Elmbridge Borough Council

Elmbridge Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Steve Bax,
Conservative
since 21 May 2025[1]
Mike Rollings,
Liberal Democrat
since 15 May 2024
Adam Chalmers
since 2022
Structure
Seats48 councillors
Political groups
Administration (33)
  Liberal Democrats (21)
  Residents' Assoc. (12)
Other parties (15)
  Conservative (10)
  Residents' Assoc. (2)
  Reform UK (1)
  Independent (2)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
2 May 2024
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD
Website
www.elmbridge.gov.uk

Elmbridge Borough Council provides district-level services to the Borough of Elmbridge, in Surrey, in South East England. It is based in the town of Esher. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[2] Claygate is a civil parish, which forms a third tier of local government for that part of the borough only; the rest of the borough is an unparished area.[3]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2016. Since the 2023 election the council has been run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats and most of the residents' associations (RA), with a Liberal Democrat leader of the council.[4]

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[5]

Party in control Years
Conservative 1974–1986
No overall control 1986–1988
Conservative 1988–1991
No overall control 1991–2002
Independent 2002–2005
No overall control 2005–2008
Conservative 2008–2016
No overall control 2016–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Elmbridge. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Roy Taylor[6] Conservative May 2010
John O'Reilly[7][8] Conservative 19 May 2010 May 2016
Stuart Selleck[9][10] Molesey Residents' Association 18 May 2016 16 May 2018
Tim Oliver[10][11] Conservative 16 May 2018 Jan 2019
James Browne[11][12] Conservative 27 Feb 2019 15 May 2019
Stuart Selleck[12][13] Molesey Residents' Association 15 May 2019 May 2021
Chris Sadler[13][4] The Walton Society 19 May 2021 May 2023
Bruce McDonald[4][14][15] Liberal Democrats 17 May 2023 May 2024
Mike Rollings[16] Liberal Democrats 15 May 2024

Composition

Following the 2024 election,[17] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[18]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 21
Conservative 10
Thames Ditton and Weston Green Residents' Association 4
Esher Residents' Association 3
Molesey Residents' Association 3
Hinchley Wood Residents' Association 2
Reform UK 1
The Walton Society 1
Weybridge and St George's Independents 1
Independent 2
Total 48

The Thames Ditton and Weston Green RA, Esher RA, Molesey RA, Walton Society, and Weybridge and St George's Independents sit together as the "Residents' Associations Group", which forms the council's administration in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.[19] The next election is due in 2026.[18]

Elections

See also: Elmbridge Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) being elected each time for a four-year term of office. Surrey County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[20]

Premises

The council is based at the Civic Centre, off the High Street in the centre in Esher, which was purpose-built for the council in 1991.[21][22]

Sandown House: Council offices until 1991, now flats.

When the council was created in 1974 it inherited offices at the Town Hall on New Zealand Avenue in Walton-on-Thames from Walton and Weybridge Urban District Council, and at Sandown House at 1 High Street from Esher Urban District Council. It initially used Walton Town Hall, a 1960s building, as its headquarters, retaining Sandown House as additional offices.[23] The new Civic Centre was built on land behind Sandown House, which has since been converted into flats, whilst Walton Town Hall has been demolished.

References

  1. ^ "About the mayor". Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  3. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Coady-Stemp, Emily (18 May 2023). "New Elmbridge council leader announced as former Kingston chief executive". Surrey Live. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Elmbridge" in search box to see specific results.)
  6. ^ Robertson, Louise (8 December 2009). "Elmbridge Conservative councillors name new leader". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2010" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  8. ^ Smurthwaite, Tom; Tobitt, Charlotte (7 May 2016). "Local elections 2016: Council leader ousted as Conservatives lose overall majority on Elmbridge Borough Council". Surrey Live. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Council minutes, 18 May 2016" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b Rutter, Calum (18 May 2018). "Elmbridge Council leadership handed to Conservatives after election gains". Surrey Comet. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Council minutes, 27 February 2019" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Council minutes, 15 May 2019" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Council minutes, 19 May 2021" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Council minutes, 17 May 2023" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  15. ^ Van Klaaveren, Tom (3 May 2024). "Full Elmbridge Local Election 2024 results as Lib Dems largest party but leader loses seat". Surrey Live. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Council minutes, 15 May 2024" (PDF). Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Elmbridge". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Your Councillors by Party". Elmbridge Borough Council. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ "The Elmbridge (Electoral Changes) Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2016/301, retrieved 9 January 2024
  21. ^ "The History of Elmbridge Borough Council". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  22. ^ "No official opening for the 'Elmbridge Palace'". Esher News and Mail. 15 July 1992. p. 4. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  23. ^ Municipal Year Book. London: Municipal Journal. 1976. p. 728.
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