Sudden Resignation of Guildford County Councillor

Published on: 1 Sep, 2025
Updated on: 2 Sep, 2025

Cllr Fiona Davidson speaking at Surrey County Council

By Martin Giles

The sudden resignation of Fiona Davidson, who has served as the county councillor for Guildford South East since 2021, will trigger another by-election which could further weaken the dominance of the Conservatives at Surrey County Council.

The county council, in a message announcing the resignation, says it is already working with Guildford Borough Council to make the necessary by-election arrangements. The date has not been announced.

The former county councillor, in a statement sent to The Guildford Dragon NEWS, gives “personal reasons” as the cause for her resignation.

Her statement includes a parting side-swipe at the “negative side” of national political parties in local government saying: “I firmly believe that party politics should have no role in local politics and that residents are best served by councillors whose only agenda is residents’ concerns and interests.”

Her full statement reads:

I am very sorry to announce that I have resigned as the Surrey County Councillor for Guildford South East. As is usual with councillors, it is effective immediately. My decision is for a number of reasons, all personal. It has been a very difficult decision.

Being a county councillor is a demanding role. I have striven to represent and put residents’ concerns and needs front and centre of everything that I have advocated and done over the past four and a bit years.

This is what R4GV stands for, and it’s a responsibility that I take seriously. In May 2021 I stood for a four-year term which came to an end in May this year, but was unexpectedly extended for an additional two years due to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Unfortunately I did not feel that I could do justice to the role over the next 18 months in the run up to LGR.

It has been a pleasure to meet and engage with so many different groups and individuals in the community. I have been proud to represent Guildford South East, and privileged to help residents with their many queries, issues and requests; from resolving flooding and parking issues, to providing funding for community groups and charities, securing funding for the Yvonne Arnaud and Disability Challengers, and new zebra crossings outside Boxgrove School and (in 2026) on Epsom Road.

The London Road Active Travel scheme was a very contentious project, but I was determined to ensure that residents were properly informed about the scheme, and about the true safety statistics, as well as to ensure that residents’ concerns were listened to, and not swamped by the views of activists from all over the UK and beyond, in a consultation that allowed anyone, from anywhere, to respond and have their views counted – even if they had never been to Guildford or knew where it was!

I have also been privileged to represent children and families as Chair of the Children and Families Select Committee. I wish I could have done more. In particular, children with SEND and their families [who] deserve so much better from Surrey County Council.

I’ve seen the negative side of party politics at the local level. I firmly believe that party politics should have no role in local politics and that residents are best served by councillors whose only agenda is residents’ concerns and interests.

I wish all the residents of Guildford South East the very best. R4GV will be making an announcement in due course.

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