Nicola’s Blog – Understanding Surrey’s Local Government Reorganisation: What it means to social care providers

Why Now? The Drive Behind Reorganisation

The government have been actively encouraging all local authorities to prepare for and put forward their proposals for devolution.  The government believes that this process will bring:

• Efficiency & Clarity: A single authority per area cuts duplication and streamlines decision-making.
• Financial Pressures: Merging budgets and services aims to bend cost curves while boosting service delivery consistency.
• Strategic Alignment: A unified local authority can tackle county-wide challenges—like social care integration and demographic shifts—more cohesively.

Timeline & Transition Phases

The intended timeline for this is pretty rapid, given that the entire landscape of Surrey’s local government will be changing:

• Public consultation – this is live now and any Surrey stakeholders are invited to respond – Proposals for local government reorganisation in Surrey – GOV.UK
• Decision on which model is approved by the government – Autumn 2025
• Shadow arrangements – A joint body (made up of current councils) starts aligning systems, budgets, and services while keeping existing structures in place in April 2026.
• Legal switch-over – The official establishment of the unitary authority (typically via statutory order). This is when staff, assets, budgets and statutory duties transfer in April 2027.
• Post-reorganisation bedding-in – Service redesign, system harmonisation, and performance reviews in the months that follow.

Impact on Social Care Providers

So, what do social care providers in Surrey need to consider during this transition process?

• Contract & Commissioning Changes
  • Contracting moves from multiple district councils to a single authority. Existing service agreements will be novated or re-tendered.  When do the contracts you hold with the Council end?
  • You may need to re-register with the new unitary body and comply with revised terms and processes.
• Payment & Billing Structures
  • Invoices will be directed to the unitary authority’s finance department. Legacy billing systems will be phased out.
  • New invoicing timelines or payment codes may be introduced.  Whilst the new councils will need to communicate these in a clear and timely way, it is important to stay abreast of these changes to avoid a missed or delayed payment.
• Referral & Assessment Processes
  • It is possible that each Council may have different commissioning, assessment and referral processes once they are bedded in.  Providers will need to tailor their approach according to the part of Surrey they are doing business with.
  • Expect the possible introduction of new IT platforms. Providers should plan for data migration, staff training, and revised response times.
• Communication & Relationship Management
  • Relationship points will change—key contacts may be reallocated to a different . Providers will need to rebuild or strengthen relationships.
  • Regular liaison forums (provider networks, provider boards) will be reorganised under the unitary framework. Early engagement is advised.
• Strategic Planning & Partnership Working
  • A more strategic approach for each unitary is expected.  Housing, planning and social care will be under one authority.  This could be positive for providers that deliver housing and care.
  • There might be opportunities to bring a focus on outcome-based, population-level initiatives (e.g., assistive tech, early intervention, carers’ support).
• Compliance & Quality Assurance
  • Performance assurance frameworks may be unified or restructured.
  • There is potential for them to differ slightly between unitary authorities.

What Should Providers Do Now?

1. Review current contracts and risk exposure
   • Highlight renewal dates, notice periods, and budget assumptions for your council contracts.
2. Stay engaged with transition groups
   • As they emerge, join “shadow authority” provider forums and attend briefings from current district/county councils.
3. Audit your systems and readiness
   • Prepare for information system changes, updated referral portals, and new finance systems.
4. Map new contacts and lines of escalation
   • Track new commissioning leads, functional teams, and ensure up-to-date named contacts as they emerge.
5. Be proactive in shaping service specifications
   • Ask for early sight of draft service frameworks; provide feedback on service design, community needs, and supply chain.
6. Plan for operational disruption
   • Model potential delays in processing referrals or payments during the switch-over period—plan cash flow buffers.

For those of you who are Surrey Care Association members we will be able to support you with a great deal of this by sharing the key information that you need to be thinking about.  On behalf of our member organisations we will continue to engage with the council, and then shadow councils to ensure we can flow information and key dates to you.

If you are not yet a member of Surrey Care Association and you would like to join us, please drop us a line on sca@surreycare.org.uk where we can talk through membership options and benefits.