Plan for new councils set to be scrapped

Plans for a new layer of local government in a Surrey borough look set to be scrapped after residents overwhelmingly rejected the idea.

Two new parish-style 'community councils' had been put forward in Epsom and Ewell as part of a review exploring whether they could help represent residents' views ahead of local government reorganisation.

But results published by the council showed 82% of respondents to a consultation opposed the idea.

Opposition members had previously branded the process a "waste of time" and a distraction from other priorities.

Council officers have now recommended ending the review altogether when councillors meet on 12 March.

The decision would mean Epsom and Ewell would be absorbed into East Surrey without any community councils when local government reorganisation takes place in April 2027.

Plans for community councils could still move ahead if councillors vote in favour of the proposals despite the consultation results.

The Community Governance Review has cost more than £70,000, though up to £300,000 had originally been set aside for the work, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Of those who left comments on the consultation, major sticking points included the cost of setting up community councils and worries about potential rises in council tax.

Prior to the consultation, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council also received a legal pre-action letter warning it could face a judicial review if it pushed ahead with the proposals.

In the letter, from former Croydon Council chief executive Nathan Elvery, he claimed the consultation process had "serious procedural deficiencies" that made it "fundamentally unfair".

The council said it will respond to Mr Elvery "in due course".

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