Mole Valley District Council provides district-level services for the local government district of Mole Valley, in Surrey, in South East England. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. Parts of the district are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.
Mole Valley District Council, along with all Surrey district councils and Surrey County Council will be abolished in 2027 as part of ongoing local government restructuring, with the area of Mole Valley to become part of East Surrey, administered by East Surrey Council.
Political control The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2019.
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: (Put "Mole Valley" in search box to see specific results.) Party in control Years 1974–1980 1980–1982 1982–1994 1994–1995 1995–2006 2006–2010 2010–2015 2015–2018 2018–2019 2019–present
Leadership The leaders of the council since 2012 have been:
Councillor Party From To James Friend May 2012 Chris Townsend May 2012 2015 James Friend May 2015 2016 Vivienne Michael 2016 May 2019 Stephen Cooksey May 2019 20 May 2025 Bridget Kendrick 20 May 2025
Composition Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:
Party Councillors 31 Ashtead Independents6 2Total39
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections were held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Surrey County Council elections were held in the fourth year of the cycle when there were no district council elections.
Further district council elections were cancelled in 2026, and an election for the new East Surrey Council was held instead. East Surrey Council will formally come into being and take over local government functions in the area on 1 April 2027, at which point Mole Valley District Council and the district of Mole Valley will be abolished.
Most of the district lies within the Mole Valley constituency, the exception being Ashtead which is within the Epsom and Ewell constituency.
Premises
The council is based at Pippbrook on Reigate Road in Dorking, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1984. It was built in the grounds of a large Victorian house, called Pippbrook House, which had served as the headquarters of the old Dorking Urban District Council from 1931 and then as Mole Valley District Council's headquarters until the new building opened.
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