Runnymede Borough Council

Runnymede Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Runnymede, a non-metropolitan district in Surrey, England. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area. The council has been under no overall control since 2023, being run since 2024 by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, Residents Group, and Independent councillors.

WWW runnymede.gov.uk

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2024 election an Alliance of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors formed to run the council.
The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Runnymede. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader or co-leaders of the council. The leaders since 1984 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election, and subsequent changes of allegiance up to February 2025, the composition of the council was:
Of the independent councillors, two form the "Independent Group", which informally supported the Conservative minority administration between 2023 and 2024. Two form part of the majority administration group.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 14 wards with each ward electing three councillors except Englefield Green East which elects two. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time for a four-year term of office. Surrey County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.

Premises

The council is based at Runnymede Civic Centre on Station Road in Addlestone. The new building cost a reported £12.6m and opened in May 2008. The council's former offices were on the adjoining site and were subsequently demolished to make way for a retail development.