In this edition.........

Horley Town Council Christmas Office Closure; Lots of Christmas events; CIL money awarded for projects; Litter picking; Horley Foodbank; Christmas Bin Collections; Community Governance Review Survey; Pathway improvements; Works at Emlyn Meadows; Community Centre Christmas closure; Christmas Bus services; High Street improvement works; and finally dates for your diary.

Horley Christmas Fair

Date: 13th December 2025, 10:00- 16:00

Location: Horley High Street

Christmas Magic awaits in Horley Town Centre -

Food, Music, Gifts, Crafts, Kid's Fun and Santa's Grotto

A reminder that there will also be free parking in all council-owned car parks on the day, thanks to the support of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council.

Organised by Horley Association of Town Supporters (HATS)

High Street Christmas Carols

On 13 December at 11 am in the pedestrianised High Street there will be Christmas Carols led by Churches For Horley and is part of the Chrismas Fair, all are welcome! Come along and have a sing.

CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL WEEKEND

Date: 5th, 6th, 7th December 2025

Location: Horley Methodist Church, Victoria Road, Horley, RH6 7AS

Admission is FREE but there will be collecting boxes placed around the Church for donations to our chosen charity ST CATHERINE'S HOSPICE

Everyone welcome

For More Tree Festival Information

Horley Community Centre

Horley Community Centre will be closed from 20 December until 4 January for the Christmas period.

All of the staff and volunteers at the centre would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and they look forward to welcoming you back from Monday 5 January 2026.

Community Governance Review

This summer, Reigate & Banstead asked for your feedback on creating, removing or making other changes to parish and town councils in the Borough. They 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.

Click here for full Proposal Details

Outline proposals
The recommendations being consulted on are for parishes covering the whole borough as follows:

Banstead and The Villages Council - creation of a new parish covering most of the north of the borough.

Horley Town Council - minor changes to the number of councillors and wards to improve local representation.

Redhill and Reigate Town Council(s) - creation of either a single new parish covering both areas (including Merstham) or two separate parishes.

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.

Do you support the recommendations or prefer an alternative?

Get involved and help decide how the interests of your community will be represented in the years to come.

How to have your say
Complete the survey by 16 January 2026.
Visit reigate-banstead.gov.uk/cgr

Request paper copies of the survey Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm by calling 01737 276 000 or SMS (for deaf or hard of hearing) 07834 626 468

Click here for more information on the Local Government Reorganisation of Surrey plans,

The foodbank also sent out a big thank you to Langshott Allotments Tenants Association and allotment holders who have supported Churches for Horley Foodbank so generously with fresh produce during the summer.

More work from Gatwick Greenspace and volunteers from Horley Conservation Group

The group headed over to Emlyn Meadows to scallop the edges of the blackthorn brambles.

They were delighted to find at least 20 (a species currently under threat) Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs on the section of Blackthorn that they were working on, so they carefully cleared the Brambles and Honeysuckle around them to encourage new Blackthorn growth (the caterpillars eat the new growth).

In the new year the group will return to plant new hedges to provide wildlife refuges across the meadow.

Court Lodge Fields - River Mole Litter Pick

Sunday 25th January 1 - 3 PM

Litter pickers and rubbish bags provided (litter pickers available on a first come first served).

All welcome. Come if you can, even for half an hour.
If you'd like to help meet Sam and Rod, we'll be there rain or shine. It will most likely be muddy so be prepared.

Thanks to a working party from the Reigate Ramblers led by Surrey County Council Rangers, work was carried out to clear vegetation from public footpath 409 in Horley that runs from Emlyn Meadows to the Brighton Road (A23). The work was undertaken to improve accessibility and safety for walkers, and we’re pleased to report that the path is now much clearer and easier to navigate.

Pathway Access Restored

Xmas Bin Collections

High Street improvement works to start in early 2026

Following the installation of wayfinding signs across the town and electric vehicle charging points at Central Car Park, we are proceeding with the High Street improvement works as part of the Delivering Change in Horley Town Centre programme.

The works will start in early 2026, which include making the street one-way for motor vehicles, resurfacing roads and repaving pavements, improving cycling and pedestrian crossing facilities, planting new trees and introducing rain gardens with seating. These changes will enhance accessibility, safety, and the overall attractiveness of the area, supporting a vibrant and viable local economy for the future.

More information including the works schedule and start dates will be available on our project website soon. Officers from Surrey County Council and Reigate and Banstead Borough Council will be at the Horley Christmas Fair, where you can talk to our specialists in person and learn more about the project.

Visit surreycc.gov.uk/horleytowncentre for more information. If you have any questions, you can email the project team horleytowncentre@surreycc.gov.uk.

If you have a postal vote and applied for yours on or before 30 January 2024, you’ll need to re-apply by 31 January 2026. Otherwise, your postal vote will expire, and you will need to vote in person.

The changes were introduced as part of the Elections Act. We are emailing or writing to you if you’re affected by the changes – look out for it and make sure you take action. However, you don’t need to wait for us to contact you, you can re-apply online now. If you don’t have a postal vote already but would like one, you can apply online. There are also paper applications for those who cannot apply online

£500,000 developer contributions awarded to vital community projects

Eleven projects have been awarded a share of £500,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) developer contributions for improvements to vital local facilities and services. Successful projects to receive funding include a local refuge, Merstham Football Club, Salfords Village Hall, Horley Health Hub, local Scout groups, Innes Sports Pavilion in Horley and Redhill Brook flood alleviation and environmental education works.

CIL is a charge placed on developers to ensure that new developments contribute towards the essential infrastructure and services needed to support them, collected by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council. The majority of CIL money is pooled together to spend on larger, more costly projects across the borough, such as these, in a pot known as the Strategic Fund.
click here for more info

Metrobus has announced its Christmas and New Year services, which this year will include services on route 100 for the first time on Christmas Day (between Crawley Bus Station and Redhill) and Boxing Day services on route 20 for the first time.

The special Christmas Day services will operate on routes 10, 100 (Crawley - Redhill), 200 (Bewbush - Gatwick) & 400 (Stone Quarry - Redhill) only, and on Boxing Day special services will run across routes 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 100 & 200, with route 400 operating a Sunday service.

A detailed rundown of the additional Christmas services, along with timetables of the wider holiday period, can be found here.