and endorse the key sentiments that he set out. We represent the entire political spectrum within Surrey, and we can confirm that we are all committed to moving together at pace to bring forward proposals for devolution and the reorganisation and unitarisation required to unlock that. The only area of disagreement with Cllr Oliver’s letter is that we do not support the cancellation of the county election in May 2025 , and urge you to allow it to go ahead. The current system of local government has stood for 50 years. We are conscious that the decisions we take now will set the framework for our long-term future. We want to consult with the residents of Surrey and as committed democrats, we believe the elections are necessary to give us clear electoral mandates to take this process forward during this transition period. Given that we have consensus across the political spectrum, we do not believe that this needs to affect the pace of change. We can confirm that we have agreed as Leaders that we will bring together a virtual team – led by Cllr Hannah Dalton, Chair of the Surrey Leaders Group, and Cllr Tim Oliver - to prepare collaborative proposals to the timelines set out by you and your team. That collaborative process has already begun. As well as working with Cllr Oliver and with Surrey County Council, we will work with wider stakeholders such as MPs, the NHS, Police and Fire authorities, with town and parish councils, with businesses, residents and social and with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors – as well as with MHCLG – to bring forward a collaborative set of proposals that represent the best outcome for Surrey and for the UK. We wish you a happy new year and look forward to working with you and your team. Yours, Leaders of the District and Borough Council of Surrey, MPs Cllr Mike Rollings Leader, Elmbridge Borough Council Cllr Hannah Dalton Leader, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council Cllr Julia McShane Leader, Guildford Borough Council Cllr Richard Biggs Leader, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council Cllr Steve Ringham Co-Leader, Runnymede Borough Council Cllr Joanna Sexton Leader, Spelthorne Borough Council Cllr Stephen Cooksey Leader, Mole Valley District Council Cllr Linda Gillham Co-Leader, Runnymede Borough Council Cllr Don Whyte Co-Leader, Runnymede Borough Council Cllr Shaun Macdonald Leader, Surrey Heath Borough Council Cllr Catherine Sayer Leader, Tandridge District Council Cllr Ann-Marie Barker Leader, Woking Borough Council Zoe Franklin, MP for Guildford Will Forster, MP for Woking Dr Al Pinkerton, MP for Surrey Heath Cllr Paul Follows Leader, Waverley Borough Council Chris Coghlan, MP for Dorking and Horley Monica Harding, MP Esher and Walton Helen Maguire, MP for Epsom and Ewell Copied to: Chris Coghlan,

FAQs

What is the purpose of this Appendix 2 letter?

It communicates the Surrey Leaders Group’s response to the English Devolution White Paper and sets out their views and next steps regarding devolution for Surrey.

Which government objectives do the Surrey Leaders Group support?

They support devolving power to communities, improving the efficiency of local government, and helping every area achieve its potential.

What disagreement do the Surrey Leaders Group have with Cllr Tim Oliver’s letter?

They do not support cancelling the county election in May 2025 and urge that it should go ahead.

Sep 16, 2026

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