West Surrey Shadow Authority meets

The newly elected West Surrey Shadow Authority met for the first time on Thursday, 21 May, marking a key milestone in the move towards the new West Surrey Council, which is due to take on full operational responsibilities in April 2027.

Following elections earlier this month, councillors gathered to begin shaping the new authority’s structure, governance and transition plans. The Shadow Authority will replace the former joint committees and oversee the transition to a single unitary council for West Surrey, while existing councils continue to deliver services during the transition period.

At the inaugural meeting, Cllr Paul Follows was confirmed as leader of the shadow council. He said his priority is to build a strong, effective and financially sustainable council that puts residents first, delivers high-quality services and makes a positive difference by 2027. He also thanked staff across existing councils for supporting the transition and recognised everyone involved in delivering fair and free elections on 7 May.

The authority will work with councils across Surrey, local partners and communities to shape the future operating model and ensure the new council reflects local priorities.

Key roles agreed at the meeting were:

• Chair: Cllr Penny Rivers
• Vice chair: Cllr Masuk Miah
• Shadow authority leader: Cllr Paul Follows
• Shadow authority deputy leader: Cllr Shaun Macdonald
• Shadow cabinet executive members: Cllr Alan Ashbery, Cllr Liz Townsend, Cllr Victoria Kiehl, Cllr Julia McShane, Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, Cllr Shaun MacDonald, Cllr Ellen Nicholson, Cllr Leslie Rice and Cllr Dale Roberts
• Interim head of paid service: Andy Brown
• Interim chief finance officer (s151 officer): Vicky Radford
• Interim monitoring officer: Susan Sale

Members also confirmed governance arrangements, agreed on initial transition priorities through the Surrey local government implementation plan, and began setting up committee structures and members’ allowances.

The interim statutory officers will support lawful decision-making and help ensure the new organisation has strong governance in place. Recruitment for a permanent chief executive will begin externally and nationally in early summer, with appointments expected by the end of July.