It has consistently been the Number 10 / DCLG line that no sweetheart deal or gentleman’s agreement was offered to Surrey council. The above email published by the BBC shows that DCLG’s Director of Local Government Finance Matthew Style clearly did offer a unique “draft of a draft” deal “in confidence”, which proposed more cash for Surrey and a plan to make them the first two tier council to pilot 100% business rates retention. Three days later Style withdrew the offer:

It’s getting lost in the Budget noise, but this would appear to show a deal was at least initially proposed, contrary to the government’s spin…