PARTIES fielding candidates at the West Surrey unitary authority election will be pitching policies and answering questions at a hustings in Woking on Saturday, April 11.
The meeting has been organised by Woking Debates, to enable party representatives to explain their policies for running a council that will provide all services in the areas now served by the county council and six borough councils in western Surrey.
“As no other hustings are being organised, we decided we should set up a meeting where voters can question the parties about their intentions for the new unitary council,” said Woking Debates spokesmen Keith Scott.
“It will hopefully go beyond the information in the leaflets that are being distributed in the lead-up to the election.”
The debate is at Trinity Methodist Church, Brewery Road, Woking, from 11am to 12.30pm. Entry is free but donations will be requested to help pay expenses.
Surrey will have two unitary councils, West and East, with the eastern authority replacing five boroughs and districts.
Councillors elected on Thursday, May 7 will form two “shadow” authorities that will take over the functions of the current councils on April 1, 2027. The current councils will cease to exist on March 31st.
West Surrey Council will have 90 councillors covering 45 wards. The Woking borough area will be represented by 14 councillors, two for each of seven wards. The Surrey Heath area will have 12 councillors, two for each of six wards.
There is much still to be decided about county wide services. How will the police and fire services be overseen? Will the thousands of acres of countryside owned by Surrey County Council be split in two? And should the historic county of Surrey have a mayor to run some county wide services?
The debate will also be streamed on Zoom. Email keithsc_2000@yahoo.com to receive the link.
