First meeting of East Surrey Shadow Authority marks milestone for new council
The newly elected East Surrey Shadow Authority met for the first time on Wednesday 20 May 2026, marking an important milestone in the creation of the new East Surrey Council.
Following elections earlier this month, councillors representing Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead, and Tandridge came together to begin preparations for the new authority, which will be established on 1 April 2027.
The Shadow Authority replaces the previous Joint Committees and will lead the transition to a single unitary council for East Surrey, ensuring services continue to run smoothly while plans for the future council are developed.
At its first meeting, Councillor Steve Wotton was agreed as the Leader of East Surrey Shadow Authority. He said: “This is a significant moment as we work to bring services together under a single organisation. Our priority is to ensure residents see the benefits of the new East Surrey Council – one that is responsive, well run and able to deliver high-quality services from April 2027.
“We recognise the scale of the task ahead, but also the opportunity for a fresh start to shape a council that reflects and serves our communities, working closely with partners to support local people and places across East Surrey.”
The East Surrey Shadow Authority will work closely with councils across Surrey, partners and local communities to shape how the new council will operate, ensuring it reflects local priorities and delivers high-quality services.
The meeting also included the following decisions and actions:
Appointments of Shadow Authority leadership roles:
- Chair, Cllr Nick Dodds
- Vice Chair, Cllr Neil Houston
- Shadow Authority Leader, Cllr Steve Wotton
- Shadow Authority Deputy Leader, Cllr Kirsty Hewens
Shadow Cabinet Executive Appointments:
- Cllr Steve Wotton, Leader and Cabinet Executive Member for Transformation, Digital and People
- Cllr Kirsty Hewens, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration
- Cllr Andrew Burton, Cabinet Executive Member for Finance and Resources
- Cllr Ashley Tilling, Cabinet Executive Member for Children's Services and Education
- Cllr David Buxton, Cabinet Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health
- Cllr Andrew Matthews, Cabinet Executive Member for Transport Highways and Infrastructure
- Cllr Bradley Nelson, Cabinet Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Growth
- Cllr Julian Freeman, Cabinet Executive Member for Housing
- Cllr Abhiram Magesh, Cabinet Executive Member for Leisure Culture and Communities
- Cllr Claire Malcomson, Cabinet Executive Member for Climate, Environment and Waste
These Shadow Cabinet Members are responsible for these portfolios in the context of Surrey local government reorganisation only until 1 April 2027.
- Confirmation of key governance arrangements including The Constitution of East Surrey shadow council, the rules that explains how the shadow council will operate, makes decisions, and act fairly, transparently and within the law, and the schedule of meetings for shadow council.
- Agreement on initial priorities for the transition programme through the Surrey local government Implementation Plan which sets out the approach, plans and timetables for the transition of services to the new East Surrey Council from 1 April 2027.
- Began overseeing the work needed to establish the new council including committee structures and members allowances.
- Designated the interim statutory officers required for the shadow period
- Adam Chalmers as Interim Head of Paid Service - Adam is also Chief Executive of Elmbridge Borough Council.
- Nikki O’Connor as Interim Chief Finance Officer (s151 officer) - Nikki is also Assistant Director of Finance (Corporate) at Surrey County Council.
- Daniel Bainbridge as Interim Monitoring Officer – Daniel is also Head of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer) at Elmbridge Borough Council.
Interim statutory officers will support councillors of the new Shadow Authority, ensuring decisions are made lawfully and that the new organisations have robust governance frameworks in place. They will ensure the new councils can get safely and legally to day one and function properly from that date. The appointed interim statutory officers will carry out these duties alongside their current jobs and further details about this will follow.
The two interim Heads of Paid Service will also begin to look at senior leadership structures for the new councils. Decisions around the final senior leadership structures and appointments to the new roles will be made by the permanent Heads of Paid Service, in conjunction with Cabinet Executive councillors as appropriate. Overall responsibility for sovereign councils remains with their appointed Chief Executives.
Recruitment for the permanent Chief Executives will be external and nationwide; this process is expected to begin in early summer with the aim of making appointments by the end of July.
The creation of East Surrey Council is part of wider local government reorganisation across Surrey, designed to simplify services, strengthen local decision-making and deliver long-term value for residents.