| Official Name: | Guildford |
| Settlement Type: | Borough and non-metropolitan district |
| Motto: | Fortiter et Fideliter (Latin: Bravely and faithfully) |
| Mapsize: | 150px |
| Coordinates: | 51.246°N -0.552°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Type1: | Constituent country |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | South East England |
| Subdivision Type3: | Ceremonial county |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1 April 1974 |
| Seat Type: | Administrative HQ |
| Seat: | Guildford |
| Government Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Governing Body: | Guildford Borough Council |
| Leader Title4: | MPs |
| Leader Name4: | Zöe Franklin (Guildford) Chris Coghlan (Dorking & Horley) Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath) Will Forster (Woking) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Rank: | |
| Population Rank: | |
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnicity (2021) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Ethnic groups |
| Demographics Type2: | Religion (2021) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Religion |
| Timezone: | Greenwich Mean Time |
| Utc Offset: | +0 |
| Timezone Dst: | British Summer Time |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +1 |
| Blank1 Name: | ONS code |
| Blank1 Info: | 43UD (ONS) E07000209 (GSS) |
| Blank2 Name: | OS grid reference |
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, Dorking & Horley, Waverley and Rushmoor.
The town of Guildford was an ancient borough, with its first known charter dating from 1257.[1] 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.[2] [3]
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:[4] [5]
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.[6] [1]
| Guildford Borough Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Guildford Borough Council.svg |
| Logo Res: | 250px |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | Sallie Barker |
| Party1: | Conservative |
| Election1: | 8 May 2024[7] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Julia McShane |
| Election2: | 11 October 2022[8] |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Pedro Wrobel |
| Election3: | 8 April 2024 |
| Members: | 48 councillors |
| Structure1: | Borough_of_Guildford_Council_2023.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Session Room: | Millmead House - geograph.org.uk - 3804820.jpg |
| Meeting Place: | Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU24BB |
| Last Election1: | 4 May 2023 |
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
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]
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 control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1991 | ||
| 1991–1995 | ||
| 1995–1997[17] | ||
| 1997–2003 | ||
| 2003–2019 | ||
| 2019–2023 | ||
| 2023–present | ||
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:[18]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Rooth[19] | May 2010 | 11 Oct 2012 | ||
| Stephen Mansbridge[20] | 11 Oct 2012 | 19 Oct 2015 | ||
| Paul Spooner | 9 Dec 2015 | 15 May 2019 | ||
| Caroline Reeves | 15 May 2019 | 22 Sep 2020 | ||
| Joss Bigmore | 6 Oct 2020 | 11 Oct 2022 | ||
| Julia McShane[21] | 12 Oct 2022 | |||
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[22] [23]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 3 | |||
| Total | 48 | ||
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.[24]
See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey. The borough straddles four parliamentary constituencies:
| Constituency | Member of Parliament | Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guildford | Zöe Franklin | Liberal Democrats | |
| Dorking & Horley | Chris Coghlan | Liberal Democrats | |
| Surrey Heath | Al Pinkerton | ||
| Woking | Will Forster | ||
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. Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council.[25] The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.[26]
Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).[27] Approximately half of the borough's population live in the town of Guildford.
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] [28] 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:[29]
Notes References