Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Best Value intervention currently in place for councils in Surrey will remain in place, in whole or in part, when the new two unitary councils in Surrey are vested.

The Commissioner-led Best Value interventions currently in place in Woking and Spelthorne will come to an end when those councils are abolished in April 2027. The current statutory intervention arrangements will not transfer automatically to the new authority.

Commissioners are working closely with Woking and Spelthorne councils and the shadow authority as Local Government Reorganisation continues to be implemented, helping to ensure that key financial, commercial and governance risks are understood and managed through the transition. We will continue to engage closely with West Surrey and consider what support may be appropriate following vesting day.