Registration is now open for this year’s Specsavers Surrey Youth Games, offering free sports coaching sessions to children from low-income households and to those who haven’t previously been involved in sport.

The eight week programme, between April and June, is an opportunity for young people aged between seven and 16 to try a sport whilst meeting new friends, having fun, and enjoying being active.

With just over a month to go until the voter registration deadline for local elections on Thursday 4 May 2023, anyone wanting to vote must make sure they are election ready.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 17 April. Voters can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. It takes just five minutes.

Fifteen homes for Ukrainian and Afghan refugees fleeing war and seeking safety and shelter in Woking will be made available following the allocation of government funding.

The homes will be instrumental in ensuring the council continues to provide shelter to families with housing needs who have arrived in the UK via Ukrainian and Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes.

Three community venues have been approved by Full Council as new polling places within the Wards of St John’s, Heathlands, and Canalside, ahead of the forthcoming local election on Thursday 4 May 2023. 
 
The three new polling places are:

A copy of Cllr Ann-Marie Barker’s budget statement presented to Council on Thursday 23 February 2023.

“In presenting a budget to you tonight I will set out how this Liberal Democrat administration is taking responsibility for recovery in this Council. I will share a little history, tell you what we have done in nine months, our ask for Council Tax this year and I will talk about a vision for the future of this borough with a successful Council working in partnership with thriving local communities.

Watch a webcast of the meeting of Full Council, which took place on Thursday 23 February 2023.

Woking Borough Council’s financial plans for 2023/24 will be decided by elected members at an Extraordinary Council meeting on Thursday (23 February 2023).

Last week, Woking Borough Council's Executive agreed a pathway to implement a new Masterplan for Woking town centre which, among other sustainable place-making factors, will limit the heights of future developments in the town.
 
The Executive meeting supported a timetable for the implementation of a robust planning document that will introduce legal controls on future development in the area, ensuring new homes meet the needs of residents and enhance the overall appearance of the town centre.
 

A watchful eye will soon be looking over the borough’s fly-tipping hotspots, as mobile CCTV cameras will soon be deployed to help deter and identify illegal fly-tippers.

It is estimated that fly-tipping costs local taxpayers more than £30,000 a year to clear up and dispose of the dumped waste.

The mobile cameras will be moved around areas of the borough that are blighted by incidents of fly-tipping. The battery and solar powered cameras can continuously record and can easily be attached to infrastructure, such as lampposts and buildings, to deter potential offenders.

(Published on behalf of Woking Community Fund)

On Thursday 19 January the Woking Community Fund held an evening reception, hosted by local businessman and Vice President at the Community Foundation for Surrey, Shahid Azeem, for Woking businesses and representatives from Woking Borough Council. The aim of the evening was to launch a fundraising appeal that is supported by Woking Borough Council with match-funding.

The Mayor of Woking, Cllr Saj Hussain, joined thousands across the nation in lighting a candle of remembrance to mark Holocaust Memorial Day today (Friday 27 January). The lit candle is a symbol of solidarity and reflection to remember the countless lives that have been lost or impacted by genocide. 

This winter over 2,000 Woking residents have found warmth at the borough’s 19 warm hubs as the cost of living crisis continues to soar.

Warm hubs are a national concept which are playing an instrumental role in helping those impacted by the rising cost of living, especially during periods of extreme cold weather. Visitors are also using the hubs to connect with others within the local community and find additional support.

Woking’s community meals service is currently offering a free two day trial for potential new clients to experience the hassle-free meals and sample the food on offer.

The service, operated by Woking Borough Council, supports 200 residents across Woking, delivering a variety of meals, 365 days a year.

Community meals offer a range of fully flexible options: