Redhill Arts Takeover is back for its fourth year, from Saturday 5 to Saturday 12 September, and it's bringing the feel-good factor into town. The week-long festival of arts and culture launches with a special People's Choir performance of Nikki Franklin's original song, 'Redhill Rising' in the Belfry shopping centre at 11am. Then there's a chance to meet Eko the sea giant - a 13-foot puppet, enjoy live music throughout the day from the Redstart Community Stage, plus much more.

With over 35 events and activities taking place, including life drawing, comedy, spoken word and dance, the festival will be taking over local venues and spilling out onto the streets. Don't miss out, check the full listings and book tickets today. Many performances are completely free and any costs are kept as low as possible.

Take part in our Horley's Hidden Stories summer trail and discover the stories that make Horley special. You could also be in with the chance of winning a £25 voucher! To join in the fun, pick up a quiz sheet from Horley Library at 55-57 Russell Square, Victoria Road, or download it from our website. Find the clues in shop windows around the town to reveal a whole host of fascinating facts about Horley's past and present. Once you’ve competed the quiz, drop your quiz sheet back in to Horley Library to enter the draw for the opportunity to win one of two £25 vouchers to spend locally. Enter by 14 September 2026.

We're investing over £2m in Horley Community Centre so that it can better meet the needs and aspirations of local people. Our aim is for welcoming place that is the focus for a vibrant community - providing a wider range of affordable activities to more local people. Work started this week on a new competitive procurement process to find a construction partner that can deliver best value for money and maximum benefit for local people. This will mean a later start to on-site works than previously published, which we had anticipated would be early autumn. Horley Community Centre will now remain open until at least Christmas and we will continue to run our regular activity programme. Rooms will also be available to hire. 

Cllr Richard Biggs, Leader of the Council, will be available to take your questions on Tuesday 29 September between 4pm and 6pm. If you have ideas that you would like to put to him, this is your opportunity. Appointments must be pre-booked and can either be virtual or in-person. You have to be a resident or work in the borough to get an appointment. To book, please email: leadersurgery@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

We're targeting gum littering in Redhill, thanks to a £12,142 grant from the Chewing Gum Task Force, administered by Keep Britain Tidy. We've carried out a deep clean of the high footfall areas in Redhill's pedestrianised town centre and now want people to help us keep it cleaner and chewing gum free long term. We'll be using tried-and-tested bright signage with a simple message 'Bin your gum' to encourage people to do the right thing.

We’re inviting residents, organisations and local community groups to submit bids for a share of money raised from new developments to spend on projects to improve their local area. The funds come from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - a charge on developers of new homes and businesses to help fund infrastructure, facilities and services. A portion of this funding is used to fund small local projects identified by the community in the neighbourhoods where development has taken place. If your local village hall needs improving, the route to your school or local shops needs upgrading or your shopping parade needs new benches, submit a bid. 

If you’ve received a reminder from us asking you to check important electoral registration details, please make sure you take action to make sure you can have your say in future elections. We’ll soon be calling or visiting households that are yet to reply. The annual canvass helps us to keep the electoral register up to date and invite people to register if they aren’t already. Elections for parish and town councils will take place in May 2027, so this is an important opportunity to make sure you can take part.

Would you like to work with us? We are currently recruiting for a Skilled Operative/Gardner, a Tractor Operator and a Streetsweeper. If you are interested in any of these roles, please take a look at our current vacancies page and apply. 

Please save the date, and join us at 1pm on Sunday 11 October when we will be recognising a number of local cadet groups with the Freedom of the Borough Award, for their outstanding contribution to young people and civic life. The units receiving this honour are Reigate Sea Cadets (TS Ark Royal), Redhill Detachment Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, Banstead Detachment, A “Anzio” Company, Surrey (PWRR) ACF, and 135 (Reigate & Redhill) Squadron RAF Air Cadets. The units will muster in Bell Street car park and march into Priory Park, where they will form up in front of Priory School (opposite the fountain). There will be a service after which the Mayor will present each unit with a scroll bestowing the Freedom of the Borough. Everyone is welcome to attend and we will be delighted to have you all there in support. For details: mayor@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

We will be closing our High Street carpark on 3 September for about three weeks to enable works on the road and footway as part of the High Street public realm improvements. Whilst the High Street car park is closed, alternative parking can be found at Victoria Road and Central car parks. You can find out more about High Street improvement works and the progress made so far here: www.surreycc.gov.uk/horleytowncentre

Join us for a free community celebration of creativity, wellbeing and local talent in Lady Neville Recreation Ground on Sunday 20 September, from 11am to 5pm. You can enjoy creative workshops, displays and hands-on activities, such as dance, flower arranging, sketching and block printing. If you or your group is interested in showcasing your work, email art@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

Are you looking to gain new skills, build confidence, or meet new people through volunteering? Come to the East Surrey Volunteer Fair on Saturday 26 September, from 11am to 3pm at the Belfry shopping centre in Redhill to connect with local organisations and find out about volunteering opportunities to suit a wide range of interests, experience levels and availability. The event brings together local charities, community groups and voluntary organisations and is hosted by Voluntary Action Surrey East (VASE) in partnership with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Tandridge District Council. 

We know it's early but tickets could sell out fast, as the critically-acclaimed theatre company, This Is My Theatre, returns to the Town Hall in Reigate with a stunning one-act adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic 'A Christmas Carol'. Packed with charm, cheer and, of course, plenty of carols, this production is sure to spread joy and warm hearts in the run up to Christmas.

We're consulting on renewing our dog public spaces protection orders (PSPOs), which aim to encourage responsible behaviour by dog walkers and help us to balance the needs of all people, dogs and wildlife who enjoy our parks and public spaces. Our dog PSPOs set out where dogs need to be kept on a lead, where they cannot go, and how many can be walked at a time. The orders also require a person in charge of a dog to clear up its mess. Dog PSPOs must be reviewed at least every three years. Your views on these rules and whether they should be renewed are an important part of this review. The consultation closes on 27 September.

There is still time for you to give your views on proposed planning controls for the creation of small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). We are proposing to introduce an Article 4 direction that would remove national permitted development rights that allows properties to be converted into small HMOs for three to six residents and instead require planning permission to be sought first. HMOs - often called shared homes or bedsits - provide an important source of lower-cost housing for many people in our community, including young professionals, key workers such as NHS and airport staff and students, among others. These proposals are not intended to prevent them but instead aim to ensure that the Council can properly consider their location, design, accommodation standards, including any potential impact on neighbours and communities before conversions take place. The consultation closes on 24 September 2026.

We want to hear from residents, disability groups and other interested parties for our interim review of polling districts and polling places in the borough. The review looks at the size and boundaries of polling districts (the areas created by dividing electoral wards into smaller sections) and the location and suitability of polling places (the buildings in which polling stations are situated) in particular, access for residents with disabilities. The review also seeks to update the polling district structure and designated polling stations to reflect the potential changes for existing and new parish and town councils arising from our Community Governance Review, in readiness for town and parish council elections in May 2027. The deadline for comments is 7 September 2026.

Did you know the council and its committees meet regularly and make key strategic decisions about the the borough and the services we provide? These are public meetings which can be attended in person or watched via webcast. Here are some of the meetings for the month ahead, but you can find the full list online (see below):

• Wednesday 9 September and Wednesday 30 September, 7.30pm - Planning Committee
• Thursday 24 September, 7.30pm - Executive
• Thursday 1 October, 7.30pm - Council

Following the local elections in May 2026, a shadow authority is now in place to oversee the transition to the new East Surrey Council. The shadow authority has a calendar of public meetings and is focused on preparing the new councils ahead of their formal launch on 1 April 2027, known as Vesting Day. Highlights of the upcoming meetings, include:

• Shadow Cabinet Executive - Monday 14 September, 2pm
• East Surrey Shadow Authority - Thursday 24 September, 2pm

Stay up to date with everything happening in Horley. Subscribe to Horley Town Council's newsletter to receive the latest local news, events, updates and more to your inbox. Don't miss out - subscribe today!

Surrey Welfare Rights Unit (SWRU) provide Quality Mark accredited advice about benefits and community care and have been supporting people across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and West Sussex for over 35 years. They'd like to highlight some extra support that may be available to help parents and carers with the cost of living:

• From this September, all households receiving Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals. Parents and carers do need to make sure their children's school knows, as this is not automatic.
• If you are an unpaid carer of a child or an adult, you can also get free advice through SWRU's Carers Income Maximisation Service. Leave us a message on 01483 492939 or email carers@swru.org

The National Conversation - a UK-wide listening initiative - is inviting people right across the country to share what they value about community life and the kind of communities they want to build together. They would like to hear your views. There are two ways to get involved: one is to take the National Conversation Survey and give your views or host your own Group Conversation session.

Unlike NHS healthcare, social care isn’t free for most people. So whether it’s for us or an older loved one, having our finances in order is key to being ready for the future. To help people prepare, Surrey County Council and Age UK Surrey are running a special, free, Finance and Legal event in Leatherhead on Tuesday 22 September at 1pm. It'll explore issues around paying for care in later life, with presentations from experts from the Society of Later Life Advisers and the Association of Lifetime Lawyers. They’ll cover topics including ways to finance any care, what to watch out or in private care contracts, LPA's, Deputyship and more. If you live in Surrey, book your free place.