Woking or Guildford? County Hall Move Decision Delayed

Published on: 29 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 3 Jul, 2019

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

A decision on where to move Surrey County Council headquarters has been delayed.

Council leader Tim Oliver said he hoped to have more information about the move to either Guildford or Woking this week. The project has been titled “Moving Closer to Residents”.

He expects a report of where it will be and the financial implications of moving it to be presented to cabinet members at their September meeting.

Cllr Tim Oliver

Cllr Oliver told his cabinet meeting on Tuesday (June 25): “I had hoped we would have had a paper here today confirming the position. I’ve indicated previously that we narrowed down the options to either Woking or Guildford, and that continues to be the case.”

He said the “majority of staff” would be moved to existing buildings within the county with a smaller “civic heart” moving into a separate building.

The council is also consulting with staff about “agile working” and helping them be more flexible with ways to work from home as well as remotely from offices.

About 1,500 people work at County Hall in Kingston-upon-Thames, which is not in Surrey. The county borders were altered in 1965, creating Greater London.