Runnymede Borough Council
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Runnymede Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Andrew Pritchard since 1 August 2023[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 41 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Administration (24)
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Salary | No salary, but an annual taxable basic allowance of £5,778 |
| Elections | |
First election | 7 June 1973 |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT15 2AH | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Runnymede Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Runnymede, a non-metropolitan district in Surrey, England. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[3] There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[4] The council has been under no overall control since 2023, being run since 2024 by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, Residents Group, and Independent councillors.
The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2024 election an Alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors formed to run the council.[5][6]
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:[7][8]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1996 | |
| No overall control | 1996–1998 | |
| Conservative | 1998–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Runnymede. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader or co-leaders of the council. The leaders (or co-leaders) since 1984 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denis Clarke[9] | Conservative | 1984 | 1986 | ||
| Michael Wheaton[10][11] | Conservative | 1986 | 1991 | ||
| Howard Langley[12][13] | Conservative | 1991 | 14 May 1997 | ||
| Chris Norman[13] | Conservative | 14 May 1997 | 2000 | ||
| Geoffrey Woodger[14][15] | Conservative | 2000 | 15 May 2003 | ||
| Roger Habgood[15] | Conservative | 15 May 2003 | May 2005 | ||
| Geoffrey Woodger[14] | Conservative | May 2005 | May 2006 | ||
| John Furey[16][17] | Conservative | 2006 | 2011 | ||
| Patrick Roberts[18] | Conservative | 2011 | May 2016 | ||
| Peter Waddell[19] | Conservative | 18 May 2016 | May 2017 | ||
| Nick Prescot[20][21] | Conservative | 17 May 2017 | May 2022 | ||
| Tom Gracey[22][23] | Conservative | 18 May 2022 | May 2024 | ||
| Robert King | Labour Co-op | 15 May 2024 | Co-leaders[5][24] | ||
| Don Whyte | Liberal Democrats | ||||
| Linda Gillham | RIRG | ||||
| Steve Ringham | Green | ||||
Composition
Following the 2024 election,[25] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to February 2025, the composition of the council was:[26]
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 12 | |
| Labour | 8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 6 | |
| Runnymede Independent Residents Group | 5 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| Green | 3 | |
| Reform | 3 | |
| Total | 41 | |
Of the independent councillors, two (both representing Ottershaw ward) form the "Independent Group", which informally supported the Conservative minority administration between 2023 and 2024.[27] Two (both representing Englefield Green East) form part of the majority administration group.[28]