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# East Surrey Shadow Authority approves Woodhatch Place as day-one headquarters and advances key reorganisation decisions
- URL: https://elmbridgerecord.co.uk/east-surrey-shadow-authority-approves-woodhatch-place-as-day-one-headquarters-and-advances-key-reorganisation-decisions/
- Published: 2026-10-01T14:50:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T14:50:11.000Z
- Author: The Record
- Tags: Minutes

- Woodhatch Place, Reigate approved as East Surrey Council's day-one headquarters from 1 April 2027, with a full estate review to follow after Vesting Day.
- East Surrey Council Strategy 2027–2032 recommended to full Shadow Authority for adoption, following cross-party workshops with more than 50 members; non-executive members raised concerns about its lack of specific performance measures.
- Service configurations for the division of functions between East Surrey, West Surrey, the Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and the Pensions Authority were approved, with hosting arrangements for authority-agnostic services to be decided in October 2026.
- Joint consultation response with West Surrey supporting the proposed Surrey Combined Foundation Strategic Authority approved, ahead of a 20 September 2026 submission deadline.
- Consent granted for Surrey County Council to commission a specialist SEND outreach taskforce, subject to a formal request that the SEND Reform Plan be published and concerns about impact on specialist school resources be addressed.

The East Surrey Shadow Authority Executive approved Woodhatch Place in Reigate as the new council's day-one headquarters at its meeting on 14 September 2026, confirming the site at 11 Cockshot Hill as the preferred corporate base for East Surrey Council from Vesting Day on 1 April 2027.

The decision was not without reservation. The Executive Member for Children's Services and Education questioned the methodology used to assess the options and raised concerns about public transport accessibility for Members and officers. The Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health asked whether Council meetings might instead be held at Elmbridge Borough Council's Civic Centre. Both were told that a separate report on meeting venues, times and member accommodation would follow later in the year. The Chief Executive confirmed that residents would continue to access services from existing local offices following Vesting Day, and that the designation applied only to day-one arrangements, with a comprehensive estate review to follow.

The Executive recommended to the full Shadow Authority that the East Surrey Council Strategy 2027–2032 be approved and adopted. The strategy, developed through cross-party workshops involving more than 50 Members, sets out the vision, principles and priorities for the new authority using a three-pillar approach. Non-executive members present raised concerns that the document was too general, lacked specific performance measures and gave insufficient attention to resource constraints. The Leader responded that detailed delivery plans and performance indicators would follow, and that the strategy would inform future budget-setting and service planning. Further engagement with residents, community organisations and businesses is planned for autumn and winter.

The Executive approved service configurations determining how functions will be divided between East Surrey Council, West Surrey Council, the Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and the Pensions Authority from Vesting Day. The configurations cover disaggregated, aggregated, hosted and retained services. Members noted that a small number of configurations differed from those shared in July 2026, and that recommendations on host arrangements for authority-agnostic services would be brought to the Executive in October 2026.

A joint consultation response with West Surrey Shadow Authority on the proposed Surrey Combined Foundation Strategic Authority was approved, subject to a corresponding resolution by West Surrey. The response supports establishment of the combined authority from 1 April 2027 while seeking further government clarification on capacity funding and Surrey's pathway towards mayoral devolution. The deadline for submission was 20 September 2026.

The Executive approved in principle entry into a Section 16 Agreement under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, which will provide the legal mechanism for allocating property, assets, rights and liabilities between the successor authorities. The agreement must be completed by 31 December 2026\. Questions were raised at the meeting about how proceeds from surplus asset disposals would be shared, and how pre-Vesting Day contractual liabilities would be treated. The Leader confirmed the agreement would cover both assets and liabilities.

On funding disaggregation, the Executive noted the proposed methodology for dividing Surrey County Council's Local Government Finance Settlement between East Surrey, West Surrey and the Combined Fire and Rescue Authority, and delegated authority to the Head of Paid Service to agree final amounts and submit a joint letter to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by 18 September 2026\. Concerns were raised about whether the proposed allocation for the new Fire and Rescue Authority would be financially sustainable; the Interim Chief Finance Officer acknowledged significant financial challenges ahead for all successor bodies.

The Executive granted consent for Mole Valley District Council to extend its leisure centres contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited by five years to November 2043\. The extension is intended to secure additional investment in facilities, including a proposed Splashpad at Leatherhead Leisure Centre and padel tennis courts in Dorking, while improving the financial return from the contract.

On SEND provision, the Executive approved consent for Surrey County Council to commission a specialist outreach offer and Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce as part of the Experts at Hand programme, funded from a previously approved £8.3 million grant. The approval was subject to a formal request that Surrey County Council publish its SEND Reform Plan at the earliest opportunity and provide further clarification on a range of concerns raised, including the potential impact on specialist school resources and the robustness of the procurement process. Several members expressed concern that parents and stakeholders lacked access to the plan.

The Executive also supported Charter Trustee status for unparished areas in Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, and Reigate and Banstead following abolition of the existing borough councils, approved the implementation of community governance review recommendations for Reigate and Banstead including establishment of new parish councils, consented to the disposal of Rentwood and 37 School Lane, Fetcham, consented to the disposal of 23 High Street, Leatherhead by Mole Valley District Council, approved procurement of a single Electoral Management System and electoral print contract for East Surrey, and agreed an approach to developing community-led neighbourhood governance including commissioning external expertise to develop a framework and roadmap. The Implementation Programme update noted 39 key milestones delivered, 199 days remaining to Vesting Day, and an overall programme confidence rating of amber, with the Customer and Corporate Services workstream moving from green to amber due to capacity pressures.