Runnymede Borough Council

Runnymede Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Steve Ringham,
Green
since 20 May 2026[1]
Robert King (Lab)
Don Whyte (Lib Dem)
Linda Gillham (RIRG)
since 15 May 2024
Andrew Pritchard
since 1 August 2023[2]
Structure
Seats41 councillors
Political groups
Administration (24)
Opposition (17)
Length of term
4 years
SalaryNo salary, but an annual taxable basic allowance of £5,778
Elections
First election
7 June 1973
Last election
2 May 2024
Meeting place
Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT15 2AH
Website
www.runnymede.gov.uk
High Street in Egham

Runnymede Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Runnymede, a non-metropolitan district in Surrey, England. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[3] There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[4] The council has been under no overall control since 2023, being run since 2024 by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, Residents Group, and Independent councillors.

Runnymede Borough 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 Runnymedge to become part of West Surrey, administered by West Surrey Council.[5][6]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2024 election an Alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors formed to run the council.[7][8]

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:[9][10]

Party in controlYears
Conservative1974–1996
No overall control1996–1998
Conservative1998–2023
No overall control2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Runnymede. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader or co-leaders of the council. The leaders (or co-leaders) since 1984 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromToNotes
Denis Clarke[11]Conservative19841986
Michael Wheaton[12][13]Conservative19861991
Howard Langley[14][15]Conservative199114 May 1997
Chris Norman[15]Conservative14 May 19972000
Geoffrey Woodger[16][17]Conservative200015 May 2003
Roger Habgood[17]Conservative15 May 2003May 2005
Geoffrey Woodger[16]ConservativeMay 2005May 2006
John Furey[18][19]Conservative20062011
Patrick Roberts[20]Conservative2011May 2016
Peter Waddell[21]Conservative18 May 2016May 2017
Nick Prescot[22][23]Conservative17 May 2017May 2022
Tom Gracey[24][25]Conservative18 May 2022May 2024
Steve Ringham[26]Green15 May 202420 May 2026Co-leaders[7][27]
Robert KingLabour
Don WhyteLiberal Democrats
Linda GillhamRIRG

Composition

Following the 2024 election,[28] and subsequent changes of allegiance, the composition of the council is:[29]

Party Seats
Conservative 12
Labour 8
Liberal Democrats 7
Runnymede Independent Residents Group 5
Independent 4
Reform 3
Green 2
Total 41

Of the independent councillors, two (both representing Ottershaw ward) form the "Independent Group", which informally supported the Conservative minority administration between 2023 and 2024.[30] Two (both representing Englefield Green East) form part of the majority administration group.[31]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 14 wards with each ward electing three councillors except Englefield Green East which elects two. Elections were held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council 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 borough council elections.[32]

Further 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 Runnymede Borough Council and the borough of Runnymede will be abolished.[33]

Premises

The council is based at Runnymede Civic Centre on Station Road in Addlestone. The new building cost a reported £12.6m and opened in May 2008. The council's former offices were on the adjoining site and were subsequently demolished to make way for a retail development.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Cllr Steve Ringham appointed as Mayor of Runnymede". Runnymede Borough Council. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Afghanistan veteran to be council's new CEO". Runnymede Borough Council. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Starr, Claire; Akin, Sofia; Gupta, Tanya (8 May 2026). "Liberal Democrats take control of both new councils in Surrey". BBC News.
  6. ↑ "Government confirms new East and West councils for Surrey". Surrey County Council.
  7. 1 2 Lee, Shola (24 May 2024). "Runnymede gets innovative political co-leadership". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Runnymede". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Runnymede" in search box to see specific results.)
  10. ↑ "Runnymede". BBC News Online. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  11. ↑ "Tory leader going to the back bench". Surrey Herald. Chertsey. 9 January 1986. p. 2. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  12. ↑ Allan, Arthur (13 February 1986). "In the lead by a cool head". Egham News. p. 5. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  13. ↑ Cook, Dominic (25 April 1991). "Leaders pooh pooh Poll Tax". Surrey Herald. Chertsey. p. 11. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "Tories stay well on top". Egham and Staines News. 9 May 1991. p. 10. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  15. 1 2 "New man at helm". Surrey Herald. Chertsey. 22 May 1997. p. 9. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Council agenda, 20 April 2017" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Council minutes, 15 May 2003" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Current group leaders and deputies". Runnymede Borough Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Election: Blue's the colour for Runnymede". Surrey Live. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  20. ↑ "Current group leaders and deputies". Runnymede Borough Council. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 18 May 2016" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Council minutes, 17 May 2017" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  23. ↑ "2021–22 Statement of Accounts". Runnymede Borough Council. p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  24. ↑ "Council minutes, 18 May 2022" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  25. ↑ "Addlestone by-election". Woking News and Mail. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "Council minutes, 20 May 2026" (PDF). Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Council minutes, 15 May 2024". Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  28. ↑ "Runnymede election results: Elections 2024". The BBC.
  29. ↑ "Runnymede". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  30. ↑ Caulfield, Chris (18 May 2023). "New Runnymede leader to take on council with no overall control". Surrey Live. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  31. ↑ "Your councillors by political grouping". Runnymede Borough Council. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  32. ↑ "The Runnymede (Electoral Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/126, retrieved 15 January 2024
  33. ↑ "The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026: Article 48", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2026/264 (art. 48)
  34. ↑ "New civic offices open for business". Surrey Live. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
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