30-590: The Borough of Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey , England . With around half of the borough's population, Guildford is its largest settlement and only town , and is where the council is based. The borough includes part of the Surrey Hills , a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The neighbouring districts are Surrey Heath , Woking , Elmbridge , Reigate and Banstead , Waverley and Rushmoor . The town of Guildford
60-434: A borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them the right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues
90-497: A crossroads: where what is now the A25 , the road between Guildford and Leatherhead , crossed the original road ( Merrow Street ) from Burpham to Dorking . The oldest houses in the village can still be seen along these two roads, together with St John's Church and the Horse and Groom, a Grade II listed 17th-century coaching inn next door. The old Dorking road squeezes between the church and
120-425: A district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with
150-457: A style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
180-486: A type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically
210-405: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Merrow, Surrey Merrow is a suburb in the north-east of Guildford , in Surrey , England. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) from the town's centre, on the edge of the ridge of hills that forms
240-661: Is situated right on the edge of the North Downs. Guildford Golf Club , the oldest Golf Course in Surrey, is located on Merrow Downs . A short walk from Merrow is Newlands Corner , a popular beauty spot in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Merrow has a non-league football club (Merrow F.C.), a tennis club and a cricket club, as well as a fitness club (which was formerly known as "Dragons"). Merrow Dramatic Society has been in existence for over 80 years. Each year,
270-723: Is the burial place of the Onslow family. There is a war memorial in the churchyard, dedicated to those who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars . This was re-dedicated in 2002 following a restoration and research project part-funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The church hall, The St John's Centre, is a focal point for the community and was reopened in 2001 following a major refurbishing and enlargement project. There are two other churches in Merrow: Merrow Methodist church and St Pius X Roman Catholic church. Merrow
300-451: The 2023 election . Political control of the old municipal borough council from 1836 to 1974 was as follows: Political control of the modern borough council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Guildford. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 2010 have been: Following the 2023 election
330-584: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
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#1733093251588360-591: The North Downs . Although now a relatively obscure suburb, the village can trace its origins back many hundreds of years. Merrow is separated from Burpham (to the north-west) by the New Guildford Line , the second railway line between Guildford and London. According to the Institute for Name-Studies, Merrow means 'fat', literally, "probably referring to the high fertility of the land". The village grew up around
390-464: The civil parish had a population of 1690. On 1 April 1933 the parish was abolished and merged with Guildford and West Clandon . It is now in the district of Guildford . The parish church of St John the Evangelist was built in the mid 12th century and a few early features have survived later additions, such as a Norman arch and a 13th-century chapel. The church is Grade II listed. The churchyard
420-519: The 1980s, many have passed into private ownership. Further expansion occurred in the mid-1980s. In the greenfield site bordered by Burpham, adjacent to the Bushy Hill estate and Clandon Park, the Merrow Park development was built, completely surrounding the old houses on Merrow Street. Merrow Park is often considered a suburb in its own right and has its own shops, school and doctor's surgery . In 1931
450-456: The Onslow family and is now a National Trust property. The Onslows provided some of the earliest Speakers of the House of Commons, such as Arthur Onslow who held this post through the reign of George II . Merrow remained a relatively small settlement right up to the 1950s, when the Bushy Hill estate was built. This development of several hundred houses was originally all council-owned, but since
480-786: The Society produces two plays, performed at the Electric Theatre in Guildford, and a traditional pantomime, put on at Merrow Village Hall (built 1909). They also take part in Drama Festivals (winning recently at both Guildford and Woking) and host their own variety evenings. The non-League football club, Merrow F.C., nicknamed "The Robins", was established in 1922. Their home ground is The Urnfield, Downside Road, in Merrow ( 51°14′14.72″N 0°32′11.69″W / 51.2374222°N 0.5365806°W / 51.2374222; -0.5365806 ). The club
510-446: The area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time: Guildford's borough status transferred to the new district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor , continuing Guildford's series of mayors dating back to at least the fifteenth century. Guildford Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council . Parts of
540-449: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
570-424: The borough are covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government for their areas. The council owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle , as well museums, art collections and civic regalia. The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Waverley Borough Council since 2021. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since
600-554: The borough's population live in the town of Guildford. The central part of the borough, corresponding to the pre-1974 borough and covering the majority of the Guildford built-up area, is an unparished area . This area includes Bellfields , Boxgrove, Onslow Village , Park Barn , Stoughton, Westborough, and the (former) villages of Burpham , and Merrow . The rest of the borough is covered by civil parishes: Notes References Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are
630-429: The composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 21 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The borough straddles four parliamentary constituencies: The council is based at Millmead House on Millmead in Guildford. The original house dates from
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#1733093251588660-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
690-411: The inn, creating a significant bottleneck for modern motor traffic. To the north is Clandon Park , a 1000 acre (400 hectare) private Grade II Listed agricultural parkland estate that is the seat of the current Earl of Onslow . At the south east corner of Clandon Park are 9 acres of gardens and grounds where Clandon House is located. The mansion house with 7 acres of gardens was gifted to the nation by
720-483: The late seventeenth century, with extensive modern additions to the rear. Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council. The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall . Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead ). Approximately half of
750-497: The most probable site being the Surrey County Council depot near Burpham. As yet the funding has not been forthcoming to develop this further, although a feasibility study was carried out. The line serves Clandon railway station , 1 mile (1.6 km) across fields from part of Merrow, and on the same line London Road (Guildford) railway station is a similar distance from western parts of Merrow. Merrow Downs in prehistory
780-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
810-673: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
840-736: Was among the founding members of the Surrey Premier League in 1982. In the 2012–13 season the club achieved a league-and-cup double when they finished top of the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division, and won the Surrey Intermediate Cup. The club were promoted to the Surrey Elite Intermediate League for the 2013–2014 season. Merrow is on several bus routes that start or finish in Guildford. A park and ride facility
870-492: Was an ancient borough , with its first known charter dating from 1257. It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised the way many boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1836, 1933 and 1954. The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering
900-458: Was built to the east of the village, construction starting in Autumn 2006, which opened on 29 September 2008. This service, operated by Stagecoach South on behalf of Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council, was introduced to reduce the traffic levels between Merrow and the town centre. There have been several proposals to build a railway station on the Guildford to Effingham Junction line,
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