Surrey council welcomes devolution deal

Published by

Tom Kilkelly

Surrey Research Park

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.''

Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022. During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan). His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.