West Surrey

Secondary legislation was made on 9 March 2026 for the council to come into operation on 1 April 2027 with the name "West Surrey". Due to the Spelthorne area of the new authority coming from the historic county of Middlesex, campaigner Russell Grant called for the authority to instead have the name "West Surrey and South Middlesex"; on 17 March 2026, Surrey County Council voted to support using the longer name. Power to rename the unitary authority under the Local Government Act 1972 is held by the newly-elected West Surrey Council to be first elected in May 2026; == History ==

Since local government reorganisation in 1974, the area of West Surrey has been divided into the six districts (from north to south) of Spelthorne, Runnymede, Surrey Heath, Woking, Guildford and Waverley. Following public consultation, creation of West Surrey and West Surrey Council in April 2027 was announced by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in October 2025. He announced that Surrey County Council and its eleven district councils would be abolished and replaced with two unitary authorities. Reed said the reasoning for the local government reorganisation was to better the financial sustainability of Surrey's local authorities and to improve public service delivery. == Governance ==

The governing body for West Surrey will be West Surrey Council, which is due to be established on 1 April 2027. The first councillors will be elected in the 2026 West Surrey Council election.{{Cite web |date=28 October 2025|accessdate=28 October 2025|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/surrey-residents-to-benefit-from-improved-public-services|title=Surrey residents to benefit from improved public services == Geography ==

West Surrey is the western half Surrey, a historic county in southeastern England. Natural England classifies England into distinct National Character Areas, each defined by landscape, biodiversity and cultural attributes. The southeasternmost portion of West Surrey lies within the Low Weald (NCA 121), transitioning northward to Weald Grassland (NCA 120), followed by a narrow band of the North Downs (NCA 119). Much but not all of these areas fall within the Surrey Hills National Landscape (or AONB). North of the Downs is the Thames Basin, including the Thames Basin Lowlands (NCA 114) around Guildford and the Thames Basin Heaths (NCA 129) further north. Finally, about a dozen settlements, the northernmost, including Staines and Chertsey, are within the Thames Valley (NCA 115). == See also ==