This summer, we asked for your feedback on creating, removing or making other changes to parish and town councils in Reigate & Banstead. We are now consulting on recommendations that would change current arrangements and could see all households in the borough become part of a parish or town council.

Cllr Richard Biggs, Leader of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, explains why this is important

"Parish and town councils can play a vital role in empowering communities, encouraging active involvement in local life and providing neighbourhood services. As elected bodies they can make an important contribution to democratic decision making, which you may consider more important as Reigate & Banstead becomes part of a larger East Surrey Council from April 2027.

“I encourage everyone living in the borough to have a say on these proposals, whether they support them or not, to help decide how they will be represented in the years to come.” 

On Tuesday 28 October the Government announced that Surrey's 11 district and Borough councils and the county council will be replaced with two new unitary councils - East Surrey and West Surrey. The geographic area of Reigate & Banstead will be part of the new East Surrey Council, along with Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, and Tandridge. We expect this to come into effect in April 2027, in the meantime we will:

• work with our neighbouring councils to ensure a smooth transition to the new East Surrey Council
• continue to deliver your council services as normal
• keep you informed of changes 

The recommendations being consulted on are for parishes covering the whole borough as follows (north to south):

• Banstead and The Villages Council - creation of a new parish covering most of the north of the borough.
• Redhill and Reigate Town Council(s) - creation of either a single new parish covering both areas or two separate parishes: one for Redhill (including Merstham) and another for Reigate
• Salfords, Sidlow and South Earlswood Parish Council - expansion of Salfords & Sidlow Parish Council to include South Earlswood and Whitebushes. If this is not supported we would like to understand what residents in the proposed expansion area would prefer.
• Horley Town Council - minor changes to the number of councillors and wards to improve local representation.

Please complete the survey by 5pm on 16 January 2025.

To request a paper copy of the survey you can phone 01737 276 000 or SMS (for deaf or hard of hearing) 07834 626 468 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm).

We will review all feedback received through the survey to produce final recommendations for a decision by the Full Council on 26 March 2026. This process is overseen by a cross-party group of Reigate & Banstead borough councillors. Any changes to existing parish or town council arrangements will come into force on the same day as the next scheduled normal parish and town council elections in May 2027.

Parish and town councils are elected bodies made up of local people representing the interests of their communities. Parish councillors are elected every four years and are usually unpaid. There are a number of different styles of local council, such as Town, Parish, Community, Neighbourhood and Village councils.

Parish or town councils set their own budget requirements and are funded through a separate charge, or ‘precept’, which is collected alongside your Council Tax. Currently the precept for a Band D property in Horley is an annual charge of £55.21 or £33.06 in Salfords & Sidlow.

Parish and town councils can vary in size and function but typically they represent the community voice, for example as a statutory consultee on planning matters, they may manage some local services, such as allotments or parks, and seek to improve quality of life in the area. There are currently two local councils in the borough - Horley Town Council and Salfords & Sidlow Parish Council