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, Reigate and Banstead, Waverley and Rushmoor.
History The town of Guildford was an ancient borough, with its first known charter dating from 1257. 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.
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: Guildford Municipal Borough Guildford Rural District 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.
As part of upcoming structural changes to local government in England, the district will be abolished in April 2027 and the area will become part of the new unitary authority of West Surrey.
Governance
Guildford Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.
The council owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle, as well museums, art collections and civic regalia.
The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Waverley Borough Council since 2021.
Political control The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.
Political control of the old municipal borough council from 1836 to 1974 was as follows: 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: (Put "Guildford" in search box to see specific results.) Party in control Years 1974–1991 1991–1995 1995–1997 1997–2003 2003–2019 2019–2023 2023–present
Leadership
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:
Councillor Party From To Tony Rooth May 2010 11 Oct 2012 Stephen Mansbridge 11 Oct 2012 19 Oct 2015 Paul Spooner 9 Dec 2015 May 2019 Caroline Reeves 15 May 2019 22 Sep 2020 Joss Bigmore 6 Oct 2020 22 Sep 2022 Julia McShane 11 Oct 2022
Composition Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:
Party Councillors 25 10 7 3 3Total48
Elections
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 were held every four years.
Further full borough council elections were cancelled in 2026, and an election for the new West Surrey Council was held instead. West Surrey Council will formally come into being and take over local government functions in the area on 1 April 2027, at which point Guildford Borough Council and the borough of Guildford will be abolished.
Members of Parliament
The borough straddles five parliamentary constituencies: Constituency Member of Parliament Political party Godalming and Ash Jeremy Hunt Conservative Guildford Zöe Franklin Liberal Democrats Surrey Heath Al Pinkerton Woking Will Forster Dorking and Horley Chris Coghlan
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. Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council. The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.
Demography Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).List of English districts by population Approximately half of the borough's population live in the town of Guildford.
Parishes 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. 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:Surrey County Council
Notes and references Notes
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