Electors encouraged to ‘Get ready to vote on 7 May’ in elections for new Surrey councils
On Thursday 7 May 2026, local electors will get the opportunity to vote for who they want to represent them on their new West Surrey Council. Residents are being urged to make sure they are ready to vote in these important elections.
From April 2027, the existing county council and 11 district and borough councils will be replaced with two new unitary councils - East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council.
These councils will provide the local council services you rely on - education, waste collection, roads, housing, play areas, children’s services, adult social care and more - in their respective areas.
Those living in areas covered by Woking Borough Council will vote in the West Surrey Council elections.
What is important about these elections
Councillors elected to West Surrey Council in May 2026 will serve for five years, until May 2031.
Initially, 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.
Councillors will then continue to represent their communities once the new West Surrey Council takes over delivering local government services from 1 April 2027. Surrey County Council and the 11 district and borough councils will be dissolved.
Make-up of the new councils
West Surrey Council will have 90 councillors covering 45 wards.
Electors will be able to vote for up to two councillors to represent their ward. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected (first past the post).
Details of candidates standing for election will be published by 4pm, Friday 10 April 2026 on Woking Borough Council's website.
A full list will be available on the Future Surrey website.
Existing county, borough and district councillors
Existing county, borough and district councillors will continue in their roles until 31 March 2027, so there will be no elections for these councils in May 2026, unless there is a by-election for a particular ward. This means that for now, nothing changes in the way council services are delivered.
Get election ready
Andrew Pritchard, Returning Officer for the West Surrey Elections, said:
Make sure you’re registered to vote if you aren’t already, especially if you have recently moved house, changed you name or just turned 18. If you’re in doubt about whether you need to register to vote, or have questions, visit the Electoral Commission’s website, or contact your council.
Register to vote
To be able to vote in these elections, you must be registered to vote by midnight on 20 April 2026.
If you’re not already registered, register now.
Electors can vote in person, by post or by proxy.
Bring photo ID
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.
See a full list of accepted photo ID.
If you are voting on behalf of someone else as their proxy, you will need to bring your own photo ID.
Unable to make it to the polling station?
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.
Apply for a postal or proxy vote.
More information
For more about these elections and the upcoming changes, visit the Future Surrey website.