Surrey welcomes government feedback on stronger local working
Work to strengthen community engagement as part of Surrey’s Local Government Reorganisation is getting underway, with three areas named to pilot ‘Neighbourhood Area Committees’.
Councils in Surrey have welcomed the government’s focus on community engagement in its latest statements regarding LGR and have worked together with partners to identify three areas that will trial new local systems. They will be:
• Esher & Cobham
• Dorking, Newdigate & Villages
• Caterham, Warlingham and the north of Tandridge district
The groups will consist of representatives from current elected County Council, District or Borough and Town or Parish councillors, alongside Surrey Police, the health system, other partners, and local voluntary and community groups.
The groups will work to tackle specific issues and needs in their local community and are being designed as a key link for residents into more strategic organisations like the Unitary Councils that will come post-LGR.
In a letter to councils, Minister for Local Government Jim McMahon, emphasised the importance of localism and community participation, through accountable systems like Neighbourhood Area Committees.
Cllr Tim Oliver OBE, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “We welcome the government’s emphasis on local area working and community engagement – something we have put front and centre of our proposal for Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey.
“Throughout the LGR process we have engaged with partners about the importance of working together at local level to positively impact communities right across Surrey.
“This is key to making any new unitary council system work effectively - giving residents a voice, building a proper understanding of what communities need, and harnessing the force of all agencies working together to make Surrey’s towns and villages even better places to live.
“This work will build on the extensive ‘Towns and Villages’ work the County Council has been leading, driven by Public Health and in partnership with the voluntary sector, over the last three years.
“This is an exciting time, and I’m confident that residents will feel the benefit of a new system of local government and community engagement in Surrey.”
Cllr Claire Malcomson, Mole Valley District Council’s (MVDC) Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate, said: “Our number one priority in the lead up to local government reorganisation is our residents.
“We’re delighted to be part of the pilot for Neighbourhood Area Committees and to explore how engagement with local communities can continue as we move towards local government reorganisation.
“It’s vital that our residents continue to feel heard and have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them. While we’re still in the early stages of this initiative and there’s work ahead to get everything right, I’m confident this is a positive step toward further empowering our communities and key stakeholders.
“We will work together with interest to test this pilot so that we develop the right approach for future engagement under a Unitary Council.”
The Leader of Tandridge District Council, Councillor Catherine Sayer, said: “I am very pleased that we are a pilot area because it's always good to be in at the beginning and it gives us the chance to shape the Neighbourhood Area Committees. I am keen to make them as resident friendly and resident orientated as possible and to give residents a strong voice in the unitary future we are embarking upon."
Cllr Mike Rollings, Leader, Elmbridge Borough Council: “The Neighbourhood Area Committees pilot places community engagement at the heart of local decision-making during this time of change.
"Ensuring strong engagement with our residents is essential, not just to inform decisions, but to ensure residents feel involved and valued in shaping the future of their communities.”
Neelam Devesher MBE, Chair of the Community Foundation for Surrey and Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum, said: "As someone who works in and amongst the community and voluntary sector throughout Surrey, I wholeheartedly endorse the importance of the work on Neighbourhood Area Committees.
“Working at the local community level, and doing it across all agencies, alongside representatives of communities is absolutely vital in delivering the right solutions and outcomes for that place.
“With the proposed changes to our local government and health systems, it’s vital for the Voluntary and Community Sector to be engaged at the strategic level as well as at this vital grass roots community level for work to really flourish.
“I am very encouraged to see these committees as an integral part of Surrey County Council's local government proposals and the clear emphasis on working with local communities and the community and voluntary sector.”
Initial set-up meetings in the three pilot areas will be held in July to help shape and design the new structures, before further areas across Surrey get started in the autumn.
An online engagement event, about LGR and community engagement plans, is being held for all residents on Monday 7th July from 7pm to 8.15pm.
Anybody can sign up via https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/lgr/events