Cllr Tim Oliver is the Leader of Surrey County Council.
We are now entering a new phase of political leadership in this country, and whilst the election did not deliver the result I would have wanted, I hope to work constructively with them for the benefit of Surrey residents – which, as a Surrey boy himself, I hope the new Prime Minister reciprocates.
The agenda of change, which the new government campaigned on, should be open to all avenues of growth and progress across the country, regardless of the political makeup of the area. Surrey has much potential and already delivers great benefit to the United Kingdom. Financially, environmentally, and socially, we are leaders and if the new government want to champion growth in these areas they should work with us to go further and champion them.
Strong counties like Surrey should be recognised. Alongside the metro mayors we are at the forefront of tackling the fundamental challenges local government, local communities, and local people are facing. Some of these challenges are stark and require engagement from the new Government urgently.
Surrey County Council, with strong leadership and strategic direction, has a proud record to show for, demonstrable progress towards our goals, and a clear vision for what comes next and how we will deliver that.
Moving forward, we need the new government to get to work on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. I have met many times with parents who are understandably frustrated and angry at a system which is not working, they must fight to give their children the opportunities they deserve. The unfunded demand created from the expansion of EHCP eligibility has doubled nationally. There is an overreliance on specialist schools and the cost has skyrocketed to over £10 billion.
Adult Social Care is facing a similar challenge. It is our biggest single area of spending every year, accounting for almost half of our annual budget. There will need to be reforms on how service users are charged so that it is fair to those in need and doesn’t require hardworking savers to give up everything they have worked for.
Corporate parenting, while a smaller part of our budget than adult social care, is also an area which needs addressing. Young people in need of social care – in need of a safe and loving home – are some of the most vulnerable people we have a responsibility for as a council.
The number of children referred to Children’s Services has spiked post-pandemic. Consequently, more children are in local authority care than ever before, and it is one of the biggest areas of overspend for county councils like us.
It has therefore never been more urgent to ensure Children’s Services are financially sustainable and deliver the best possible outcomes that can be achieved for our children.
The new government must keep momentum with the strategy for children’s social care set out by the previous administration and take it further with appropriate funding, better regulation of the market so our public duty is not taken advantage of, and a system that enables us to more effectively deliver the services that protect children and give young people the best possible start in life.
We can do this. We just need to be given the tools to do it.
Surrey County Council have invested a huge amount of money to address legitimate frustrations from Surrey parents and carers. Developed a deep understanding of the systemic issues that need to be fixed, and we have established better practices ourselves to go some way to improving experiences.
We cannot fix this alone, and we need government to take this opportunity to fundamentally grip this issue – such as enabling a more inclusive school system, more SEND support in schools, and more levers for councils to pull to shape provision in our local area.
Local councils and communities know our areas better than central government can.
We know what’s needed, what works and what doesn’t. We know our people, what they want, and where the greatest need lies. We know the specific challenges we must face up to, and the opportunities we are equipped to grasp.
The Conservative Government understood this, and through the Levelling Up White Paper, moved in the right direction with a framework that enabled more effective collaboration between county and district authorities, and ultimately a clearer path to devolving more powers to local areas.
By recognising the importance of whole county geographies as the building blocks for devolution outside our major cities, it celebrated counties like Surrey and embraced our potential to provide growth and opportunity.
I urge the new government to build on this, keep moving forward and keep momentum, keep expanding the scope of powers for devolution, and the funding levers available.
Use devolution – and use counties like Surrey – to help address local government funding challenges, strategic planning, house building, and boosting growth and opportunity for the whole country.
The Labour Party were successful on the back of Conservative failures. Locally, we have delivered real change, built thriving communities, and have a proud record we can stand on, something which our opponents cannot say themselves, following their failures across many of Surrey’s Districts and Boroughs.
The national picture will undoubtedly affect our results, as shown in multiple local elections over the past few years where many well-run authorities lost their Conservative administrations and have since taken a negative turn under their new leadership. But Labour have made a lot of promises with very little substance. It is unclear what they intend to deliver, or if that will come anywhere close to what people feel they voted for it.
Therefore, next year’s Local Elections will be a test of two things. The popularity of the year-old Labour government, and the ability of Local Conservatives to stand proud on their records and show residents the positive impact of a Conservative Administration.
