Candidates announced ahead of East Surrey and West Surrey Council elections
Names of candidates standing for election in the new East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council elections on Thursday 7 May have been published.
There are 379 candidates standing for 72 seats across 36 wards in the East Surrey Council elections and 452 candidates standing for 90 seats across 45 wards in the West Surrey Council elections.
In Woking, 66 candidates are standing for 14 seats across seven wards in the West Surrey Council elections.
Find out who's standing in Surrey.
Electors will be able to vote for up to two councillors to represent their ward in these elections.
Councillor responsibilities
Councillors elected to East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council in May 2026 will serve for five years, until May 2031.
In the first year they will work as part of a ‘shadow’ authority. During this period, they will set budgets and council tax for 2027/28, agree staffing structures and governance arrangements, adopt codes of conduct and members’ allowance schemes and prepare for the transfer of responsibilities from the existing councils in Surrey.
The new councils will then officially take over from 1 April 2027, providing all the local council services you rely on including education, waste collection, roads, housing, play areas, children’s services, adult social care and more.
Andrew Pritchard, Chief Executive of Runnymede Borough Council and Returning Officer for the West Surrey Elections, said:
To have your say in these elections, you must be registered to vote and the deadline, midnight on 20 April, is fast approaching.
Register now if you aren’t already, especially if you have recently moved house, changed you name or just turned 18. If you’re in any doubt, or have questions, visit the Electoral Commission’s website, or contact your council.
Existing county, borough and district councillors will continue in their roles until 31 March 2027, so there will be no elections to these councils except where there are by-elections for vacant seats in particular wards.
Byfleet Neighbourhood Plan referendum
Alongside the West Surrey Council elections on Thursday 7 May, a local referendum in the Byfleet polling district where registered voters will be asked whether the Byfleet Neighbourhood Plan should be used to help guide future planning decisions in the Byfleet Neighbourhood Area.
Don’t lose your vote
To be able to vote in these elections, you must be registered to vote by midnight on 20 April 2026.
To vote in person you must bring an accepted form of photo ID. These include a passport, a driving licence or a concessionary travel pass, such as an older person’s bus pass. You can use expired IDs if the photo still looks like you.
View a full list of accepted photo ID.
If you don’t have an accepted form of photo ID, apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) by 5pm on 28 April 2026
Apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
If you won’t be able to get to a polling station on election day, you can apply online for a postal vote or proxy vote.
Apply as soon as possible to make sure you receive your postal vote pack or proxy vote in good time. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026. For a proxy vote – when a friend or relative you trust casts your vote for you – apply by 5pm on 28 April 2026.