Two new Unitary Councils for Surrey
Two new Unitary Councils for Surrey
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has decided (subject to Parliamentary approval) to move forward with Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey by introducing TWO new Unitary Authorities to replace the existing 11 District and Borough (lower tier) councils and the single (upper tier) County council.
From 1st April 2027, these two unitary authorities will deliver all the public services and functions currently provided by the existing 12 councils.
These two unitary councils will be West Surrey and East Surrey. East Surrey will comprise the existing districts and boroughs of Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead and Tandridge, while West Surrey will bring together Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking.
You can read the Secretary of State’s letter to Surrey council leaders here:
Local government reorganisation: decision letter to Surrey council leaders – GOV.UK
Surrey County Council’s response to the announcement can be viewed here:
Government confirms new East and West councils for Surrey – Surrey County Council
Elections
Elections for Councillors to help create and then lead the Unitary councils were held on 7th May 2026.
East Surrey election results
The Liberal Democrat Party won 40 of the 72 seats available meaning it holds the majority.
The full political make-up of the new East Surrey Council is:
- 40 Liberal Democrats
- 10 Conservative Party
- 8 Green Party
- 5 Reform UK
- 2 Ashtead Independent, working with Ashtead Residents
- 2 Independent
- 2 Nork and Tattenhams Residents’ Associations
- 2 Residents Association of Epsom and Ewell
- 1 The Molesey Residents’ Association
A total of 379 candidates stood for 72 seats across 36 wards.
The total number of ballot papers issued was 199,485 from an electorate of 406,177 in the East Surrey Council electoral area.
West Surrey election results
The Liberal Democrat Party won 56 of the 90 seats available meaning it holds the majority.
The full political make-up of the new West Surrey Council is:
- 56 Liberal Democrats
- 20 Conservative Party
- 9 Reform UK
- 2 Farnham Residents
- 1 Independent
- 1 Residents for Guildford and Villages
- 1 Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group
A total of 452 candidates stood for 90 seats across 45 wards.
The total number of verified ballot papers was 225,203 from an electorate of 488,899 eligible voters in the West Surrey Council electoral area.
Insight materials
As part of the transition towards making these two new council areas a reality, we publish below two statistical summary reports, one for each Unitary area, which go someway towards identifying the characteristics, demographics, and relative needs of the two areas. Similar data reports are available for each of the Unitary Wards here: Unitary Council Ward summaries – Infographics | Surrey-i
West Surrey Summary report:
West-Surrey-UA-Summary-Report-28-Oct-2025
East Surrey Summary report:
East-Surrey-UA-Summary-Report-28-Oct-2025
In subsequent months we will retrospectively address these two new geographies by amending existing Surrey-i pages to reflect the statistical position for each new Unitary, as well as that of existing District and Borough Councils.
The ‘easy read’ infographic two-page summary of key information can be viewed online in the screen beneath or directly on Tableau Public.
N.B. Clicking on the ‘Share’ button at the bottom right of the dashboard gives the option to download the pages as PDFs or other formats.
