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Borough of Guildford

(Redirected from Guildford Borough Council)

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.

Guildford
Borough and non-metropolitan district
Guildford Castle in Guildford, the borough's main settlement.
Guildford Castle in Guildford, the borough's main settlement.
Motto: 
Fortiter et Fideliter
(Latin: Bravely and faithfully)
Guildford shown within Surrey
Guildford shown within Surrey
Coordinates: 51°14′46″N 0°33′07″W / 51.246°N 0.552°W / 51.246; -0.552
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
RegionSouth East England
Ceremonial county Surrey
Established1 April 1974
Administrative HQGuildford
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district
 • BodyGuildford Borough Council
 • MPsZöe Franklin (Guildford)
Jeremy Hunt (Godalming and Ash)
Chris Coghlan (Dorking and Horley)
Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath)
Will Forster (Woking)
Area
 • Total
105 sq mi (271 km2)
 • Rank130th
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
151,359
 • Rank150th
 • Density1,450/sq mi (559/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code43UD (ONS)
E07000209 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTQ0105550700

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

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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

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Guildford Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Howard Smith,
Labour
since 7 May 2025[9]
Julia McShane,
Liberal Democrat
since 11 October 2022
Pedro Wrobel
since 8 April 2024
Structure
Seats48 councillors
Political groups
Administration (25)
  Liberal Democrats (25)
Other parties (23)
  Conservative (10)
  Residents (7)
  Greenbelt Group (3)
  Labour (3)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First election
7 June 1973
Last election
4 May 2023
Meeting place
Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU2 4BB
Website
www.guildford.gov.uk

Guildford Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[10] Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[11]

The council owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle, as well museums, art collections and civic regalia.[12]

The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Waverley Borough Council since 2021.[13][14]

Political control

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The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.[15]

Political control of the old municipal borough council from 1836 to 1974 was as follows:[16]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1836–1875
No overall control1875–1877
Conservative1877–1879
No overall control1879–1880
Conservative1880–1883
No overall control1883–1885
Conservative1885–1888
Liberal1888–1889
Conservative1889–1892
No overall control1892–1892
Liberal1892–1894
No overall control1894–1895
Liberal1895–1898
No overall control1898–1899
Independent1899–1957
No overall control1957–1965
Conservative1965–1972
No overall control1972–1974

Political control of the modern borough council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[17]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1974–1991
No overall control1991–1995
Liberal Democrats[18]1995–1997
No overall control1997–2003
Conservative2003–2019
No overall control2019–2023
Liberal Democrats2023–present

Leadership

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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[19]ConservativeMay 201011 Oct 2012
Stephen Mansbridge[20]Conservative11 Oct 201219 Oct 2015
Paul Spooner[21][22]Conservative9 Dec 2015May 2019
Caroline Reeves[23][24]Liberal Democrats15 May 201922 Sep 2020
Joss Bigmore[24][25]Residents for Guildford and Villages6 Oct 202022 Sep 2022
Julia McShane[26][27]Liberal Democrats11 Oct 2022

Composition

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Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[28][29]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 25
Conservative 10
Residents for Guildford and Villages7
Guildford Greenbelt Group3
Labour3
Total 48

The next election is due in 2027.[30]

Elections

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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.[31]

Members of Parliament

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Premises

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Guildhall: Used for council's annual meetings.

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.[32] Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council.[33] The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.[34]

Demography

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Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).[35] Approximately half of the borough's population live in the town of Guildford.

Parishes

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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.[11][36] 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:[37]

Map of Guildford Borough showing its parts: Guildford town and civil parishes which provide an additional layer of government.

Notes and references

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Notes

References

  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Guildford Local Authority (E07000209)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 Malden, H. E., ed. (1911). A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. 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. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 12 January 2024
  6. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, 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. ↑ Buchan, Craig (8 May 2025). "Drummer on 80s hit Turning Japanese named mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  10. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  11. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Coady-Stemp, Emily; Caulfield, Chris (22 December 2023). "Guildford Borough Council appoints new chief executive". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  15. ↑ "New borough council administration kicks off by re-electing Lib Dem Leader". Guildford Dragon. 18 May 2023.
  16. ↑ Ottewill, Roger (2005). Guildford Borough Council: A Compendium of Municipal Election Results, 1835–1974. Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Guildford" in search box to see specific results.)
  18. ↑ "Leading Lib Dem couple quit party". Surrey Live. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Tony Rooth resigns as Guildford council leader". Surrey Live. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  20. ↑ Edwards, Mark (19 October 2015). "Stephen Mansbridge resignation 'the right thing to do' according to opposition parties". Surrey Live. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 9 December 2015". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "Council minutes, 15 May 2019". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  24. 1 2 "Council minutes, 6 October 2020". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ "Council minutes, 11 October 2022". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  27. ↑ Giles, Martin (12 October 2022). "New Guildford Council Leader Elected In Planned Handover". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  28. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  29. ↑ "Guildford election results in full as Liberal Democrats take control". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  30. ↑ "Guildford". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  31. ↑ "The Guildford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/1178, retrieved 12 January 2024
  32. ↑ Historic England. "Millmead House, Millmead (Grade II) (1188094)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  33. ↑ "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...
  34. ↑ "Council minutes, 10 May 2023". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  35. ↑ List of English districts by population
  36. ↑ "Surrey: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1971". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  37. ↑ Surrey County Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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