Surrey County Council elections

Surrey County Council is elected every four years and was made in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. Since 1965 this council has had one of two statuses as to its body of councillors: no overall political control, or overall Conservative party control.

Political context

Its area was significantly altered in 1965, taking much of its north into Greater London and adding an area forming one present district from Middlesex which was dissolved. To accommodate this, councillors elected in 1961 had their three year-term extended for an extra year and the April 1964 election took place in 1965.
Since 1974 all Surrey areas have had district/borough councils providing a second tier of services replacing Urban Districts and Rural Districts.
Approximately a third of the population elect a further more localised third tier of local government to civil parishes such as Farnham, Claygate and Horley.
Major services provided include social services, minerals strategy and permissions, waste planning and substantial elements of transport and education. The county has no grammar schools however academies and free schools in the 21st century have been set up in Surrey meaning a lower proportion of schools are run by the authority than in the 20th century.