Borough of Woking

The Borough of Woking is a local government district with borough status in the west of Surrey, England. It is one of eleven districts within the ceremonial county of Surrey. Local government functions are split between Surrey County Council and Woking Borough Council.

Borough of Woking
Non-metropolitan district, borough
Motto(s): 
Fide et Diligentia
(Latin: In faith and diligence)
Woking shown within Surrey
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countySurrey
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQWoking
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyWoking Borough Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPsJonathan Lord
Area
 • Total24.6 sq mi (63.6 km2)
Area rank253rd (of 317)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total100,793
 • Rank240th (of 317)
 • Density4,100/sq mi (1,600/km2)
 • Ethnicity[1]
91.3% White
6.3% S.Asian
1.7% Mixed
1.1% Black British
1.4% Chinese or Other
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code43UM (ONS)
E07000217 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTQ0040358550
Websitewww.woking.gov.uk

History

The borough's forebear was formed in 1895 — an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894. The precursor administrative areas were parishes run by vestries, which gradually ceded power after 1895:

This area was centred radically north of Woking Hundred; the other three parishes lay in Godley Hundred.[3]

The present borough was established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and is one of two districts in Surrey to retain the boundaries of a single former urban district, the other being Epsom and Ewell.

Geography
Main article: Woking

This is the only district of Surrey which does not border another county; the nearest is Berkshire, northwest of the relatively narrow shape of Surrey Heath, which is another district.

Woking Borough Council's head offices — named the Civic Offices — are in the centre of the town of Woking, just outside the town square.[4]

At the 2001 Census, the population of the borough was 88,125, over 70% of whom (62,796) lived in the town itself. The rest of the borough is divided into five villages with a modest semi-rural hinterland (which includes some of Surrey's 141 golf courses as at 2013):[5]

Byfleet constituted a civil parish in the borough (no longer covering West Byfleet); a third-tier of local government does not serve the remaining bulk of the borough.

Elections
Main article: Woking Borough Council elections

Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 30 seats on the council being elected at each election. The elections are normally battled out between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. From the 1998 election to 2007 no party had a majority on the council, but in the 2007 election the Conservative party won a majority.[7] Since then until 2009, the Conservatives had 19 seats on the council compared to 17 for the Liberal Democrats.[8] Following the resignation of councillor Peter Ankers from the Conservatives to sit as an independent in 2009[9] the Conservatives continued in administration as the largest Party with 18 seats but with no overall control. At the 2011 election 20 Conservative and 16 Liberal Democrats were elected giving the Conservatives an overall majority once again.[10] In the 2012 election the Conservatives took a further seat from the Liberal Democrats, giving them 21 seats to the Liberal Democrats 15.

At the 2018 election, the Liberal Democrats gained one councillor at the expense of the Conservatives. This gave the Conservatives a majority of 2 on the Council. However, a Conservative councillor defected to the Liberal Democrats just prior to the 2019 election, putting the council in to No Overall Control.[11] The council remained in No Overall Control after the election with the Conservatives dropping to 15 out of 31 seats but still forming a minority administration.

Political party Council members
2019[12]
Conservative 14
14 / 30
Liberal Democrat 10
10 / 30
Labour 3
3 / 30
Independent 3
3 / 30

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Woking.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Individuals

[13]

Military Units

See also

References
  1. Office for National Statistics: Neighbourhood Statistics: Woking
  2. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10107477 University of Portsmouth and Others A Vision of Britain - historic statistics
  3. 'The hundred of Woking: Introduction and map', in A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3, ed. H E Malden (London, 1911), p. 339. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/p339
  4. Surrey Council Archived 2011-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Does gorgeous Surrey need golf course No 142?" Max Davidson, The Daily Telegraph, 8 Jun 2013
  6. Surrey County council census data Archived October 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Woking". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  8. "Woking". BBC News Online. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  9. Woodger, Beth (16 July 2009). "Tory councillor quits party in council debt protest". getsurrey. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  10. "Woking". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  11. "Woking Conservative Councillor defects to Lib Dems". Woking Liberal Democrats. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  12. "Woking Local Election results 2019: No overall control as Tories lose one seat". Get Surrey. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  13. https://www.broadwayworld.com/uk-regional/article/Sir-Howard-Panter-and-Dame-Rosemary-Squire-DBE-awarded-Honorary-Freedom-of-the-Borough-in-Woking-20190617
  14. Duffell, Beth (25 April 2017). "Woking parade celebrates Freedom of the Borough status for Army".

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