The parish of Woking was made a
local government district in 1893, governed by a local board. Such districts became
urban districts in December 1894 under the
Local Government Act 1894, and so the local board was replaced by Woking Urban District Council. The urban district was significantly enlarged in 1907 when it absorbed
Horsell parish and again in 1933 when it absorbed
Byfleet and
Pyrford parishes. The first woman elected to the council was
Elizabeth Balfour in 1919. On 1 April 1974, the urban district became a non-metropolitan district, altering its powers and responsibilities, although keeping the same area. The reformed district was also awarded
borough status at the same time, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, with the council thereafter being called Woking Borough Council. In May 2023, a government review revealed that the council would have debts of £2.4 billion by 2026, 100 times the size of its annual £24 million budget, largely attributed to unsuccessful investments in two skyscrapers, one residential and one a hotel, as well as smaller deals including a £6.4 million loan to a local private school and £2m spent on acquiring pubs. Nonetheless the review advised the council to borrow an additional £300m to avoid a fire-sale of assets. On 7 June 2023, Woking Borough Council issued a
Section 114 notice after forecasting a deficit of £1.2 billion for the year ending 31 March 2024 due to losses on risky investments involving hotels and skyscrapers instigated by a former Conservative administration. In February 2024, the government permitted the council to raise its council tax by up to 10%, above the normal 5% limit. In February 2025, the
Financial Reporting Council (FRC) regulator confirmed an investigation of two former employees at Woking, understood to be the former chief executive Ray Morgan and ex-finance director Leigh Clarke. ==Governance==