Photo: Peter Whatley · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Tandridge District Council
Caterham is run by Tandridge District Council and Surrey County Council, with Caterham-on-the-Hill parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Tandridge District Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Surrey County Council. Its MP is Claire Coutinho (Conservative), member for East Surrey.
£2,586
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Caterham’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Tandridge District Council
The Liberal Democrats, the largest group, hold 12 of its 43 seats as elected, 10 short of the 22 needed. Oxted & Limpsfield Residents Group holds 8, the Conservatives 6, independents 4, Lingfield & Crowhurst Residents 3, Burstow, Horne & Outwood Residents 3 and Godstone Residents 3. Who’s in charge ↓
Surrey in 2021
Surrey County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has a Conservative majority at the May 2021 election: the Conservatives won 41 of 81 seats. Surrey ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Caterham is £2,589 for 2026–27; Tandridge District Council keeps 10% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 52% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Caterham’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Tandridge’s 43 or 41 of Surrey’s 81 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat12
- Oxted & Limpsfield Residents Group8
- Conservative6
- Independent4
- Burstow, Horne & Outwood Residents3
- Godstone Residents3
- Lingfield & Crowhurst Residents3
- Dormansland & Felbridge Residents2
- Bletchingley & Nutfield Residents1
- Whyteleafe Residents Group1
Latest election: May 2024.
- Conservative41
- Liberal Democrat19
- Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell4
- Farnham Residents3
- Independent3
- Green2
- Labour2
- Reform UK2
- Ashtead Independents1
- Nork & Tattenhams Residents' Associations1
- Residents for Guildford and Villages1
- Thames Ditton / Weston Green Residents' Association1
- The Molesey Residents Association1
Latest election: May 2021.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Caterham has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
59% of Caterham’s residents · Band D precept £38
The parish council for the part of Caterham inside Caterham Valley parish.
Who runs Caterham: same source as Who runs Caterham, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Caterham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsCaterham-on-the-Hill parish councilCaterham Valley parish council
- 2Tandridge District Council4 wards · 10 councillorsLiberal Democrat 8 · Conservative 3 · all 11
- 3Surrey County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsJeremy WebsterTony Pearce
- 4Police and crime commissionerSurrey Police · elected May 2024Lisa Townsend
- 5House of CommonsEast Surrey
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
10 councillors for 4 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Martin RedmanLiberal Democrat · November 2025 · by-election
- James RujballyLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Sarah SowamburLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Ankita SharmaConservative · May 2024
- Ben HorneLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Michael John William CooperConservative · May 2024
- Richard John MarkConservative · May 2024
- Alun JonesLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Jenny GaffneyLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Annette EvansLiberal Democrat · May 2024
- Robin SpencerLiberal Democrat · May 2024
Show as a table, with Surrey County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwayall in Caterham · 7,541 residents3 seats · November 2025, May 2024 | 3 | Martin Redmanby-electionJames RujballySarah SowamburAnkita Sharma | November 2025, May 2024 |
| Portley & Queens Parkall in Caterham · 5,823 residents3 seats · May 2024 | 3 | Ben HorneMichael John William CooperRichard John Mark | May 2024 |
| Valleyall in Caterham · 4,524 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Alun JonesJenny Gaffney | May 2024 |
| Harestonemostly in Caterham · 4,151 residents2 seats · May 2024 | 2 | Annette EvansRobin Spencer | May 2024 |
Surrey County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterham Hill EDmostly in Caterham · 13,743 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Jeremy Webster | May 2021 |
| Caterham Valley EDmostly in Caterham · 9,014 residents1 seat · October 2025 | 1 | Tony Pearceby-election | October 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Tandridge District Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Tandridge council election, May 2024
Results in the wards that make up Caterham, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
4 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Caterham’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,544 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,829 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
1,919 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (1 more)
2,302 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Caterham is in East Surrey constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Caterham).
49,196 votes for candidates · majority 7,450
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 49,196 votes from 73,307 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 7,450 of 49,196 votes (15.1%): wider than in 53% of England’s 543 constituencies.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Caterham’s Band D council tax is £2,589 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Tandridge District Council keeps £259.86 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to the Caterham-on-the-Hill parish council, Surrey County Council and the Surrey police and crime commissioner.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,586 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Tandridge’s Band D bill has risen 52% in ten years, from £1,708.46 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £545.63 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Caterham-on-the-Hill, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Surrey’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Surrey
| Tandridge + Surrey | Caterham’s councils | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £459 | £471 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £216 | £217 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £81 | £69 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £26 | £30 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £115 | £128 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £26 | £33 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £34 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £42 | £43 | £78 |
| Running the council | £114 | £79 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £-2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,155 | £1,139 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Tandridge per its residents plus Surrey per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Surrey and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Caterham is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
tandridge.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
tandridge.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Caterham is run
Which council runs Caterham?
Caterham is run by Tandridge District Council and Surrey County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Caterham have a town council?
Yes: Caterham has its own parish-tier council (Caterham-on-the-Hill parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £38 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Caterham?
Claire Coutinho (Conservative) is the MP for East Surrey, which covers Caterham.
How many councillors does Caterham have?
10 ward councillors represent Caterham’s 4 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Caterham?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Caterham’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Caterham?
Band D council tax in Caterham is £2,586 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Tandridge District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 12 · Oxted & Limpsfield Residents Group 8 · Conservative 6 · Independent 4 · Lingfield & Crowhurst Residents 3 · Burstow, Horne & Outwood Residents 3 · Godstone Residents 3 · Dormansland & Felbridge Residents 2 · Whyteleafe Residents Group 1 · Bletchingley & Nutfield Residents 1 of 43 seats; a majority needs 22. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Surrey County Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 41 of 81 seats as elected.
Who won the 2024 council election in Caterham?
In Caterham’s wards on 2 May 2024, Liberal Democrat 7 · Conservative 3 of the 10 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 38%.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.