A four-member Surrey authority would take transport, skills and planning in 2027, and the public cannot respond. Spelthorne votes on Thursday.

Spelthorne Borough Council meets at 7pm on Thursday 17 September with three decisions on the agenda, and the biggest of them concerns a body most residents have never heard of and cannot comment on.

Councillors are asked to agree the council’s response to a government consultation on a Surrey Combined Foundation Strategic Authority: a new county-wide body that would take charge of transport, skills, housing and strategic planning from 1 April 2027, run by four people. The consultation closes on 20 September, three days after the meeting, and it is open to named consultees only.

The Surrey Combined Authority, and why you cannot have a say

The report to councillors is written by the Interim Chief Executive, Gordon Mitchell. It sets out what the government is proposing.

Local government in Surrey is already being torn up. The county’s 12 existing councils, Spelthorne among them, are abolished on 1 April 2027 and replaced by two unitary authorities, East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council. Spelthorne goes into West Surrey.

The problem that creates is that some things do not work at the scale of half a county. The report puts it plainly: as functions transfer from Surrey County Council to the two new unitaries, services such as local transport and adult skills are “considered more effective when delivered across a Surrey wide area”.

The government’s answer is a combined authority sitting above both new councils. Its legal name would be the Surrey Combined Authority, and four functions would fall within its remit:

  • transport and local infrastructure
  • skills and employment support
  • housing and strategic planning
  • health improvement and health inequalities
Timeline to a Surrey Combined Authority, March 2026 to April 2027 Timeline with five points. 17 March 2026, Spelthorne agrees to submit an expression of interest. 31 July 2026, the government publishes a Cabinet statement on devolution. 17 September 2026, Spelthorne votes on its consultation response. 20 September 2026, the consultation closes, open to named consultees only. 1 April 2027, Spelthorne is abolished, East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council begin, and the Surrey Combined Authority could begin with four constituent members. Four people would speak for the whole of Surrey The road to a Surrey Combined Authority, and what Spelthorne decides on Thursday. 17 Mar 2026 Spelthorne agrees to submit an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority 31 Jul 2026 Government Cabinet statement reaffirms devolution 17 Sep 2026 Spelthorne votes on its consultation response. The draft response is not in the public papers 20 Sep 2026 Consultation closes. It is limited to named consultees only, so residents cannot respond 1 Apr 2027 Spelthorne abolished. East Surrey and West Surrey councils begin, as could the combined authority What the new authority would hold Transport and local infrastructure Skills and employment support Housing and strategic planning Health improvement and health inequalities Governance: four constituent members, two appointed by each new council, one vote each, plus up to four non-constituent and associate members. It would also gain the option of an Overnight Visitor Levy, and annual capacity funding, which for existing authorities is £250,000. Source: report of the Interim Chief Executive to Spelthorne Borough Council, 17 September 2026. Graphic by Staines Online.
The consultation closes three days after Spelthorne decides what to say to it.

It would not replace your council. Bins, planning applications, council tax and housing would still be West Surrey’s job. But it would hold the strategic funding: devolved adult skills money, consolidated transport funding from the Department for Transport, and money for preparing a spatial development strategy. It would also gain the power to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy, a tax on hotel stays, which in a borough containing Heathrow’s southern fringe is not a small detail.

Two features of the governance are worth reading twice.

It would have four voting members. Each of the two new councils appoints two constituent members, one vote each, with a chair and vice chair chosen from among them annually. Up to four further non-constituent and associate members could be added for specialist expertise, and the combined authority could choose to give the non-constituent ones a vote. Associate members could never have one. So the standing arrangement for strategic transport, skills, housing and health across the whole of Surrey is four votes.

The consultation is closed to the public. The report says in terms that it “is limited to named consultees only”. Spelthorne is one of those named consultees, as are both shadow councils. We could not find a public gov.uk consultation page for it when we looked on 13 September. If you live here and want a view recorded, the council’s response on Thursday is the route, and the meeting is public.

There is a catch there too. The recommendation asks councillors to “agree the Council’s response”, but the draft response is not published with the papers. The report lists “Appendices: None”, and no supplementary pack had been published when we checked. Councillors will see it; residents reading the agenda beforehand will not.

The council also notes it has no skin in the outcome. Under risk implications, the report says none arise, because “the Foundation Strategic Authority will come into being after this Council ceases to exist”.

On money, the Section 151 Officer records that existing foundation authorities get £250,000 a year in capacity funding, that the government is exploring increasing it, and that the figure for a Surrey authority “has not yet been confirmed”. Neither has the scale or timing of any devolved funding.

Elmbrook House: four bids, and every one of them from a housebuilder

The second item is the final approval of the sale of Elmbrook House and 17 Station Road, Sunbury-on-Thames, which we reported in August when the marketing brochure showed 27 flats drawn up for the site. Corporate Policy and Resources Committee recommended the disposal on 8 September. Thursday is the decision.

The public report adds detail the earlier papers did not.

  • There were two rounds of bidding, the second being best and final offers, producing four competitive offers in and around the target disposal price.
  • Every offer came from a residential developer. The report says the marketing was aimed at them, but that this “did not prevent any interested office purchasers from making an offer”. None did.
  • Bidder number one was chosen on the highest bid, a proven track record, an unconditional offer, realistic exchange and completion timescales, and having the funds in place rather than needing third party finance.
  • The buildings were bought in December 2016 and March 2018. In the year to 31 March 2026 they “negatively contributed to the revenue budget”, with income insufficient to cover operating and financing costs, and the report says the asset has seen a significant fall in value since purchase.

The price is secret. The heads of terms, the schedule of bids, the summary of the offer, the financial analysis and Knight Frank’s recommendation are all exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, on the grounds that publishing them would prejudice the council’s position in negotiation with a purchaser.

The argument for selling now is aimed squarely at the council that replaces this one. Not disposing of the asset in 2026/27, the report says, would leave West Surrey Council with a higher Minimum Revenue Provision, would use up the reserves Spelthorne hands over more rapidly, and is “very likely to adversely affect their ability to continue to maintain services currently provided by Spelthorne Borough Council”. The property is expected to lose money for the next six years if it is kept.

Commissioners, who have overseen this council since the Secretary of State’s directions of 8 May 2025, “strongly support” the sale. So does the Section 151 Officer.

A £2.65m electricity bill, and the seven buildings behind it

The third item is the one that shows what is left of Spelthorne’s commercial property empire. The council’s electricity contract with Smartest Energy expires on 30 September 2026, and as landlord it has to supply power to each building. Councillors are asked to approve a direct award to Kent County Council’s LASER buying organisation, from 1 October 2026 to 28 September 2028, and to delegate authority to agree terms up to £2.65m.

The properties covered are:

  • Thames Tower
  • Porter Building
  • Charter Building
  • 12 Hammersmith Grove
  • 33 Hanworth Road
  • Communications House
  • Elmbrook House

Elmbrook House is on that list and on Thursday’s sale item at the same meeting. The report handles that: if a property is sold before 1 October or during the term, it comes off the contract.

The cost is recovered from tenants through the service charge, except for empty space, where the council pays. All the power would be 100% renewable.

There is a discrepancy in the council’s own report worth flagging. Paragraph 2.5 describes the contract as having “a value of c. £2.4m which is fully recoverable”, and paragraph 3.2 says the £2.65m ceiling “allows for any price fluctuations” against a current contract of £2.4m, both of which read as figures for the whole term. Paragraph 5.1 then says the contract “is estimated to be c. £2.4m per annum, with a fluctuation of 10% reaching £2.65m”. Annual or total, the report does not settle it.

Two other details. The council says it could not test the open market, because electricity suppliers will not quote while a contract is still running and a transfer takes around 90 days, which would have left the buildings on an emergency tariff estimated at more than 30% above current rates. And because LASER’s pricing could not be confirmed in time for the 8 September committee, the Chief Executive used an urgent action protocol on 9 September, in consultation with the chair and vice chair of Corporate Policy and Resources, to get the item to full Council.

What it means for you

  • The meeting is at 7pm on Thursday 17 September, at the Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames. Full Council meetings are open to the public.
  • If you have a view on a Surrey-wide authority, Thursday is your only route. The consultation itself takes responses from named consultees only and closes on Sunday 20 September.
  • The response Spelthorne would send has not been published. If that matters to you, it is a fair question to put to councillors before the vote.
  • Elmbrook House’s sale price will not be announced on Thursday. Everything about the money is in exempt appendices. What you will learn is whether the sale is approved.
  • Watch for the Overnight Visitor Levy. It is listed as an option the new authority could take up, not a decision, but it is the one power on this list that could reach a resident’s pocket directly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Surrey Combined Foundation Strategic Authority?

A proposed county-wide body covering the areas of the two new unitary councils, East Surrey and West Surrey. It would hold transport and local infrastructure, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, and health improvement. It would not replace councils, which continue to run day to day services. Its legal name would be the Surrey Combined Authority.

Can residents respond to the consultation?

No. Spelthorne’s report says the consultation “is limited to named consultees only”. Spelthorne Borough Council, West Surrey Shadow Council and East Surrey Shadow Council are among the named consultees. The consultation closes on 20 September 2026.

When is Spelthorne Borough Council abolished?

1 April 2027. Spelthorne, and the other 11 councils in Surrey, are replaced by East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council. Spelthorne’s area goes into West Surrey.

How much will Elmbrook House sell for?

The council is not saying. The price, the heads of terms, the schedule of the four bids received and Knight Frank’s recommendation are all in exempt appendices, withheld under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 because disclosure would prejudice the council’s negotiating position.

Sources

  • Spelthorne Borough Council, agenda for Council on Thursday 17 September 2026, for the meeting, the three items and the recommendations.
  • Report of the Interim Chief Executive, “Combined Foundation Strategic Authority consultation”, for the four functions, the governance and membership, the Overnight Visitor Levy option, the named-consultees limit, the 20 September close, the £250,000 capacity funding and the absence of appendices.
  • Report of the Group Head Assets, “Disposal of Elmbrook House and 17 Station Road, Sunbury: Part 1 Public Report for Council”, for the two bidding rounds, the four offers, the selection of bidder one, the acquisition dates, the exempt appendices and the West Surrey financial argument.
  • Report of the Principal Asset Manager, “Electricity contract for the Investment portfolio”, for the seven properties, the LASER direct award, the £2.4m and £2.65m figures, the emergency tariff estimate and the 9 September urgent action protocol.