Latest statement from MVDC (Stephen Cooksey) (8th May 2025): -

Councillor Stephen Cooksey, Leader of Mole Valley District Council announced on Friday, 9th May 2025, that he, along with the Leaders of Surrey County Council and Elmbridge Borough Council, had signed a letter to the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution proposing that two Unitary Authorities be established in Surrey with Mole Valley to be in the East Surrey area along with Elmbridge, Reigate & Banstead, Epsom & Ewell, and Tandridge. 

Councillor Cooksey said, "That brought to an end a significant chapter in the Devolution process and one that I have been deeply involved in as Leader of Mole Valley District Council."

Announcing that he would be standing down as Council Leader at the Annual Meeting on 20th May 2025 Councillor Cooksey said that we now await the Government’s decision which is not expected until the Autumn but he expressed his intention of concentrating on Unitary issues.

He continued, "I have had the privilege of leading Mole Valley Council for six years since 2019, during which time we have successfully found our way through the Covid pandemic, absorbed major funding cuts from central government, made significant financial savings, provided a much needed Local Plan, developed a public perception of the Council as a caring and listening authority and maintained and, whenever possible, improved the services that Mole Valley Council provides."  

Councillor Cooksey added that "Leading a Council is a massively time-consuming job, especially during a time of re-organisation, and I would like the opportunity to use my local government experience, developed over many years, to help establish the new Councils in a way that will most benefit our residents. I have an ambition to serve on the new Unitary Authority and will be preparing for this transition whilst continuing to serve as a Mole Valley District Councillor and a Surrey County Councillor."

"I plan to continue to serve the communities and residents in and around Dorking who have supported me in successive elections to Mole Valley Council and Surrey County Council and hope to be able to play a valuable role in the establishment of the new unitary Councils."

At a meeting of Mole Valley District Council on 6th May it was agreed, by majority vote, that MVDC would support the Final Plan for Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey to be submitted to the Minister on 9 May 2025.

Earlier in the day the Council had been given the recommendations from a cross-part Devolution Working Group to submit jointly the proposal for 2 Unitary Councils. However the Working Group recommended that following the submission of the proposal the Leader of the Council should write to Surrey County Council and the Secretary of State asking that they note that Mole Valley has identified a number of important areas where the Council looks forward to having further conversations with other parties. 

These will include other Local Authorities, the MHCLG, the Local Government Boundary Commission and, in due course, the new Shadow Authority (see below). 

Discussions will cover the number of Councillors, MVDC is suggesting three for each County Council division, such as Ashtead, rather than two; the need to be able to continue to establish new town and parish councils where this is supported by local communities; the importance of preserving cherished community assets and the wide range of additional services MVDC has provided by choice, and how these devolved changes can be used to strengthen the role of local government in tackling climate change."

The Devolution Working Group's proposals also expressed concern about the establishment of Community Boards and their approach to community engagement which must be in addition to, rather than instead of, those measures implemented as a result of a Community Governance Review planned by the Council."