Surrey Heath

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Surrey Heath is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Contents

The neighbouring districts are Runnymede, Woking, Guildford, Rushmoor, Hart, Bracknell Forest, and Windsor and Maidenhead.

History

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

The new district was named "Surrey Heath" in recognition of the extensive areas of heathland it contains, including Chobham Common and Lightwater Country Park, which form part of the wider Thames Basin Heaths. [2] The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. [3]

Governance

Surrey Heath Borough Council
Surrey Heath Borough Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Pat Tedder,
Independent
since 17 May 2023 [4]
Shaun Macdonald,
Liberal Democrat
since 28 June 2023 [5]
Damian Roberts
since 1 February 2021 [6]
Structure
Seats35 councillors
Political groups
Administration (24)
  Liberal Democrats (24)
Other parties (13)
  Conservative (6)
  Independent (3)
  Labour (2)
Elections
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Surrey Heath House.jpg
Surrey Heath House, Knoll Road, Camberley, GU15 3HD
Website
www.surreyheath.gov.uk
St Saviour's Church, Valley End, Chobham St Saviour's Church, Valley End, Surrey.jpg
St Saviour's Church, Valley End, Chobham

Surrey Heath Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. The eastern part of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [7]

Surrey Heath
Non-metropolitan district, borough
Motto(s): 
Festina diligenter
(Latin: Make haste carefully)
Surrey Heath UK locator map.svg
Surrey Heath shown within Surrey
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Surrey
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Camberley
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodySurrey Heath Borough Council (Liberal Democrat)
 •  MPs Michael Gove (Conservative)
Area
 • Total36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2)
 • Rank202nd (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total90,645
 • Rank263rd (of 296)
 • Density2,500/sq mi (950/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[8]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[8]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 43UJ (ONS)
E07000214 (GSS)
OS grid reference SU8752760851

Political control

Since the 2023 election the council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control. Prior to 2023 the council had been led by Conservatives from its creation in 1974.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [9]

Party in controlYears
Conservative 1974–2020
No overall control 2020–2021
Conservative 2021–2022
No overall control 2022–2023
Liberal Democrats 2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Surrey Heath. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been: [10]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Vivienne Chapman Conservative pre-199627 May 1998
Moira Gibson [11] Conservative 27 May 199827 Feb 2019
Richard Brooks [12] [13] Conservative 27 Feb 201920 Jan 2020
Alan McClafferty Conservative 29 Jan 202017 May 2023
David Whitcroft Liberal Democrats 17 May 202328 Jun 2023
Shaun Macdonald Liberal Democrats 28 Jun 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election (including a postponed election in one ward) the composition of the council is as follows:

PartyCouncillors
Liberal Democrats 24
Conservative 6
Independent 3
Labour 2
Total35

The three independent councillors sit together as "The Community Group". [14] The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council is based at Surrey Heath House on Knoll Road in Camberley. The building was purpose-built for the council for £4.25m and was completed in 1987. The building was formally opened by Valerian Wellesley, Duke of Wellington on 17 July 1987. [15]

Controversies

In 2016 the council bought The Square, the main shopping centre in the centre of Camberley, for £109 million. [16] By early 2023 the centre was reportedly valued at only £30 million, and the rents being received did not cover the interest payments on the debts the council had incurred in buying it. [17]

In 2020 the council's chief executive, Karen Whelan, resigned after an independent investigation found that a 30% increase in her remuneration during 2018–19 compared to the year before had been unlawfully approved by the former leader of the council, Moira Gibson. [18] [19] [20]

Geography

The area forms the heart of the heath that spans Esher, Oxshott, Weybridge, Wisley, all around Woking, Brookwood, Deepcut, Pirbright, Frimley, Lightwater, Camberley, Chobham Common, Virginia Water and Ottershaw. It is made up of naturally wet, very acid sandy and loamy soil, which is just 1.9% of English soil and 0.2% of Welsh soil, which gives rise to pines and coniferous landscapes, such as pioneered at Wentworth and Foxhills estate (now spa, hotel, restaurant and golf club) by pro-American independence statesman Charles James Fox. [21] In geology it gives rise to the name, Bagshot Formation.

The western section of the district is largely urbanised, with heaths nonetheless providing substantial green buffer around Camberley, Lightwater, Deepcut, Frimley, Frimley Green and Mytchett. The east of the district is less urbanised, and contains Surrey Heath's four civil parishes: [22]

The former Frimley and Camberley Urban District covering the west of the borough is an unparished area, governed directly by Surrey Heath Borough Council. [23]

Within the borough there are five Sites of Special Scientific Interest, four of which are part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area of European Importance as a habitat for certain endangered bird species; these make up some of the six Wildlife Reserves managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust in Surrey Heath.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [24]

Wider politics

The whole borough lies within the Surrey Heath constituency. The constituency is slightly larger than the borough, also including Ash. [23]

In 2014, the British Election Study named Surrey Heath as the most right-wing constituency in the country. [25]

Notable people

Twinning

Surrey Heath is twinned with Sucy-en-Brie, France, and Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camberley</span> Town in Surrey, England

Camberley is a town in northwest Surrey, England, around 29 miles south-west of central London. It is in the Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Town", it was assigned its current name by the General Post Office in 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Elmbridge</span> Local government district in Surrey, England

Elmbridge is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Esher, and other notable towns and villages include Cobham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Molesey. The borough lies just outside the administrative boundary of Greater London, but is mostly within the M25 motorway which encircles London. Many of the borough's urban areas form part of the wider Greater London Built-up Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagshot</span> Human settlement in England

Bagshot is a large village in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately 26 miles (42 km) southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an important staging post between London, Southampton and the West Country, evidenced by the original coaching inns still present in the village today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the UK

Surrey Heath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Michael Gove, a Conservative who has also been the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities since October 2022. The Home counties suburban constituency is in the London commuter belt, on the outskirts of Greater London. Surrey Heath is in the north west of Surrey and borders the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frimley Green</span> Human settlement in England

Frimley Green is a large village and ward of 580 acres (2.3 km2) in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately 30 mi (48 km) southwest of central London. It is 1 mi (1.6 km) south of the town of Frimley.

Mytchett is a village in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately 30 mi (48 km) southwest of central London. It is 2 miles (3 km) to the east of Farnborough, the nearest town. Much of the village dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Mytchett had a population of 4,624 in the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightwater</span> Human settlement in England

Lightwater is a village in the Surrey Heath district of Surrey, England, about 27 miles (43 km) southwest of central London. Immediately surrounding towns and villages include Bagshot, Deepcut, Windlesham, Camberley, and West End, Woking. It is bounded to the north-west by the M3 motorway and to the north-east by the "Lightwater Bypass" (A322). To the south-east it is bounded by the "Red Road" (B311), while to the south-west there are vehicle-testing tracks owned by the Ministry of Defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepcut</span> Human settlement in England

Deepcut is a village in the borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately 28 mi (45 km) southwest of central London. The nearest towns are Camberley, Surrey and Farnborough, Hampshire. Deepcut is named after the excavations required for the building of the Basingstoke Canal during the 1790s, although the village dates primarily from the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash, Surrey</span> Village in England

Ash is a village and civil parish in the far west of the borough of Guildford, Surrey. Ash is on the eastern side of the River Blackwater, with a station on the Reading-Guildford-Gatwick line, and direct roads to Aldershot, Farnham and Guildford. The 2011 census counted the residents of the main ward of Ash, which excludes Ash Vale, as 6,120. It is within the Blackwater Valley and adjoins the riverside in the east of that large town; Ash has a small museum in the local cemetery chapel, a large secondary school and a library.

Frimley and Camberley was an urban district in Surrey, England from 1894 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collingwood College, Surrey</span> Academy in Camberley, Surrey, England

Collingwood College is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Camberley, Surrey, England.

Chertsey sometimes seen as Surrey North Western, equally the North Western Division of Surrey was created as one of six county constituencies of Surrey for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat underwent two net reductions and variously included and excluded growing suburban settlements: Egham, Frimley, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames and Woking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascot–Ash Vale line</span> Railway line in southern England

The Ascot–Ash Vale line is an 11-mile-58-chain (18.9 km) railway line in Berkshire and Surrey, England. It runs from Ascot station, on the Waterloo–Reading line, to Ash Vale, on the Alton line. There are intermediate stations at Bagshot, Camberley and Frimley, all three of which are in the Borough of Surrey Heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Bourne, Addlestone</span> River in northwest Surrey, England

The River Bourne is the name given to a Thames tributary in northwest Surrey, England which has a longer tributary, the Windle Brook, that rises nears Bagshot Park in the south of Swinley Forest, Berkshire, merging with it while flowing through villages north of Woking; downstream the Bourne joins the Thames near Weybridge.

Bashot Rural District was a rural district in the administrative county of Surrey, England from 1933 to 1974, covering an area in the north-west of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frimley Lodge Park</span> English park

Frimley Lodge Park is a 24 hectares recreational site located between Frimley Green and Mytchett in Surrey, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Surrey Heath Borough Council election</span> 2023 English local election

The 2023 Surrey Heath Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect 32 of 35 members of Surrey Heath Borough Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections. The Liberal Democrats took control of the council from a minority Conservative administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral history of Michael Gove</span> List of elections featuring Michael Gove as a candidate

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References

  1. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Council minutes, 17 May 2023". Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Council minutes, 28 June 2023". Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 February 2021" (PDF). Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Surrey Heath Local Authority (E07000214)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Council minutes". Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Leader of Surrey Heath Borough Council to step down". Life Camberley. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Curley, Rebecca (31 January 2020). "Newly elected leader of Surrey Heath says residents 'deserve openness'". Surrey Live. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  13. ↑ Boyd, Alex (20 January 2020). "Surrey Heath Borough Council leader and deputy leader resign without explanation". Surrey Live. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  14. ↑ "Your councillors by political grouping". Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Duke opens Surrey Heath HQ". Farnborough Mail. 21 July 1987. p. 7. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  16. ↑ Parker, Graham (9 November 2018). "Surrey Heath stands by £110m purchase of Camberley centre". Property Week. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  17. ↑ Caulfield, Chris (3 April 2023). "Surrey Heath council's investment portfolio drops by £79m after House of Fraser exit". Surrey Live. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  18. ↑ Jubert, Jamie (2 August 2019). "Council's chief's pay packet sky rockets 30%". Surrey Live. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Independent investigation finds additional payments to chief executive "not lawfully made"". Local Government Lawyer. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Private Eye, Issue 1522, 22 May 2020, page 20
  21. ↑ "Soilscapes soil types viewer – National Soil Resources Institute. Cranfield University". landis.org.uk.
  22. ↑ Surrey Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  23. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  24. ↑ "The Surrey Heath (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2017/1268, retrieved 18 July 2023
  25. ↑ Wheeler, Brian (1 December 2014). "Strange reasons why people vote". BBC.
  26. ↑ McCormack, Kirsty (25 March 2022). "Bridgerton season 2: Who is Kate Sharma actress Simone Ashley in Netflix series?". mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  27. ↑ Ward, Victoria (13 September 2022). "Sophie, Countess of Wessex to gain new title if Edward becomes Duke of Edinburgh". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  28. ↑ "About Surrey Heath".

51°20′22″N0°44′36″W / 51.3395°N 0.7433°W / 51.3395; -0.7433

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