# Surrey Heath

Surrey Heath is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
The neighbouring districts are Runnymede, Woking, Guildford, Rushmoor, Hart, Bracknell Forest, and Windsor and Maidenhead.

## History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:
* Frimley and Camberley Urban District
* Bagshot Rural District
The new district was named "Surrey Heath" in recognition of the extensive areas of heathland it contains, including Chobham Common and Lightwater Country Park, which form part of the wider Thames Basin Heaths. The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

## Governance

Surrey Heath Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. The eastern part of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

### Political control

Since the 2023 election the council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control. Prior to 2023 the council had been led by Conservatives from its creation in 1974.
The first election to the council was 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:
| Party in control | Years |
| Conservative | 1974–2020 |
| No overall control | 2020–2021 |
| Conservative | 2021–2022 |
| No overall control | 2022–2023 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2023–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Surrey Heath. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1994 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Vivienne Chapman | Conservative | 1994 | 1998 |
| Moira Gibson | Conservative | 27 May 1998 | 26 Feb 2019 |
| Richard Brooks | Conservative | 27 Feb 2019 | 20 Jan 2020 |
| Alan McClafferty | Conservative | 29 Jan 2020 | May 2023 |
| David Whitcroft | Liberal Democrats | 17 May 2023 | 28 Jun 2023 |
| Shaun Macdonald | Liberal Democrats | 28 Jun 2023 | |

### Composition

Following the 2023 election (including a postponed election in one ward) and a subsequent change of allegiance in July 2024, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Liberal Democrats | 23 |
| | Conservative | 6 |
| | Independent | 4 |
| | Labour | 2 |
| Total | Total | 35 |
Three of the four independent councillors sit together as "The Community Group". The next election is due in 2027.

### Premises

The council is based at Surrey Heath House on Knoll Road in Camberley. The building was purpose-built for the council for £4.25m and was completed in 1987. The building was formally opened by Valerian Wellesley, Duke of Wellington on 17 July 1987.

### Controversies

In 2016 the council bought The Square, the main shopping centre in the centre of Camberley, for £109 million. By early 2023 the centre was reportedly valued at only £30 million, and the rents being received did not cover the interest payments on the debts the council had incurred in buying it.
In 2020 the council's chief executive, Karen Whelan, resigned after an independent investigation found that a 30% increase in her remuneration during 2018–19 compared to the year before had been unlawfully approved by the former leader of the council, Moira Gibson.

## Geography

The area forms the heart of the heath that spans Esher, Oxshott, Weybridge, Wisley, all around Woking, Brookwood, Deepcut, Pirbright, Frimley, Lightwater, Camberley, Chobham Common, Virginia Water and Ottershaw. It is made up of naturally wet, very acid sandy and loamy soil, which is just 1.9% of English soil and 0.2% of Welsh soil, which gives rise to pines and coniferous landscapes, such as pioneered at Wentworth and Foxhills estate (now spa, hotel, restaurant and golf club) by pro-American independence statesman Charles James Fox. In geology it gives rise to the name, Bagshot Formation.
The western section of the district is largely urbanised, with heaths nonetheless providing substantial green buffer around Camberley, Lightwater, Deepcut, Frimley, Frimley Green and Mytchett. The east of the district is less urbanized, and contains Surrey Heath's four civil parishes:
* Bisley
* Chobham (includes Castle Green and Mimbridge)
* West End
* Windlesham (contains also Bagshot, Lightwater and Valley End).
The former Frimley and Camberley Urban District covering the west of the borough is an unparished area, governed directly by Surrey Heath Borough Council.
Within the borough there are five Sites of Special Scientific Interest, four of which are part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area of European Importance as a habitat for certain endangered bird species; these make up some of the six Wildlife Reserves managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust in Surrey Heath.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 35 Councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing two or three Councillors. Elections are held every four years.

### Wider politics

The whole borough lies within the Surrey Heath constituency. The constituency is slightly larger than the borough, including the Normandy and Pirbright ward of Guildford Borough Council.
In 2014, the British Election Study named Surrey Heath as the most right-wing constituency in the country.

## Notable people

* Simone Ashley, actress known for her role in Netflix series Bridgerton, was born in Camberley.
* Steve Backshall, naturalist and television presenter, best known for the BBC wildlife documentary series, Deadly..., was born in Bagshot.
* Carl Fletcher, football player and Plymouth Argyle F.C and Wales national football team captain, was born in Camberley.
* Alan "Howling Laud" Hope, leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, was born in Mytchett.
* The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh live at Bagshot Park with their family.

## Twinning

Surrey Heath is twinned with Sucy-en-Brie, France, and Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.