Challenges Facing Ash: Rising Costs, Council Restructuring and a New Neighbourhood Plan

Published on: 22 May, 2026
Updated on: 22 May, 2026

Cllr Michael Moriarty (left), the new chair of Ash Parish Council. With him is the new vice chair, long-standing Ash councillor John Tonks.

By David Reading

The new chair of Ash Parish Council says the future will hold strong challenges for Ash including the pressures of rising costs and complications resulting from local government reorganisation.

Cllr Michael Moriarty, who takes over from Cllr Fiona White, has noted that the establishment of new unitary authorities could be highly significant for parish councils.

It is likely that their responsibilities will increase as they absorb some local services from abolished district and borough councils.

Cllr Moriarty takes over at a time when another major issue for Ash is under the spotlight – the establishment of an Ash Neighbourhood Plan. Recent changes to national legislation affect how such plans must be assessed and there are important implications in areas such as new housing developments and climate change. A consultation among residents is now taking place, ending on Tuesday, May 26.

Asked about future issues facing Ash, Cllr Moriarty said: “It’s going to be an interesting time for us. As with all local councils, there will be pressures coming from the rising cost of operations.

“There will also be complications coming from local government reorganisation and any potential changes that may come down to us from the new authority (West Surrey Council).”

Speaking about the proposed Ash Neighbourhood plan, he said: “The importance of the Neighbourhood Plan is to give us a direction in terms of how the parish will look and feel over the next 20 plus years. We’re looking to protect the open spaces we have around the parish, the various community spaces we have and historic settings in and around Ash. Long term protections are needed for what makes this area special, making sure whatever happens in the future benefits everyone.”

A draft of the Plan has been subject to a public consultation and feedback from those who commented was passed to an independent examiner.

However, shortly after the consultation closed, changes were introduced to the legislation governing neighbourhood planning. As a result, the independent examiner has requested that a further consultation be carried out – focusing specifically on whether the Ash Neighbourhood Plan complies with updated legal requirements.

The revised legislation introduces new expectations that neighbourhood plans must meet including:

Avoiding proposals that would lead to less housing development than set out in the wider development plan, including the Local Plan
Ensuring plans contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation
Taking into account the Surrey Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Cllr Moriarty added: “We’re restricted overall in what we can do, but this is the next best time to do it and as such we’ve been working hard to get this done right as quickly as possible. Hopefully we will have good news from the inspection and when we hear about it, we’ll let everyone know what happens next.”

Consultation details: guildford.inconsult.uk/ANPE26/consultationHome

Another change on Ash Parish Council means that Cllr John Tonks, a long-standing Conservative member, takes over the vice chair from Cllr Carla Morson. Cllr Morson was recently elected as a Lib Dem on the new West Surrey Council.

Cllr Fiona White

The outgoing chair, Fiona White, said: “It has been an honour to chair Ash Parish Council and I would like to thank the clerk, the council staff and, of course, my council colleagues for every thing they do for the community.

“After chairing the council for three years I thought it was about time to hand over to a younger councillor. In my view the council made a wise decision in appointing Cllr Moriarty. He has shown how much he cares for the whole parish and how dedicated he is in acting in its best interests.”