Surrey Heath

This article is about the district. For the constituency, see Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency).

Surrey Heath
Non-metropolitan district, borough
Motto(s): 
Festina diligenter
(Latin: Make haste carefully)
Surrey Heath shown within Surrey
Surrey Heath shown within Surrey
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countySurrey
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQCamberley
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodySurrey Heath Borough Council
 • MPsAl Pinkerton (Lib Dem)
Area
 • Total
36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2)
 • Rank202nd (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
91,237
 • Rank261st (of 296)
 • Density2,500/sq mi (960/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code43UJ (ONS)
E07000214 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU8752760851

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.

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:[2]

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.[3] The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[4]

Governance

Surrey Heath Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Sarbie Kang,
Liberal Democrat
since 15 May 2024[5]
Shaun Macdonald,
Liberal Democrat
since 28 June 2023[6]
Chief Executive (interim)
Nick Steevens
since 1 July 2024[7]
Structure
Seats35 councillors
Political groups
Administration (23)
  Liberal Democrats (23)
Other parties (12)
  Conservative (6)
  Independent (4)
  Labour (2)
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Surrey Heath House, Knoll Road, Camberley, GU15 3HD
Website
www.surreyheath.gov.uk
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.[8]

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 control Years
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]

Councillor Party From To
Vivienne Chapman Conservative pre-1996 27 May 1998
Moira Gibson[11] Conservative 27 May 1998 27 Feb 2019
Richard Brooks[12][13] Conservative 27 Feb 2019 20 Jan 2020
Alan McClafferty Conservative 29 Jan 2020 17 May 2023
David Whitcroft Liberal Democrats 17 May 2023 28 Jun 2023
Shaun Macdonald Liberal Democrats 28 Jun 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election (including a postponed election in one ward) and a subsequent change of allegiance in July 2024, the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 23
Conservative 6
Independent 4
Labour 2
Total 35

Three of the four independent councillors sit together as "The Community Group".[14] The next election is due in 2027.[15]

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.[16]

Controversies

In 2016 the council bought The Square, the main shopping centre in the centre of Camberley, for £109 million.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19][20][21]

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.[22] 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 urbanized, and contains Surrey Heath's four civil parishes:[23]

The former Frimley and Camberley Urban District covering the west of the borough is an unparished area, governed directly by Surrey Heath Borough Council.[24]

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

See also: Surrey Heath Borough Council 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.[25]

Wider politics

The whole borough lies within the Surrey Heath constituency. The constituency is slightly larger than the borough, including the Normandy and Pirbright ward of Guildford Borough Council.[24]

In 2014, the British Election Study named Surrey Heath as the most right-wing constituency in the country.[26]

Notable people

Twinning

Surrey Heath is twinned with Sucy-en-Brie, France, and Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Surrey Heath Local Authority (E07000214)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. ^ Panons, Jacob (17 May 2024). "Council elects first ethnic minority mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Council minutes, 28 June 2023". Surrey Heath Borough Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Surrey Heath Borough Council's Interim Chief Executive announced | Surrey Heath Borough Council". Surrey Heath Borough Council. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. 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. ^ "Surrey Heath". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Duke opens Surrey Heath HQ". Farnborough Mail. 21 July 1987. p. 7. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  17. ^ Parker, Graham (9 November 2018). "Surrey Heath stands by £110m purchase of Camberley centre". Property Week. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Jubert, Jamie (2 August 2019). "Council's chief's pay packet sky rockets 30%". Surrey Live. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Independent investigation finds additional payments to chief executive "not lawfully made"". Local Government Lawyer. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  21. ^ Private Eye, Issue 1522, 22 May 2020, page 20
  22. ^ "Soilscapes soil types viewer – National Soil Resources Institute. Cranfield University". landis.org.uk.
  23. ^ Surrey Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  25. ^ "The Surrey Heath (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1268, retrieved 18 July 2023
  26. ^ Wheeler, Brian (1 December 2014). "Strange reasons why people vote". BBC.
  27. ^ McCormack, Kirsty (25 March 2022). "Bridgerton season 2: Who is Kate Sharma actress Simone Ashley in Netflix series?". mirror. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "About Surrey Heath".

51°20′22″N 0°44′36″W / 51.3395°N 0.7433°W / 51.3395; -0.7433