Waverley Borough Council
Waverley Borough Council is a local government district with borough status in Waverley, Surrey, England. The council's headquarters are in the town of Godalming; other notable towns include Farnham and Haslemere and the large village of Cranleigh. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Godalming, with Farnham and Haslemere urban districts and Hambledon Rural District. Political Control. Since 2001 the council has had a Leader and cabinet on the strong leader model, while continuing with a ceremonial Mayor who chairs meetings  of the council. Mayors are elected for a one-year term, but the Leader is now elected for the full four-year term of the council, or until standing down, if sooner. The council has had twelve Leaders in its 42-year history, the longest serving being Robert Knowles (Conservative), who served for six years. The May 2015 borough elections produced 53 Conservative seats, 3 Farnham Residents and one Independent. Conservatives have run the Council since 2007, winning three consecutive elections, becoming the first party in the Borough to retain control, as before 2007 the control changed at each election . The 2019 local elections reduced the Conservatives to just 23 seats with the Farnham Residents taking 15, Liberal Democrats 14, Green 2, Labour 2 and 1 Independent. A Farnham Residents-Liberal Democrat partnership took control with support from Labour and the Greens. John Ward (Farnham Residents) took over as Leader of the council with Paul Follows (Liberal Democrat) as Deputy Leader. In November 2019, Cllr Townsend resigned her membership of the Conservatives to sit as an independent. In late 2020 Cllr Townsend joined the Liberal Democrat group, taking their numbers to 15. In April 2021 as part of the agreement  between the Farnham Residents and the Liberal Democrats, the leadership of the council moved to Cllr Paul Follows (Lib Dem) and the Deputy Leader role moved to Cllr Peter Clark (Farnham Residents).