Conservatives and Reform win big in Runnymede as West Surrey count continues
Voters in Runnymede have returned seven Conservatives, four Reform candidates and an independent at the inaugural West Surrey elections.
The result is a big swing from last year’s borough elections that saw the long-held Tory district move to a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrats and Residents.
Today’s results mean the borough’s political make and the new unitary council – that will sit side-by-side for the first year – are markedly different.
The 12 Runnymede seats will feed into the wider 90 councillors to make up the new authority that is expected to lean towards the Liberal Democrats when all is said and done.
Councillor Chris Howorth, who won in Englefield Green and Virginia Water said the results showed people were unhappy with how the borough had been run since the 2024 elections that overturned generations of Conservative control.
He said voters had reacted to national issues last time out but returned to traditional voting patterns,
He said: “This has been a failing of the current administration and the results show that.”
He said voters came out and backed the Conservatives and Reform adding that “they rejected the kind of politics the administration had been (pushing).
He added that the borough alliance should be more inclusive to reflect how voters feel.
The quickest West Surrey seat to declare was in Addlestone with Scott Kelly and Vincent Mitchell of Reform taking the honours of being the first councillors of the new authority.
This was followed by six back to back Conservative wins before the day was rounded up with two splits.
The first in Egham with Isabel Mullens of the Runnymede Independent Residents Group sharing the spoils with George Gladstone-New of Reform UK.
The county seat had been held by Labour’s Robert King – who is also one of the borough’s co-leaders.
The final of Runnymede’s six seats to declare was Thorpe, Longcross and Ottershaw with the current Conservative county councillor and former Ottershaw Independent borough councillor turned Reform member taking home the prize.
Overall in West Surrey there are 90 seats up for grabs.
Despite failing to win a single Runnymede seat, projections suggest the Liberal Democrats will be the largest party.
ENDS