Agenda item - Surrey Forum and Surrey Partnership Boards

This report sets out the detail on the strategic partnership and governance landscape, especially as the Surrey Delivery Board will play an important role if a future County Deal is agreed (there is currently a possible implementation date of April 2023).

Councillor Tim Oliver (Leader for Surrey County Council) and Michael Coughlin (Executive Director of Prosperity, Partnerships and Growth) will be attending for this item.

Appendices C and E to this report contains exempt information within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006 Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information because, Appendix C and E contain commercially sensitive information which if publicly available could have a negative impact on services delivery.

The Committee:

1. Noted Surrey County Council’s existing governance structure and its relationship in terms of any future County Deal, and the role of this Spelthorne Borough Council within the structure.

2. Noted the composition of the Surrey Forum, the One Growth Surrey Board, the Greener Future Board, the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Surrey Delivery Board, and that they are already operational (with the only exception being Thriving Communities).

3. Noted the suggested timeline for the implementation of a County Deal (if one was agreed) of Spring 2023.

4. Agreed that Spelthorne Borough Council should provide full active engagement in exploring the potential benefits of a future County Deal, in accordance with paragraphs 4.5 – 4.8 of the report.

5. Agreed that the Terms of Reference of the Collaborative Working Group be amended in accordance with report, and that the membership of the Collaborative Working Group be reviewed at the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

6. Agreed that update reports be put to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee setting out the current and future work of the Surrey Delivery Board.

Councillor Tim Oliver, Leader for Surrey County Council (SCC), was present for this item. He provided an overview of the County Deal that SCC was hoping to secure from the government. Whilst SCC negotiated with the government directly, proposals would be developed through collaborative working with district councils across the county. As such, it was hoped that one of the district councils would hold the chairmanship of the delivery board. The leader and chief executive of each district would also be members of the delivery board. It was stated that the sovereignty of district councils would not be impacted by the proposed county deal.

SCC was hoping to have a deal in place before the county elections in 2025. The main priorities for SCC in pursuing a county deal included developing the area’s economy, delivering green initiatives and improving transport across the county. There would be engagement with residents when proposals had been developed further.

The Committee discussed the proposals. There was general support for moving forward collaboratively, although members wished to ensure that the resultant county deal respected each district’s sovereignty and civic identity. It was also hoped that it would provide a route to share good practice between participants in the county deal.

The Committee thanked Councillor Oliver for attending.