Borough of Guildford
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 the location of the council.
Guildford | |
|---|---|
| Motto(s): Fortiter et Fideliter (Latin: Bravely and faithfully) | |
 Guildford shown within Surrey | |
| Coordinates: 51°14′46″N 0°33′07″W | |
| Sovereign state |  United Kingdom |
| Constituent country |  England |
| Region | South East England |
| Ceremonial county |  Surrey |
| Established | 1 April 1974 |
| Administrative HQ | Guildford |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district |
| • Body | Guildford Borough Council |
| • Leadership | Leader and cabinet |
| • Executive | Liberal Democrats - R4GV (council NOC) |
| • MPs | Paul Beresford (Mole Valley[n 1]) Michael Gove (Surrey Heath) Jonathan Lord (Woking) Angela Richardson (Guildford) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 104.6 sq mi (270.9 km2) |
| • Rank | 130th |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 143,929 |
| • Rank | 152nd |
| • Density | 1,380/sq mi (531/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 93.5% White 2.1% S.Asian 1.3% Black 1.3% Mixed Race 1.7% Chinese or Other |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 43UD (ONS) E07000209 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ0105550700 |
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 by an amalgamation of the municipal borough of Guildford and Guildford Rural District.
Functions
Borough councillors and officers work on devolved issues such as parks, leisure, older residents' services, youth services, streetscene, refuse collection, planning and aspects of business and tourism;[1] Surrey County Council deal with transport, publicly owned infrastructure planning and maintenance, education, social services and overall waste management. The Borough owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle, as well museums, art collections and civic regalia.[2]
Population
Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).[3] Approximately half of the Borough's population live in the town of Guildford.
Governance
Guildford Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Tom Horwood since 2021[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 48 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU2 4BB | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Elections
Borough elections take place for the whole council on a four-year basis.
4 May 2023 saw the most recent cross-borough election that produced 25 Liberal Democrat seats, 10 Conservative seats, 7 Residents for Guildford and Villages (R4GV) seats, 3 Guildford Greenbelt Group (GGG) seats and 3 Labour seats on the borough council.
Administration
Following the May 2013 borough council elections Guildford Borough Council is controlled by the Liberal Democrats meaning that they have a majority of council seats.
On 17 May 2023 councillors voted unanimously to elect the Liberal Democrat group leader, Julia McShane, as Leader of Guildford Borough Council.[7]
Political composition
| Political party | Council members | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 25 | 25 / 48 | |
| Conservative | 10 | 10 / 48 | |
| R4GV | 7 | 7 / 48 | |
| GGG | 3 | 3 / 48 | |
| Labour | 3 | 3 / 48 | |
Members of Parliament
| Constituency | Member of Parliament | Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guildford | Angela Richardson | Conservative Party | |
| Mole Valley | Sir Paul Beresford | ||
| Surrey Heath | Michael Gove | ||
| Woking | Jonathan Lord | ||
Composition
The central 'Guildford Town' area of the borough comprises the town centre and immediately surrounding areas, including: Bellfields, Boxgrove, Onslow Village, Park Barn, Stoughton, Westborough, and the (former) villages of Burpham, and Merrow.
Third tier of local government
Apart from the town of Guildford which has no third (or most local) tier, most of the rest of the borough has civil parishes of unpaid councillors who are entitled to charge a small extra precept for services they pay out for:[9]
Premises
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.[10] Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council.[11] The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.[4]
Notes and references
Notes
- Mole Valley UK Parliament Constituency and two of the others include some peripheral wards.
References
- "Guildford Borough Council". Archived from the original on 28 May 2003. Retrieved 2 March 2004.
- "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.
- List of English districts by population
- "Council minutes, 10 May 2023". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- "Council minutes, 11 October 2022". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- 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.
- "New borough council administration kicks off by re-electing Lib Dem Leader". Guildford Dragon. 18 May 2023.
- "Guildford election results in full as Liberal Democrats take control". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- Surrey County Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Historic England. "Millmead House, Millmead (Grade II) (1188094)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- "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...
