Woking Borough Council has successfully prosecuted local resident Mr Nicholas Tiller of Paddocks Mead, Woking at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on Monday 22 April 2024 for fly-tipping household items on two separate occasions.

The first offence took place on 2 June 2023, when Mr Tiller visited the Parley Drive recycling banks in his van and was caught on CCTV dumping black sacks of household waste.

The second offence took place on 4 June 2023, when Mr Tiller was again caught on CCTV dumping more black sacks at the Parley Drive site.

From today (Tuesday 7 May 2024), calls to the council's main 01483 755 855 number will only be answered by Customer Services between the hours of 9am and 1pm, Monday to Friday (instead of between 9am and 5pm).

The change only affects calls to our main Customer Services number. The automated telephone options will still be available all day and there is no change to direct dial/extension numbers.

Due to a system error, rent and service charge Direct Debit payments due on Wednesday 1 May 2024 were inadvertently collected today (Friday 26 April 2024). We would like to apologise for any hardship or distress this error may have caused. 

You are advised to speak to your bank or building society to request a refund for the amount under the Direct Debit Guarantee which protects customers against payments taken in error. Refunds will be made the same day. 

With only two weeks to go, borough residents are being urged to get ‘vote ready’ ahead of the upcoming local council and Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey elections on Thursday 2 May 2024.

Local elections give residents the opportunity to vote for borough councillors who decide on services at a local level, such as planning, housing, parks and green spaces, leisure services, recycling and waste collections and more.

Richard Carr has begun his new role as Woking Borough Council’s Chief Executive (Tuesday 2 April 2024).

Appointed Managing Director Commissioner by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities in December 2023, Richard fulfils the role of Chief Executive following Julie Fisher’s decision to step down.

A landowner and their contractor have been prosecuted and fined over £18,000 for the unauthorised felling of more than 100 protected trees on land adjacent to Upshot Lane, Pyrford, by a judge at Guildford Magistrates’ Court.

During an initial hearing in October 2023, Burhill Development Ltd, who owns the land at Upshot Lane, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised felling of more than 100 trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPO), as well as causing damage to a further seven protected trees.

On Friday 19 January 2024, we issued a statement in relation to the publication of Part 2 documents dating back to 2016 and provided an update from our auditor, Grant Thornton UK LLP, in relation to the independent Value for Money review we had asked them to undertake.

The independent Value for Money review considers our previous governance arrangements and processes for making effective decisions in relation to past investments, how risks were assessed and managed; and how these decisions were scrutinised.

We will be implementing the following service changes from 1 April 2024.

Residents will need to show accepted photo ID when voting in person at polling stations for the Woking Borough Council and Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner elections, on Thursday 2 May 2024. 

To be able to vote, eligible residents must be registered to vote. Registering to vote is quick and easy to do online, at gov.uk/register-to-vote. The deadline for registrations is 11.59pm, Tuesday 16 April 2024.

Woking Borough Council is encouraging residents who are unable to vote in person at polling stations to apply for a postal or proxy vote (a trusted person) ahead of the forthcoming elections. 

On Thursday 2 May, residents will be able to vote to elect Woking Borough councillors and the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner election.

The application deadlines are fast approaching for residents wishing to:

Woking Borough Council is preparing to exercise its right to acquire Moyallen’s shares in Victoria Square Woking Limited (VSWL), securing 100 per cent control of the company that owns Victoria Place - the borough’s main town centre development.

A Shareholders’ Agreement provides the council with the option to acquire all of Moyallen’s 52 per cent stake in VSWL on completion of the development, which is expected to open fully this summer (2024).

Once again, Woking Borough Council is supporting Earth Hour, the global environmental movement that highlights the collective impact of small actions. 

From 8.30pm local time on 23 March, the council will join millions across the world to mark WWF's Earth Hour by switching off its lights in the Civic Offices for one hour to show its support in protecting the future of the planet.