Alison McGovern MP has confirmed that the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 is now in force. In a letter to Surrey council leaders dated 10 March 2026, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness said she had signed the Order following approval in both Houses, with the instrument and its Explanatory Memorandum to be published on legislation.gov.uk. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The statutory instrument implements single-tier local government in Surrey through two unitary authorities: East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council. The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee records that East Surrey will cover Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge; West Surrey will cover Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking, replacing the county and all district and borough councils in these areas. (publications.parliament.uk)
The democratic timetable is set alongside governance changes. Elections to the new councils are scheduled for May 2026, after which the authorities will operate in shadow form before assuming full powers on 1 April 2027. Whole‑council elections are then due in 2031 and every four years thereafter. (publications.parliament.uk)
Implementation is structured in two transition periods. From the Order coming into force to the inaugural elections, Joint Committees representative of the existing councils oversee preparations and are expected to be constituted within 14 days. After the elections, the Joint Committees are dissolved and replaced by the Shadow Councils through to vesting day. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The Joint Committees have a tightly defined remit: to propose a code of conduct for each new authority, establish an Implementation Team and produce a strategic implementation plan. They are expressly not empowered to recruit to senior posts, design the operating model, set budgets, or take service or policy decisions for the new councils. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Operational delivery sits with the Implementation Team, which the letter confirms will be led by the Chief Executive of Surrey County Council. The Team will coordinate the transfer of functions, property, rights and liabilities and manage the division of county assets, contracts, staff and services between the two new authorities, reporting first to the Joint Committees and then to the Shadow Councils. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Predecessor councils remain responsible for day‑to‑day services until 1 April 2027. During both transition periods they must co‑operate, exercise functions to further the purposes of the Order, provide information reasonably requested by other councils or shadow bodies, and release officers to the Implementation Team as required. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
Financial readiness is singled out. The implementation plan should set out key activities and timescales and ensure sufficient provision so the Shadow Councils can set budgets for their first operating year. At the first shadow meeting, interim statutory officers-the Head of Paid Service, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer-must be designated, with substantive appointments to follow by dates set in guidance. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
During Lords proceedings, ministers confirmed that an earlier decision to postpone the May 2026 local elections was reversed on 16 February 2026 following further legal advice, allowing the new councils’ polls to proceed as planned. (hansard.parliament.uk)
Earlier ministerial statements set out the policy rationale for the reorganisation. On 28 October 2025 the Government confirmed it would implement two unitary councils in Surrey, citing financial sustainability given unprecedented levels of unsupported debt across the area, and announced in‑principle £500 million repayment support for Woking Borough Council in 2026–27, subject to assurance and value‑for‑money tests. The Government also signalled work towards a strategic authority for county‑wide functions, subject to statutory tests and local consent. (questions-statements.parliament.uk)