{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/surrey-structural-changes-order-2026/article-47",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/surrey-structural-changes-order-2026/article-47.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2026/264",
  "legislation_title": "The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/surrey-structural-changes-order-2026",
  "path": "article/47",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "47",
  "heading": "Election of councillors of East Surrey Council in 2026 and subsequent years",
  "text": "(1) A whole council election of councillors of East Surrey Council is to be held—\n(a) on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2026;\n(b) on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2031;\n(c) every fourth year thereafter.\n(2) For the purposes of the election of councillors of East Surrey Council—\n(a) East Surrey is to be divided into wards;\n(b) the names of the new wards are those set out in column 1 of the table in Schedule 1 to this Order;\n(c) the area of each new ward is to be the same as that of the county council electoral division of that name as provided in the 2024 Order, and as set out in the corresponding entry in column 2 of that table;\n(d) each new ward is to return the number of councillors set out in column 3 of that table.\n(3) For the 2026 election the returning officer for East Surrey is the head of paid service of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (“the East Surrey Council returning officer”).\n(4) The East Surrey Council returning officer must take such steps as are necessary or appropriate to prepare for the 2026 election.\n(5) In relation to the 2026 election, “the appropriate officer” in Parts 1 and 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 does not have the meaning given by section 67(7) of that Act but means the East Surrey Council returning officer.\n(6) Councillors elected in the 2026 election come into office on the fourth day after the day of the 2026 election.\n(7) All councillors elected in 2026 or any later year are to retire on the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in the year of retirement and the newly-elected councillors are to come into office on the day on which their predecessors retire.\n(8) In this article “the year of retirement”—\n(a) in relation to councillors elected in 2026 means 2031;\n(b) in relation to councillors elected in 2031 or in any later year means the fourth year after the year of election of those councillors.\n(9) The East Surrey Council returning officer must convene, and make all necessary arrangements for, the first meeting of the East Surrey shadow authority, which must be held not later than the fourteenth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2026.\n(10) Where, during the shadow period, a casual vacancy occurs in the office of councillor for East Surrey Council and an election is required to be held in accordance with section 89 of the 1972 Act, the returning officer for that election is that council’s head of paid service or (if an appointment has not been made under article 21(2)(c)) the interim head of paid service of the shadow authority appointed in accordance with article 21(1)(c).\n(11) In relation to an election held to fill a casual vacancy in the circumstances referred to in paragraph (10) “the appropriate officer” in Parts 1 and 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 does not have the meaning given by section 67(7) of that Act but means—\n(a) the head of paid service of East Surrey Council; or\n(b) the interim head of paid service of the East Surrey shadow authority.\n(12) For the purposes of section 83(1) to (3) of the 1972 Act (declaration of acceptance of office), the proper officer of East Surrey Council for the 2026 election is the East Surrey Council returning officer.\n(13) The East Surrey Council returning officer may authorise an officer of the county council or one of the East Surrey councils to discharge the functions of the proper officer mentioned in paragraph (12).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "S.I. 2024/1177. Article 3 and Schedule 1 of the Order made changes to electoral arrangements for Surrey following recommendations by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. That Article and that Schedule came into force on 13th November 2024 for purposes relating to the election of councillors, and will come into force for all other purposes on 6th May 2027 (the “ordinary day of election”)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/264/article/47",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T21:04:33.038771+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}