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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for agreeing the principal and geography of a combined authority for Surrey.

On 28 October 2025, we committed to working with partners across Surrey to establish a strategic authority for the area, to avoid service disaggregation when new unitary authorities go live in April 2027. Establishing a strategic authority in Surrey to that timeline would make sure that functions held by the County Council, such as transport and adult skills, continue to be delivered on a Surrey footprint where possible. The establishment of any strategic authority will be subject to the relevant statutory tests being met and local consent.