This week a specialist team, appointed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), has commenced a non-statutory review into Woking Borough Council’s finances, investments and related governance. 
 
The review is being conducted by an experienced team including two senior local authority officers and one individual with private commercial experience. When complete, the final report will be made publicly available on the Government’s website and also signposted via the Council’s website.
 

In the lead up to the Coronation of King Charles III, Woking Borough Council reminds residents who are considering hosting a street party that they will need to apply for a road closure.

The Coronation will be marked by a three-day bank holiday weekend from Saturday 6 May until Monday 8 May 2023. Residents looking to close their road for a street party over this period should apply to the council before Friday 24 March 2023.

Residents in Woking borough will need to show photographic ID to vote at this year’s local election on Thursday 4 May 2023.

The new national requirement, introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act, was passed last year and comes into effect for the first time this May.  To help residents to prepare in advance, Woking Borough Council is asking residents to check if they already have accepted forms of photo ID. These include:

Local people have until Friday 27 January 2023 to submit their nominations for this year’s Young People’s Civic Awards Scheme, which promotes and rewards community spirit in young people.

The scheme, run by Woking Borough Council, recognises children and young people who have achieved exceptional success in areas that are not normally acknowledged by formal accreditation.

Nominees are being sought in the following three categories:

A British champion, a World Cup winning team, and a senior lettings negotiator, are among the winners of the 2022 Sport Woking Awards, announced today (Thursday 5 January 2023) in partnership with the Woking News and Mail.

The Sport Woking Awards recognise outstanding physical performance while also celebrating those involved in encouraging or supporting participation in sport throughout the year.

Deemed by the judging panel to have outperformed their competitors, the winners of the 2022 Sport Woking Awards are as follows:

Our waste and recycling collection contractor, Amey, has reported that the cold weather has impacted garden waste collections across the area and therefore some garden bins have not been emptied.

Colder temperatures mean that the contents of your garden waste bins may freeze, making it difficult for our crews to fully empty. Crews will reattempt collections, however it may not be possible to empty your bin until your next scheduled collection day once the temperatures have risen.

Applications are now open to find the next generation of leaders and managers in local government, as part of Woking Borough Council’s graduate development programme.

Hale End Court, the Council’s award-winning Extra Care Scheme in Old Woking, celebrated its first anniversary last week.

Since opening in November 2021, Hale End Court has become home to 48 residents, who occupy the fully adapted apartments, and can accommodate up to 15 day care guests per day.

Cllr Ellen Nicholson, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Living Well, said: “Hale End Court has been a huge success and allowed us to significantly expand our day care offer.

A decade-long commitment between Woking Borough Council and the Armed Forces was strengthened at last night’s meeting of Full Council with the re-signing of the Armed Forces Covenant.

First signed by the Council in 2012, a community covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its local Armed Forces, which aims to:

To mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November), Woking Borough Council is placing 16 chairs in prominent locations around the borough.

Shrouded in red, the empty chairs will remain in situ for the 16 days leading up to International Human Rights Day (10 December), to remind us that every 11 minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman or girl dies at the hands of an intimate partner or family member.

Residents and visitors are invited to Woking’s Festive Fayre on Thursday 24 November to get in the Christmas spirit and have a jolly good time.

The festivities begin at 4.30pm in Jubilee Square when the centrepiece of the celebrations, a 37ft Norwegian Spruce Christmas tree kindly donated from Woking Asian Business Forum (WABF), will have its lights switched on by Mayor of Woking, Cllr Saj Hussain.

Woking Borough Council has published a 15-point action plan which sets out how partners will work together to support residents through the current cost of living crisis. 
 
The action plan focuses on signposting those in need to local services, keeping vulnerable residents warm this winter, ensuring no one goes hungry, and providing access to direct financial support.