Surrey in-sources from districts and boroughs

Surrey County Council is taking back responsibility for verge management and on-street parking from local councils to 'ensure a consistent approach'.

The top tier authority currently has agreements in place with eight district and borough councils to manage the verges on its behalf, while all on-street parking enforcement is managed by the districts and boroughs.

From April 2023 the county council said it will manage both of these services in-house.

Matt Furniss, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and economy, said: 'We appreciate the hard work our district and borough teams have undertaken on our behalf. However, as we continue on our mission for a greener future, now is the right time to take verge cutting and weed control back in-house to enable us to focus our efforts on improving biodiversity consistently across the county. We will continue to regularly cut junctions and sightlines so it’s safe for residents.

'We also know how important parking is for residents and by managing on-street parking across the county, we can ensure it’s fair and consistent. We’ll also take a look at options to improve our systems and make processes as easy as possible for all Surrey residents.'

The county council said it aims to 'promote biodiversity by promoting wildflowering on appropriate highway verges and will continue to trial more sustainable approaches'.