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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to consult the voluntary sector on proposals for local government reorganisation in Surrey.

The government’s consultation on the two unitary proposals in Surrey closed on 5 August 2025. A named consultee contacted to respond was the Surrey VCSE Alliance, and the government encouraged councils in Surrey to promote the consultation and welcomed views from the voluntary and community sector.

The statutory guidance given to councils invited to develop proposals for local government reorganisation in February 2025 set out an expectation that while developing their proposals, councils should engage with relevant bodies in their area, including voluntary and third sector organisations, and that engagement undertaken should inform the development of robust proposals.

Officials from MHCLG have been engaging with councils in Surrey and will continue to do so as we move through transition into implementation phase.