Have your say on the future of local representation in Epsom and Ewell
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is currently running the second stage of its Community Governance Review (CGR), asking residents whether two new parish-style bodies — Epsom Community Council and Ewell Community Council — should be created to operate beneath the new East Surrey Unitary Authority.
The Epsom & Ewell Times is launching an independent reader survey to invite views not only on Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s proposals, but also on an alternative approach to local consultation and civic participation which is not included in Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s formal consultation. Namely, Neighbour Area Committees.
The Council’s consultation
The Borough Council consultation follows its Full Council decision in December to continue exploring the creation of two new parish-style councils. According to the council’s press release, the proposed bodies would:
• initially be responsible for allotments
• act as statutory consultees on planning matters
• be funded by a parish precept of around £43–£46 for a Band D property
• hold elections in May 2027 if created
The consultation also asks for views on warding arrangements and councillor numbers for the proposed new bodies.
The Epsom & Ewell Times encourages residents to read the council’s consultation material in full and respond to it, whether in favour or opposed, so that the decision ultimately reflects as broad a range of resident opinion as possible.
Why EET is running an additional poll
During the December council debate and in the public correspondence that followed, a number of councillors and residents raised questions about whether the consultation should also invite views on alternative forms of local representation, such as Surrey County Council’s pilot Neighbourhood Area Committees, under the new unitary structure. See the Epsom and Ewell Times guide to Neighbour Area Committees HERE
See letters to the Epsom and Ewell Times from a number of Epsom and Ewell Borough Councillors HERE.
The council’s consultation asks residents only whether they wish to establish parish-style community councils and, if so, how they should be constituted. It does not ask whether residents would prefer any alternative approach or different mechanisms for an additional local voice to the 10 Epsom and Ewell elected Councillors to the East Surrey Unitary Authority
The Epsom & Ewell Times believes that the wider discussion about local democracy after 2027 may benefit from hearing resident views on more than one potential model. Our independent survey therefore allows participants to express:
• support for or opposition to the creation of community councils
• support, if any, for the alternative form of additional local consultation of Neighbour Area Committees
• views on cost, value for money and accountability
• opinions on how civic traditions, such as the mayoralty, might continue
The results will not form part of the official consultation process, but may provide an additional picture of community sentiment to inform public debate and future reporting.
Click HERE to access the Epsom and Ewell Times reader survey
Two platforms, one community conversation
Residents are invited to complete both the council consultation and the Epsom & Ewell Times survey. The two exercises serve different purposes:
• the council consultation forms part of the statutory Community Governance Review
• the EET poll provides a space for residents to express views on a wider range of possibilities and priorities
Both, however, share a common aim — helping to ensure that local voices are heard at a time of significant change in how Epsom and Ewell will be governed in future.
The Epsom & Ewell Times will continue to report on developments in the Community Governance Review, the consultation outcomes and the wider debate about the future of local representation as the borough approaches the transition to the East Surrey Unitary Authority in 2027.
