Borough of Waverley

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The Borough of Waverley is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. The borough contains the towns of Godalming, Farnham and Haslemere, as well as numerous villages, including the large village of Cranleigh, and surrounding rural areas. At the 2021 Census, the population of the borough was 128,200.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The borough is named after Waverley Abbey, near Farnham. Large parts of the borough are within the Surrey Hills National Landscape. Its council, Waverley Borough Council, is based in Godalming.

The neighbouring districts are Guildford, Mole Valley, Horsham, Chichester, East Hampshire, Hart and Rushmoor.

HistoryEdit

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The new district was named after Waverley Abbey in the parish of Farnham, which was the earliest Cistercian monastery in Britain.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

For the first six years of its existence, the council was based outside the district at the former Hambledon Rural District Council's offices at Bury Fields in Guildford.<ref>Heritage Appraisal, Forum Heritage Services, November 2017, page 6 (accompanies Guildford planning application 17/P/O2341), "Buryfields House was constructed as offices for the Hambledon Rural District Council by architects Crossmaker and Armstrong in 1938."</ref> In April 1980, the council moved to purpose-built headquarters at The Burys in Godalming, behind Godalming Borough Hall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The district was awarded borough status on 21 February 1984, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

GovernanceEdit

Template:Infobox legislature Waverley Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. The whole borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Guildford Borough Council since 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Political controlEdit

The council has been under no overall control since 2019, being run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Farnham Residents, Labour and Greens. The same coalition continues to run the council following the 2023 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (Put "Waverley" in search box to see specific results.)</ref>

Party in control		Years
Template:Party name with colour	1974–1976
Template:Party name with colour	1976–1991
Template:Party name with colour	1991–1995
Template:Party name with colour	1995–1999
Template:Party name with colour	1999–2003
Template:Party name with colour	2003–2004
Template:Party name with colour	2004–2007
Template:Party name with colour	2007–2019
Template:Party name with colour	2019–present

LeadershipEdit

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Waverley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:

Councillor	Party		From
Chris Slyfield<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	2003	Feb 2005
Gillian Ferguson<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=hammering/>	Template:Party name with colour	22 Feb 2005	May 2007
Richard Gates<ref name=hammering>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	May 2007	May 2010
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> \|\| Template:Party name with colour \|\| align=right\|11 May 2010 \|\| align=right\|10 May 2016
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> \|\| Template:Party name with colour \|\| align=right\|10 May 2016 \|\| align=right\|May 2019
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=27Apr2021/> \|\| Template:Party name with colour \|\| align=right\|21 May 2019 \|\| align=right\|27 Apr 2021
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> \|\| Template:Party name with colour \|\| align=right\|27 Apr 2021 \|\|

CompositionEdit

Following the 2023 election,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe/>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	22
Template:Party name with colour	13
Template:Party name with colour	11
Template:Party name with colour	1
Template:Party name with colour	1
Template:Party name with colour	2
Total		50

The Labour and Green councillors sit together as a group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The next election is due in 2027.<ref name=Thorncliffe>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ElectionsEdit

Template:See also Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 50 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

GeographyEdit

Waverley's landscape is influenced by its position within the landform of the Weald. It contains parts of the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge and large parts of the borough are within the Surrey Hills AONB. It has the most green space in absolute terms in Surrey at Template:Convert according to the central government-compiled Generalised Land Use database of January 2005, approximately half of which is woodland.<ref name=ons>Physical Environment: Land Use Statistics Template:Webarchive. (2011 census and 2001 census) Retrieved 2015-03-27.</ref>

Blackheath Common, in the north of the borough, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as is the Devil's Punch Bowl in the south of the district.

DemographyEdit

A Legatum Prosperity Index published by the Legatum Institute in October 2016 showed Waverley as the most prosperous council area in the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

TwinningEdit

Template:Flagicon Mayen-Koblenz in Germany dates from 1977.<ref>Waverley twinning info Template:Webarchive</ref>

Civil parishesEdit

Waverley is entirely divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere take the style "town council".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Div col