Council to recommend parish council for Guildford Town to West Surrey shadow authority
Council to recommend parish council for Guildford Town to West Surrey shadow authority
Last night, Guildford Borough councillors considered feedback from the public consultation on whether to create a parish council for Guildford town.
Full Council reviewed all three options available to the Council and agreed to recommend to the future West Surrey shadow authority that a parish council for Guildford be created from 1 April 2027. Councillors also approved the use of up to £300,000 from the Medium Term Financial Plan reserve to cover the start-up costs for the new parish council, but only if the West Surrey shadow authority decides to create it.
Following recent government legislation, the final decision to set up a new parish council will now rest with the future West Surrey shadow authority. Since Guildford’s second phase of consultation began, the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 has removed some of Guildford Borough Council’s powers around Community Governance Reviews, including the ability to set up new parish councils.
After the meeting, Cllr Julia McShane, Leader of the Council said:
“We’re grateful to everyone who shared their views during the consultation.”
Cllr Vanessa King, Deputy Leader of the Council added:
“By recommending a new parish council, we are acting to protect Guildford’s local voice and historic identity.
“This ensures our community remains heard within the large unitary authority. This decision provides a clear plan and necessary funding to safeguard our town’s unique heritage and local representation for every single resident.”
More information and analysis of the consultation responses is available on the Council’s website.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The Community Governance Review process supports the Council’s strategic priority of creating a more inclusive borough by giving residents the opportunity to share their views on the future governance of Guildford town.
The Council finished the second phase of its public consultation on whether to create a new parish council for Guildford town on Sunday 1 March 2026. The response rate was 6.14% of the eligible local electorate, or almost 10% of the 33,325 households (assuming a single response per household). Compared to other community governance reviews, this was a very good response rate.
Of the 3,197 responses received:
- 1,486 (46.48%) were in favour of setting up a parish council
- 1,507 (47.14%) were against the proposal
- 204 (6.38%) did not know.
The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 came into effect on Tuesday 10 March 2026.
To preserve historic property, privileges, rights, and traditions presently enjoyed by the residents of Guildford, charter trustees for the unparished urban area of Guildford are now expected to be established, unless a parish council is created on 1 April 2027 which will inherit the borough’s charter.
Draft Order
The draft Order will need to be agreed by the Executive of the future West Surrey shadow authority. The reorganisation order is the legal mechanism required to establish a parish council for the unparished urban area of Guildford. It includes provisions for the transfer of statutory allotments, and the transfer of civic regalia and items of historic significance associated with Guildford’s historic mayoralty. Other recommendations include:
Precept for the new parish council: The financial envelope for the proposed parish’s first year would be £1,983,500, which equates to an annual precept for a Band D property of approximately £69 (£5.75 per month).
This precept is based on an indicative budget for a parish council of the size being proposed for Guildford town. This allows for set-up, election, and running costs. Once elected, a new parish council would set its own budget.
The proposed parish council would have 24 councillors allocated across its wards.
Press contact: The Communications Team – e-mail commsteam@guildford.gov.uk