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Written question asked by Will Forster (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 16 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Jim McMahon (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Local Government: Surrey

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the role of the new local assurance board in Surrey.

Answer

The government is committed to working closely with councils to ensure the right support is available throughout local government reorganisation implementation to mitigate key risks and challenges. As part of this, we have established an Implementation Forum to provide assurance and support for Surrey. Its role is to identify and mitigate risks that could affect delivery, secure cross-government coordination, and identify any support required to enable successful implementation.

As such, the Surrey Implementation Forum will support the successful establishment of East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council by testing implementation plans and reviewing progress against a set of 22 delivery indicators. These indicators were described in the “Sector Support Note” that was shared with MPs on 16 July 2026 and published on gov.uk. They have been developed with local government colleagues and build on lessons learnt from previous reorganisations. The Forum will meet on a quarterly basis, bringing together representatives of Surrey’s Implementation Team with officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care and other Government departments as required.

Equivalent arrangements are being put in place across all areas undergoing local government reorganisation.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
19718
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Local government Surrey
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk