A Woking man has pleaded guilty to four noise offences at Guildford Magistrates’ Court, resulting in a hefty fine and the forfeiture of his audio equipment.

Woking Borough Council Environmental Health officers originally became aware of Mr Hiriart’s (of Church Road, West Byfleet), persistent noise-related anti-social behaviour following numerous complaints from his neighbours whose day-to-day lives had been blighted by the continuous playing of amplified music, sometimes as late as 2am.

Following the meeting of the Executive on Thursday 16 June 2022, the following items were resolved.

Housing Delivery Test and action plan

The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) is an annual measurement of how the Council is performing against its planned housing requirement of 292 dwellings per year. The HDT is measured and published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

A flag flies proudly above the Civic Offices in Gloucester Square, ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday 25 June 2022.

Woking Borough Council has joined hundreds of other councils across the UK in raising the unique flag, based on the Union Jack, in support of Britain’s Armed Forces Day. Flags will be flown the length and breadth of the country from Aberdeen to the Scilly Isles and from Lowestoft to the Isle of Man in the week leading up to the national event.

A supplementary strategic document which sets out the new administration’s key priorities for the year ahead has been recommended for adoption by Council at last night’s meeting of the Executive (16 June 2022).

The Woking for all supplementary and amended priorities strategy sets out 23 key policy priorities for 2022/23 which complements the Woking for all 2022/27 strategy, adopted earlier this year.

The first results from Census 2021 will be out on Tuesday 28 June 2022. These results will give communities across [insert name of your local area] a glimpse of how our local population has changed in the past decade.

Released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the results will also provide estimates of England’s and Wales’ population, as well as age and sex profiles of local authorities.

Ahead of Surrey Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, 13 to 17 June 2022, Woking Borough Council is working in partnership with Surrey Against Domestic Abuse, to raise awareness of coercive control and controlling behaviour.

Controlling behaviour in relationships
Domestic abuse and toxic relationships don’t always involve physical violence. It can be sexual, financial and emotional abuse and can happen to anyone.

(News source: Surrey Country Council)

As part of a programme to install thousands of Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoints in Surrey over the coming years, Surrey County Council is asking residents where they would like to see an EV chargepoint installed in their area.

This volunteering week, The Lighthouse has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) 2022 for their hard work tackling deprivation and isolation, transforming lives towards well-being, independence and hope.

The Lighthouse is a vibrant community hub in the heart of Woking town centre that hosts a diverse range of projects to support, encourage, and empower those residents who may require extra support. The charity also has a hub based in Barnsbury.

Woking’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations start on Thursday 2 June at 9pm with a public beacon lighting ceremony and are set to continue all summer long.

The borough’s varied programme of Platinum Jubilee events includes themed lunches, cream teas, live performances, street parties, church services, and coverage of The Queen’s official celebrations on an outdoor screen in Jubilee Square.

Hundreds of visitors flocked to Jubilee Square on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 May for ‘Wild About Woking’, an event raising awareness about how we can all help care for Woking’s natural life through local biodiversity and green space projects.

Visitors were treated to stalls from organisations including Woking Environment Action, Surrey Bat Group, and Thames Basin Heaths Partnership, providing information and activities about Woking’s natural habitats and wildlife, and how you can help protect it.

The exciting new cycle track at Goldsworth Park was officially opened on Wednesday (25 May 2022) by the Mayor of Woking, Cllr Saj Hussain.

The new hybrid facility, which was completed in April 2022, includes a fully asphalted pump track, a circuit of small mounds to help cyclists generate momentum, an all-weather mountain bike circuit and a grass circuit.

Residents had the chance to comment on the design prior to construction.

Councillor Ann-Marie Barker has been formally elected Leader of Woking Borough Council, as the new Liberal Democrat administration officially took office during last night’s annual meeting of Council (Monday 23 May 2022). 

Following the outcome of the local borough election on Thursday 5 May 2022, the Liberal Democrats gained control of Woking Borough Council with a total of 16 of the 30 seats, compared with eight seats for the Conservatives, three seats for Labour and three seats for the Independents.