Opinion: Why Guildford Needs a Town Council

Published on: 27 Aug, 2025
Updated on: 30 Aug, 2025

By Gavin Morgan

A survey has gone round to residents in the town centre asking for views on the creation of a town council. I urge everyone to take a look and give feedback using the QR code in the letter.

What  I received was a bit misleading as it was headed “Community Governance Review for the  unparished urban area of Guildford,” but it is worth reading.

Under the Government’s local reforms, ironically called “English devolution”, Guildford Borough Council will cease to exist in 2027 and local decisions will be made by a much larger unitary authority.

Gavin Morgan is the founder of the Guildford Heritage Forum

Money will be tight. Under the government’s so called “Fair Funding Model” there will be less money available and if Woking’s and Runnymede’s debt are not written off the new authority will be in dire financial difficulties. See the financial sustainability section on the Surrey County Council page on “devolution”.

Cuts will be likely and many services that are valued by Guildfordians will get a low priority. Most of councillors on the unitary authority will live elsewhere so won’t be too bothered if the Lido is closed or the flowers in the Castle Grounds are not as good.

They might feel it is a good idea to sell Guildford House and close the museum. These are services many people value. They help make Guildford an appealing town and support the High Street economy.

It’s not just the Lido, castle grounds and museum that could be affected. Allotment sites could be sold off. Guildford will also lose its identity. It was established as a borough in 1257 but once “devolution” takes place it won’t even be a town. It will just be one of many areas run by the unitary authority.

Its character will be diluted and in time it may feel less distinctive. The Guildhall won’t be the town’s ceremonial heart. It will just be an old building perhaps leased as an office. G-Live, currently owned by the GBC, might be sold to a chain and the Yvonne Arnaud might struggle to survive. Rochester used to be one of our historic cathedral cities. It was granted city status in 1227 but lost it in 1998 when a unitary authority was created.

Godalming won’t have this problem because it has a town council. Residents pay a bit more for it, perhaps an additional £100 per annum on council tax but it gives them more control over some key local services. All the rural parishes do the same and fund parish councils. Town and parish councils are the first tier of local government, the one closest to the public, arguably the one most responsive to local needs.

They run many of the things we see on a daily basis. They can run parks and open spaces, can designate areas as nature reserves, run community centres, allotments and even swimming baths.

Such councils are consulted on larger issues like planning and because they are an elected authority they get listened to in ways that many small campaign groups do not. They ensure that local issues are represented through a committee of people responsive to local needs.

Guildford does not have a town council but I believe it should have one. If it does not it will not only cease to be a town, it will risk losing any sense of identity or community. It will just be an entity and as years go by it will be less and less the town many of us so love. That’s why I want a town council to be created.

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