Surrey council welcomes devolution deal

Surrey County Council has welcomed a new devolution deal that has been offered to the region. The deal, in essence, gives the council more power over transport, adult education and support for businesses.

These new plans mean that there will be no changes to councils within the county, whether that be for borough or district.

The new deal was outlined by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn Statement, Surrey was named as one of many counties in which devolved powers were being offered.

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SCC Leader, Tim Oliver, said: "The deal gives us more control over things like local growth, skills and careers for our young people."

"It's not perfect but it is going in the right direction."

Liberal Democrat Stephen Cooksey, the leader of Mole Valley District Council, took a relatively skeptical view on the deal.

He said: ''Whilst I forsee this deal having a positive impact on services, I need to know the full scope of the details before I draw any conclusions.''

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