While Guildford Says ‘Yes’ Epsom & Ewell Says ‘No’ to New Councils

Published on: 17 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 20 Mar, 2026

Epsom & Ewell Council

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Plans to set up new “community councils” in Epsom and Ewell have been scrapped after residents made their feelings very clear they did not want them. Opposition councillors slammed the idea as a “vanity project”.

At a full council meeting on March 12, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council agreed to end its Community Governance Review (CGR) following a public consultation.

The proposal drew more than 2,200 responses, the largest the council says it has ever received. But despite the high number, it is only a small fraction of the borough’s total electorate.

The message from residents was clear: 82 per cent were against the idea, while just 14 per cent supported creating two new parish-style councils, one for Epsom and one for Ewell.

According to supporters of the scheme, the councils would have given residents a more local level of representation with each ward represented by two councillors.

But other aspects of the plan did not go down well. More than half of residents opposed matching parish wards to existing borough wards, 53 per cent disliked the proposed council names, and 61 per cent said two councillors per ward was unnecessary. Around a quarter were worried about the impact on council tax, and nearly a third questioned whether the councils would be good value for money.

During the council debate, Cllr John Beckett highlighted the scale of the engagement and praised the officers and councillors who helped run the consultations. “Giving our residents a voice and a choice was the key message throughout these consultations,” he said, adding that the process cost less than a pound per resident.

But the councillors chimed in with a mix of reactions. Some said the consultation was a waste of money and time, criticising the process as a “vanity project” by the council. Cllr Chris Ames said: “The Residents’ Association administration was warned not to take the council into this shambolic, costly and self-serving process.”

Cllr Julian Freeman argued there had never been a public demand for parish councils in the borough. He suggested the proposal has only been brought forward because Epsom and Ewell council will be dissolved under local government organisation.

“The Residents’ Association take delight in the fact that they’ve been running this council for over 90 years,” he said. “This is really about creating a role for soon-to-be former Resident Association councillors.”

Cllr Freeman added that residents reacted strongly once they realised the potential council tax implications. “People saw that it was going to cost an extra £50 plus on their council tax bill and quite rightly said: ‘What on earth do we want to pay for another layer of government for?’”

The vote was clear: the proposed community councils are now firmly off the table. Epsom and Ewell Borough Council will be absorbed into the new East Surrey council next year.