See Guildford for the main town in the borough
Guildford
Borough and non-metropolitan district
Coordinates51.246°N 0.552°W
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Ceremonial countySurrey
Established1 April 1974
Administrative HQGuildford
Governing bodyGuildford Borough Council
MPsZöe Franklin (Guildford)
Jeremy Hunt (Godalming and Ash)
Chris Coghlan (Dorking and Horley)
Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath)
Will Forster (Woking)
Unit prefImperial
Area rankList of English districts by area
Population rankList of English districts by population
Time zoneGreenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
Time zone (DST)British Summer Time (UTC+1)
ONS code43UD (ONS)
E07000209 (GSS)

The Borough of Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. With around half of the borough's population, Guildford is its largest settlement and only town, and is where the council is based.

The borough includes part of the Surrey Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The neighbouring districts are Surrey Heath, Woking, Elmbridge, Reigate and Banstead, Waverley and Rushmoor.

History

The town of Guildford was an ancient borough, with its first known charter dating from 1257.[2] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised the way many boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1836, 1933 and 1954.[3][4]

The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[5][6]

Guildford's borough status transferred to the new district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Guildford's series of mayors dating back to at least the fifteenth century.[7][2]

As part of upcoming structural changes to local government in England, the district will be abolished in April 2027 and the area will become part of the new unitary authority of West Surrey.[8]

Governance

Guildford Borough Council
MayorHoward Smith
Party 1
Labour
Election 17 May 2025[1]
LeaderJulia McShane
Party 2
Liberal Democrat
Election 211 October 2022
Chief ExecutivePedro Wrobel
Election 38 April 2024
Members48 councillors
Structure 1Borough_of_Guildford_Council_2023.svg
Structure1 res250px
Political groups 1
Administration (25)
Liberal Democrats (25)
Other parties (23)
Conservative (10)
Residents (7)
Greenbelt Group (3)
Labour (3)
Term length4 years
Session roomMillmead House - geograph.org.uk - 3804820.jpg
Meeting placeMillmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU2 4BB
First election 17 June 1973
Last election 14 May 2023
Websitewww.guildford.gov.uk

Guildford Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[9] Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[10]

The council owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle, as well museums, art collections and civic regalia.[11]

The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Waverley Borough Council since 2021.[12][13]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.[14]

Political control of the old municipal borough council from 1836 to 1974 was as follows:[15]

Party in controlYears
1836–1875
1875–1877
1877–1879
1879–1880
1880–1883
1883–1885
1885–1888
1888–1889
1889–1892
1892–1892
1892–1894
1894–1895
1895–1898
1898–1899
1899–1957
1957–1965
1965–1972
1972–1974

Political control of the modern borough council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[16]

Party in controlYears
1974–1991
1991–1995
[17]1995–1997
1997–2003
2003–2019
2019–2023
2023–present

Leadership

Further information: Mayor of Guildford

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Guildford. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Tony Rooth[18]May 201011 Oct 2012
Stephen Mansbridge[19]11 Oct 201219 Oct 2015
Paul Spooner[20][21]9 Dec 2015May 2019
Caroline Reeves[22][23]15 May 201922 Sep 2020
Joss Bigmore[23][24]6 Oct 202022 Sep 2022
Julia McShane[25][26]11 Oct 2022

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[27][28]

PartyCouncillors
25
10
7
3
3
Total48

The next election is due in 2027.[29]

Elections

See also: Guildford Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[30]

Members of Parliament

See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey

The borough straddles five parliamentary constituencies:

ConstituencyMember of ParliamentPolitical party
Godalming and AshJeremy HuntConservative
GuildfordZöe FranklinLiberal Democrats
Surrey HeathAl Pinkerton
WokingWill Forster
Dorking and HorleyChris Coghlan

Premises

The council is based at Millmead House on Millmead in Guildford. The original house dates from the late seventeenth century, with extensive modern additions to the rear.[31] Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council.[32] The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.[33]

Demography

Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).[34] Approximately half of the borough's population live in the town of Guildford.

Parishes

The central part of the borough, corresponding to the pre-1974 borough and covering the majority of the Guildford built-up area, is an unparished area.[10][35] This area includes Bellfields, Boxgrove, Onslow Village, Park Barn, Stoughton, Westborough, and the (former) villages of Burpham, and Merrow.

The rest of the borough is covered by civil parishes:[36]

Notes and references

Notes

References

  1. ^ Buchan, Craig (8 May 2025). "Drummer on 80s hit Turning Japanese named mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  2. ^ A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. 1911. pp. 560–570. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 456. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Guildford Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ^ No. 2039. 1972. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  6. ^ No. 551. 1973. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  7. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  8. ^ "About Future Surrey". Surrey LGR Hub
  9. ^ "70" (act). 1972. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Guildford Borough Council Statement of Accounts 2011-12, pp 4, 12 and 79". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  12. ^ Coady Stemp, Emily (1 November 2021). "New £150,000 joint chief executive set to be appointed to lead Waverley and Guildford councils". Farnham Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  13. ^ Coady-Stemp, Emily & Caulfield, Chris (22 December 2023). "Guildford Borough Council appoints new chief executive". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  14. ^ "New borough council administration kicks off by re-electing Lib Dem Leader". Guildford Dragon. 18 May 2023.
  15. ^ Ottewill, Roger (2005). Guildford Borough Council: A Compendium of Municipal Election Results, 1835–1974. Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Guildford" in search box to see specific results.)
  17. ^ "Leading Lib Dem couple quit party". Surrey Live. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Tony Rooth resigns as Guildford council leader". Surrey Live. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  19. ^ Edwards, Mark (19 October 2015). "Stephen Mansbridge resignation 'the right thing to do' according to opposition parties". Surrey Live. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Council minutes, 9 December 2015". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  21. ^ McKeon, Christopher (3 May 2019). "Guildford local election results 2019: Lib Dems and Independents hand Tories worst loss ever". Surrey Live. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Council minutes, 15 May 2019". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  23. ^ "Council minutes, 6 October 2020". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  24. ^ Coady-Stemp, Emily (23 September 2022). "Guildford Borough Council leader Joss Bigmore quits as locals 'looking for new approach in politics'". Surrey Live. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  25. ^ "Council minutes, 11 October 2022". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  26. ^ Giles, Martin (12 Oct 2022). "New Guildford Council Leader Elected In Planned Handover". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  27. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian
  28. ^ "Guildford election results in full as Liberal Democrats take control". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Guildford". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  30. ^ No. 1178. 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  31. ^
  32. ^ "The Rural District Council of Guildford". London Gazette. ' (33887): 7597. 29 November 1932. Retrieved 14 July 2022. ...at the Rural District Council Offices, Millmead House, Guildford...
  33. ^ "Council minutes, 10 May 2023". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  34. ^ List of English districts by population
  35. ^ "Surrey: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1971". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  36. ^ Surrey County Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine