2026 East Surrey Council election

The 2026 East Surrey Council election was an election that took place on 7 May 2026 to elect members of East Surrey Council in Surrey, England.

This was the inaugural election to East Surrey Council, ahead of its formal creation from the merger of Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead, and Tandridge, along with the abolition of Surrey County Council. The council will initially operate as a "shadow authority", with the transition to the council's full powers expected on 1st April 2027.

72 seats from 36 wards were contested at the election, a sharp reduction in the number of councillors covering the East Surrey area (246 pre-reorganisation vs. 72 post-reorganisation, a reduction of 71%). The ward boundaries used were a modified set of boundaries derived from the Surrey County Council division boundaries covering the East Surrey Council area and last used in the 2021 Surrey County Council election.

The Liberal Democrats won a majority at this election, taking 40 of the 72 seats. After the election, they chose Steve Wotton to be their group leader. He was formally confirmed as leader of the shadow authority at its inaugural meeting at Reigate on 20 May 2026.

Comparison with SCC results of 2021

At the Surrey County Council elections of 2021, the results in the 36 divisions within the East Surrey area were as follows:

The Conservative Party won 22 divisions, with 22 councillors duly elected. Residents’ Parties and candidates won 7 divisions. The Liberal Democrats won 3 divisions. The Greens won 2 divisions, and Independent candidates also won in 2 divisions. No Labour Party or Reform Party candidates were elected, with Reform contesting only a minimal number of seats in Surrey (and across England) in the local elections of 2021.

With two councillors to be elected in each of the 36 wards of East Surrey in 2026 (and with those 36 wards being very similar to the 36 Surrey County Council divisions contested in 2021), one can summarise that the notional 2021-based ‘seats before’ starting point for each of the political parties prior to the 2026 East Surrey election was as follows:

Conservatives 44 seats (ie. double their haul of 22 wins in 2021, owing to two councillors per ward being elected in 2026, rather than just one as in 2021); Residents’ parties and candidates 14 seats; the Liberal Democrats 6 seats; the Greens 4 seats; and Independents 4 seats.

By this calculation, the Liberal Democrats increased their number of councillors in East Surrey in 2026 by 34, going from 6 notional seats in 2021 to 40 seats in 2026. The Conservatives saw a net reduction of 34, winning just 10 seats compared to their previous total of 44. The Greens doubled their number of seats, going from 4 in 2021 to 8 in 2026, whilst the number of Residents’ seats was halved, going down from 14 to 7. The Reform Party secured 5 seats in 2026, an increase of 5, and Independents saw their representation halved, from 4 seats to 2. The Labour Party failed to secure any seats in East Surrey in either 2021 or 2026.

Opinion polling

Pollster Date(s)conducted Samplesize Con Lab Lib Dem Green Reform Ind/Other LeadJL Partners (MRP)April 2026TBA25%7%29%9%27%4% 2

Election results

Results by ward

Elmbridge

Epsom and Ewell

Mole Valley

Reigate & Banstead

Tandridge

Changes 2026–2031 May 2026: The Liberal Democrat group agreed its shadow cabinet at the authority's inaugural meeting, with Kirsty Hewens as deputy leader and portfolio holders including Andrew Burton (finance and resources), Ashley Tilling (children's services and education), David Buxton (adult social care and health), Andrew Matthews (transport, highways and infrastructure), Bradley Nelson (strategic planning and growth), Julian Freeman (housing), Abhiram Magesh (leisure, culture and communities) and Claire Malcomson (climate, environment and waste).

Notes

References

External links East Surrey Council election results - Future Surrey

2026 East Surrey Council election

Bron en licentie