
Crawley and Reigate & Banstead: Should two councils become one?
Should two become one? Councils consider combining
6 minutes ago
Share
Save
Jack Fiehn
BBC Surrey, political reporter
Share
Save
Getty Images
Crawley Borough Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council say there are economic benefits to forming a unitary authority.
Two councils in south-east England are considering asking the government to allow them to combine.
Crawley Borough Council (CBC) and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) have put together a proposal about forming a new unitary authority.
The councils say their aim is to get the economic benefits of being part of an economic area close to Gatwick airport.
Government ministers have said they want a major redesign of local government, with the two-tier council system being scrapped and areas having elected mayors.
RBBC approved the plan on Tuesday. CBC is meeting on Wednesday.
But why are the two boroughs considering this idea?
Reigate & Banstead is also supporting a proposal to have three unitary authorities across Surrey.
You could say that officials at Reigate and Banstead are trying to ride two horses at the same time.
On one hand, they are backing the plan – now supported by nine of the borough and district councils – to split Surrey into three unitary authorities.
On the other, they are looking at working with Crawley.
Arguments in favour include growing the economy of the two boroughs, the potential to develop road and rail transport links, such as the M25 and the North Downs line, and having a stronger voice on the future of Gatwick.
A report also says the proposal would help with building new homes in places like Redhill Aerodrome and land near Salfords, although some councillors have raised concerns about losing green spaces.
The government has asked for more details about the plan, including some of the financial aspects, such as dealing with the debts of councils in Surrey, and also the provision of services
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Majority on Dumfries and Galloway Council back special meeting
A majority of councillors in Dumfries and Galloway have backed a move for a no confidence motion in the Conservative-led administration.A total of 22 members of the 43-strong local authority signed the call, which has triggered a special meeting for 16 move came after a number of Conservatives left their political group to form a new Labour and Democratic Alliance councillors have backed the move which could see current leader Gail Macgregor and depute leader Malcolm Johnstone replaced. The Conservatives formed an administration in 2023 after the collapse of a previous had 16 members but that fell to just nine when seven councillors quit the group - four to form a group called Novantae and three to create the Dumfries and Galloway Independent a result a request was lodged to convene a special meeting of the local authority to consider a no confidence vote in the standing orders, the move must be backed by at least a quarter of councillors. However, papers published on the council website show that support has significantly exceeded that 11 SNP members, eight Labour councillors and three from the Democratic Alliance signed the they were to agree to work together in future they could form an outright majority on the full council will meet to decide the way ahead on Monday.


The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Awkward moment new Reform UK chair David Bull is shown his tweet calling Nigel Farage an idiot
New Reform UK chairman David Bull was shown a previous tweet he posted calling Nigel Farage an 'idiot' during a live breakfast TV interview. Dr Bull appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday morning (11 June), where host Susanna Reid showed him a tweet he made from 2014, calling Mr Farage an 'idiot', stating comments made by him were 'dangerous'. The tweet was over comments Mr Farage made about migrants with HIV. Dr Bull replaces Zia Yusuf, who resigned as Reform's chairman last week.


Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Live spending review updates as chancellor Rachel Reeves to announce plans
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will today lay out the UK Government's spending plans for the upcoming years as it is expected Wales will get £445m to spend on rail. The expectation is that the chancellor will announce at least £445m will be spent on rail projects in north and south Wales on fixing level crossings, building new stations, and upgrading existing lines. Not only is it important for the UK Labour government to take back control after weeks of negative headlines but it is a key statement for Eluned Morgan's team in Cardiff Bay as they waits to hear if its pleas to Labour colleagues in London will be heeded as they count down towards the Senedd election in May 2026. A spending review is the process the government uses to set all UK Government departments' budgets for future years for both everyday spending on things like the NHS, schools, and transport but also how the government will invest in research, energy security, and infrastructure to drive economic growth across the country. It is led by chancellor of the exchequer Ms Reeves and chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones. This is the second part of the chancellor's spending review. The first was her budget in October 2024. Today's announcement will cover how much funding each government department will receive for day-to-day spending (revenue) across three financial years until 2028-29 as well as investment spending (capital) for those years as well as 2029-30. It is widely expected the NHS and defence will get big boosts with energy, transport, and other infrastructure projects getting a chunk of capital too. As most of the Welsh Government's budget comes from the UK Government then if spending for health, for example, is boosted for England it will result in Wales getting a bump in its budget because when England-only spending is announced a funding process called the Barnett Formula kicks in and Wales gets what is known as a consequential payment. Ms Reeves is expected to begin her statement laying out the results of this review in the Commons at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, June 11. Scroll down for live updates below and remember you can get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here: