The Borough of Runnymede is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Addlestone and the borough also includes the towns of Chertsey and Egham. The borough is named after Runnymede, a water meadow on the banks of the River Thames near Egham, which is connected with the sealing of Magna Carta by King John in 1215.
It is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt, having some of the most expensive housing in the United Kingdom outside central London, such as the Wentworth Estate at Virginia Water. The M25 motorway which encircles London runs through the borough, with Addlestone, Chertsey and Egham Hythe being inside the M25. At the 2021 Census, the population of the borough was 87,739. With a GDP per capita of £87,277 it is the sixth wealthiest borough in the UK, being the wealthiest outside of London. [1] The UK Competitiveness Index ranks it as the 8th most economically competitive area in the UK, with only London boroughs ahead.[2]
The neighbouring districts are Spelthorne, Elmbridge, Woking, Surrey Heath and Windsor and Maidenhead.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering two former districts which were both abolished at the same time:[3] [4]
The new district was named after the water meadow of Runnymede on the banks of the Thames at Egham on the northern edge of the borough, which is connected with the sealing of Magna Carta by King John in 1215 and is the site of several significant monuments.[5]
The district was awarded borough status in 1978, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[6]
| Runnymede Borough Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Runnymede_Borough_Council logo.svg |
| Logo Res: | 250px |
| Foundation: | 1 April 1974 |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | Elaine Gill |
| Party1: | RIRG |
| Election1: | 15 May 2024 |
| Leader2 Type: | Co-leaders |
| Leader2: | Robert King (Lab) Don Whyte (Lib Dem) Linda Gillham (RIRG) Steve Ringham (Green) |
| Election2: | 15 May 2024 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Andrew Pritchard |
| Election3: | 1 August 2023[7] |
| Members: | 41 councillors |
| Structure1: | Runnymede Borough Council May 2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: | Administration (25) |
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Last Election1: | 2 May 2024 |
| Next Election1: | 7 May 2026 |
| Session Room: | Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone.jpg |
| Meeting Place: | Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT152AH |
Runnymede Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[8] There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[9]
The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2024 election a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors formed to run the council.[10] [11]
The first elections to the council were 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:[12] [13]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1996 | ||
| 1996–1998 | ||
| 1998–2023 | ||
| 2023–present | ||
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Runnymede. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader or co-leaders of the council. The leaders (or co-leaders) since 1984 have been:[14]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denis Clarke[15] | 1984 | 1986 | |||
| Michael Wheaton | 1986 | 1991 | |||
| Howard Langley | 1991 | 14 May 1997 | |||
| Chris Norman[16] | 14 May 1997 | post-1999 | |||
| Geoffrey Woodger | post-1999 | 15 May 2003 | |||
| Roger Habgood[17] | 15 May 2003 | May 2005 | |||
| Geoffrey Woodger | May 2005 | May 2006 | |||
| John Furey | May 2006 | May 2011 | |||
| Patrick Roberts | May 2011 | 18 May 2016 | |||
| Peter Waddell | 18 May 2016 | 17 May 2017 | |||
| Nick Prescot | 17 May 2017 | 18 May 2022 | |||
| Tom Gracey | 18 May 2022 | 15 May 2024 | |||
| Robert King | 15 May 2024 | Co-leaders | |||
| Don Whyte | |||||
| Linda Gillham | |||||
| Steve Ringham | |||||
Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:[18]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 3 | |||
| Total | 41 | ||
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 14 wards with each ward electing three councillors except Englefield Green East which elects two. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time for a four-year term of office. Surrey County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[21]
The council is based at Runnymede Civic Centre on Station Road in Addlestone. The new building cost a reported £12.6m and opened in May 2008. The council's former offices were on the adjoining site and were subsequently demolished to make way for a retail development.[22]
The M25 motorway runs through Runnymede from south to north, with junctions at Chertsey and Egham, while train services in the borough are provided by South Western Railway on the Waterloo–Reading line and the Chertsey branch line.
Runnymede is twinned with Bergisch Gladbach, situated 10 miles east of Cologne; Herndon, Virginia, about 20 miles west of Washington, D.C.; and Joinville-le-Pont, located to the east of Paris.