Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Waverley Borough Council
Elstead is run by Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council, with Elstead parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Waverley Borough Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Surrey County Council. Its MP is Sir Jeremy Hunt (Conservative), member for Godalming and Ash.
£2,587
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Elstead’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Waverley Borough Council
The Liberal Democrats, the largest group, hold 23 of its 50 seats as elected, 3 short of the 26 needed. Farnham Residents holds 13, the Conservatives 10, independents 2, the Greens 1 and Labour 1. 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 Elstead is £2,587 for 2026–27; Waverley Borough Council keeps 9% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 53% 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 Elstead’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 26 of Waverley’s 50 or 41 of Surrey’s 81 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat23
- Farnham Residents13
- Conservative10
- Independent2
- Green1
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2023.
- 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
Elstead 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.
100% of Elstead’s residents · Band D precept £76
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 Elstead, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parishParish tierElstead parish council
- 2Waverley Borough Council1 ward · 1 councillorGemma Long
- 3Surrey County Council1 division · 1 councillorDavid Harmer
- 4Police and crime commissionerSurrey Police · elected May 2024Lisa Townsend
- 5House of CommonsGodalming and Ash
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.
1 councillor for 1 ward
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.
- Gemma LongLiberal Democrat · May 2023
Show as a table, with Surrey County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elstead & Peper Harowmostly in Elstead · 2,261 residents1 seat · May 2023 | 1 | Gemma Long | May 2023 |
Surrey County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverley Western Villages ED11% in Elstead · 2,261 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | David Harmer | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Waverley Borough 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).
Waverley council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Elstead, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Elstead’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗1,065 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Elstead is in Godalming and Ash constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Elstead).
54,696 votes for candidates · majority 891
Conservative, MP since 5 May 2005.
turnout in July 2024: 54,696 votes from 75,816 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 891 of 54,696 votes (1.6%): the 30th-narrowest of 543 in England.
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.
Elstead’s Band D council tax is £2,587 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Waverley Borough Council keeps £220.25 of a Band D bill (9%); the rest goes to the Elstead parish council, Surrey County Council and the Surrey police and crime commissioner.
Band D since 1993
Waverley’s Band D bill has risen 53% in ten years, from £1,706.87 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £537.75 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Elstead, 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
| Waverley + Surrey | Elstead’s councils | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £467 | £471 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £216 | £217 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £50 | £69 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £-47 | £30 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £137 | £128 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £26 | £33 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £51 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £42 | £43 | £78 |
| Running the council | £61 | £79 | £59 |
| Other | £8 | £-2 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,050 | £1,139 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Waverley 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 Elstead 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.
waverley.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
waverley.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Elstead is run
Which council runs Elstead?
Elstead is run by Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Elstead have a town council?
Yes: Elstead has its own parish-tier council (Elstead parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £76 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Elstead?
Sir Jeremy Hunt (Conservative) is the MP for Godalming and Ash, which covers Elstead.
How many councillors does Elstead have?
1 ward councillors represent Elstead’s 1 ward, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Elstead?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Elstead’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Elstead?
Band D council tax in Elstead is £2,587 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Waverley Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Liberal Democrat 23 · Farnham Residents 13 · Conservative 10 · Independent 2 · Green 1 · Labour 1 of 50 seats; a majority needs 26. 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 2023 council election in Elstead?
In Elstead’s wards on 4 May 2023, Liberal Democrat 1 of the 1 seats up. The Liberal Democrats had the largest share of votes, 60.9%.
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.