Councils in Surrey are set to cash in on new developments in the county with a deal which plans to charge developers a fee to go towards local services. All the districts in the county, plus Surrey CC, have signed up to the scheme – which is expected to net £10m for services across the county. A surcharge will now be put on developers to pay for the infrastructure needed for local housing estates and business developments. Surrey CC's director for community services, Andy Roberts, said: ‘Surrey is expected to take some 70,000 new homes under government plans to increase housing supply in the region. And this is a simple and realistic way of removing the burden of providing those extra services from the taxpayers. ‘It will have no effect on the house prices, since these remain driven by the market, so the charge is most likely to be absorbed by the developer.' Under the plans, the districts will charge a fee based on the number of dwellings and number of people likely to live in them. The councils will charge a 5% administration fee, 1% of which would go to the county. The money will be held by the district and ring-fenced for infrastructure projects, including roads, libraries and parks. Key worker or social housing projects would be exempt from the plans. The scheme is being led by Elmbridge BC.
