Epsom & Ewell Borough Council to carry out a Community Governance Review

Last week, at a meeting of the full Council, we agreed to carry out a Community Governance Review in the borough. Initial consultation with residents and stakeholders will start in July 2025: dates for the consultation will be announced on the council’s website and social media next week.   

The consultation will ask residents for their opinion on whether to create parish areas along with a parish council or councils in Epsom & Ewell, including options for geography, number of councillors and what councils should be called, e.g. parish, community, neighbourhood or village council.    

As part of local government reorganisation, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council will be dissolved in April 2027 along with all 12 district, borough and county councils in Surrey, and two or three new unitary councils will be created. New unitary councils will be responsible for services currently delivered by both Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and Surrey County Council in the borough - including waste and recycling, community support services, planning, education, social care and more. This is the biggest change in local government in fifty years. 

Councillor John Beckett, Chair of the Standards and Constitution Committee, said “We believe that parish councils would provide an essential link between Epsom & Ewell residents and a new unitary council, which will be responsible for a much larger area in Surrey; ensuring that resident and community voices in Epsom & Ewell are heard and considered by decision-makers in local government in the future. 

“Historically, Epsom & Ewell has had a strong local voice, with more than ninety years of continuous service on Epsom & Ewell Borough Council by the elected Residents’ Association majority group. 

“We want to ensure that the interests of our residents and local communities have a platform, and that our vital local voice is not lost for future generations.”