Guildford To Have Town Council with Estimated Extra Annual Tax of £69

Published on: 16 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 16 Sep, 2026

By Martin Giles

Guildford will have a town council next year. West Surrey Shadow Authority accepted a recommendation made in March by Guildford Borough Council. The decision was taken at yesterday’s (September 15) Executive meeting of the West Surrey Shadow Council (WSSC).

Council tax payers within the Guildford town area will be charged an estimated extra £69 per year to fund the new council providing an estimated annual budget of £2 million.

The proposal proved to be controversial when considered by the borough council. A consultation conducted by GBC resulted in a response from six per cent of the electorate with 1,507 against and 1,486 in favour.

See also: GBC Recommends Town Council for Guildford to West Surrey Shadow Authority

GBC had been unable to take the decision itself because the The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 was enacted earlier than expected, meaning the final decision, although only affecting Guildford town, required confirmation by the West Surrey Shadow Council’s Executive.

Surprisingly, only one of the ten Lib Dem councillors from the town wards spoke in the debate, Vanessa King (Lib Dem, Guildford SE). It was unclear if other Guildford WSSC councillors were even present. All but two of those who did speak in the debate were councillors from outside Guildford Borough.

One notable absentee was Cllr Julia McShane (Lib Dem, Guildford West). She is the only Guildford councillor on the WSSC Executive and continues to lead Guildford Borough Council until its expected demise in March next year.

During the GBC debate she was at odds with her party colleagues and voted against the proposal because of the extra costs it would impose on her constituents. She clearly found the situation difficult at the time, even appearing close to tears, according to some present in the chamber. Political party members are normally expected to follow the party line and it is particularly unusual for a leader to be out of step.

Cllr Vanessa King

The main speaker supporting the motion to accept GBC’s recommendation was Cllr Vanessa King (Lib Dem, Guildford South East). She told the Executive: “I am asking you to do something really simple but important to ensure that when local government reorganisation takes effect, the people of urban Guildford do not lose their local voice…

“Under the new unitary arrangements, Urban Guildford’s 70,000 odd residents will see their directly elected local representation fall sharply. The majority of councillors who currently focus exclusively on Guildford’s neighbourhoods, parks, community facilities, and local issues will largely disappear as a dedicated tier.

“This is not about adding bureaucracy. It is about protecting Guildford’s identity, its heritage, its art and culture, and ensuring our communities continue to have a strong, dedicated voice.”

She also asked for a shadow Town Council to be formed by existing borough councillors to “provide democratic oversight during implementation, support asset transfers, and prepare the new authority for its first elections” which will be held in May next year.

Cllr Jane Austin

Cllr Jane Austin, leader of The Conservative opposition at WSSC, said she could not see clear evidence that setting up a town council reflected the “clear will” of the electorate, nor that there would be a “clear benefit” to residents.

She expressed concern that the officers’ report did not “present the Guildford case in a sufficiently balanced way” and thought more detail was required “if we’re asking for a major part of Guildford to pay an extra, estimated £69 a year”.

Cllr Catherine Young

Cllr Catherine Young (R4GV, Clandon & Horsley) said because things were done in a rush it was questionable if those who took part in the consultation  “really understood what they were being asked about… and the benefits a parish or town council can actually bring to a community.”

She believed, she said, that it was preferable to go ahead “rather than having to go back at a future point, which might cost extra money”.

Cllr Bob Hughes

Cllr Bob Hughes (Con, Shere) said that given those who took part in the consultation had voted, albeit narrowly, to reject it, “I’m more than a bit perplexed when Cllr King tells us that their views were taken seriously and taken into account. That’s just rhetoric. It’s just wrong, they weren’t taken into account, and we still don’t know what the people of Guildford think about this, but the likelihood is they don’t want it.”

He was also concerned that the town council will have no cap on their precept (part of the council tax that will go to the town council), “therefore the temptation for West Surrey to just dump extra expenditure on those that council will be irresistible”.

He concluded: “At the moment, there is no evidence that anyone except a very small number of people in the controlling group, or most of the controlling group in Guildford, want it. I don’t think people do want it.”

Share This Post