Latest news
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news and press releases.
Town centre car parks remain free in June
All Council-owned car parks in Guildford town centre will remain free of charge throughout June, as some shops and businesses start to re-open in line with new government guidance.
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Surrey's first dedicated swift tower installed on Shalford Common
Surrey's first dedicated swift nesting tower has been erected on Shalford Common to protect one of Britain's most remarkable and endangered bird species who frequently choose to nest there.
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Mayoral Charity Coronavirus Response Fund for 2020-21
This year, the Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Richard Billington has chosen to support the Coronavirus Response Fund as his Mayoral charity, alongside the Mayor of Guildford's Local Support Fund (formerly known as the Mayor of Guildford's Local Distress Fund).
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Future of Guildford Park Car Park to be decided
The future of Guildford Park Car Park will be reviewed after proposals were approved by the Council's Executive on Tuesday (26 May).
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More water bottle refilling stations installed across the borough
Six new bottle refilling stations will be installed in Guildford during May and June as part of the Council's commitment to eliminating single-use plastic containers.
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More free family fun and fundraising at Guildford Live II
We are proud to support the borough's second free family-friendly variety performance, dedicated to our NHS staff and keyworkers, by Guildford Fringe Theatre which takes place on Thursday 28 May at 6.30pm live on Facebook.
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Aspire grant helps fire-hit businesses in Effingham to open new pop-up community store
Effingham has a new community store, thanks to the support of Guildford Borough Council, Effingham Parish Council and the hard work and quick thinking of local residents and churches.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19) Leader Statement: Thank you to our residents
Following the government's change to the Coronavirus guidance this week, Leader of the Council, Cllr Caroline Reeves made the following statement:
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Guildford Heritage's tribute for VE Day 75
"Commemoration and Celebration - memories and legacies of the Second World War" was planned as the inaugural exhibition in the newly renovated Guildford Museum, which was due to open on 4 May following essential works and maintenance.
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Have your say on sustainable development in Guildford
Sustainable development, protecting natural habitats and supporting economic recovery and growth across the borough are at the heart of new policies which form part of Guildford's adopted Local Plan.
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R4GV and Liberal Democrats Unite to Lead Council Together
A new co-operative approach to running the Council as it moves into the second year since the borough elections in 2019 was announced at a meeting of Full Council last night.
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Council marks 75th Anniversary of VE Day with virtual events
VE (Victory in Europe) Day, 8 May 1945 marked the end of nearly six years of war in Europe - a jubilant day following a war that cost millions of lives and caused huge suffering.
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Guildford businesses urged to apply now for remaining £6.25 million grant funding
If you own a business in Guildford, you may qualify for a government grant to help you through the financial impact of the coronavirus. So far we have paid £15.745 million to 1,154 local businesses, but if you have not applied yet we still have £6.255 million available to help you.
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Mayor Making rescheduled for 2021
In view of the current lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Government has recently changed the law to allow councils to not only hold 'virtual meetings', but also to dispense with the need to hold an annual meeting this year.
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Guildford in Bloom 2020 goes digital
Our borough's favourite gardening competition Guildford in Bloom (#GiB2020) will take place for the 39th time this year, but with an innovative twist: we've gone online!
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Committed to our communities
Over the past five weeks we have been extremely proud to protect and care for our communities while maintaining essential and enhanced services and supporting our NHS partners. We've been so pleased to hear from feedback that we are making a real difference to people's lives during these unprecedented times.
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Mayor's Award honours service to the community
Over 20 local residents and groups who between them give hundreds of hours each week to make a real difference in their community have been recognised and celebrated by the Mayor of Guildford.
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Council responds to Coronavirus (Covid-19) emergency
An emergency budget of £15 million was unanimously agreed by councillors to cover the anticipated impact of the Coronavirus pandemic at the first online meeting of the Executive last night.
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Leader's statement on countryside car park closures
Leader of the Council, Cllr Caroline Reeves said: "We understand that some residents disagree with our decision to close our countryside car parks while our parks and countryside remains open. General government guidance (which applies to town centres, cities and rural areas) is advising us to stay local and use open spaces near to our homes where possible and not travel unnecessarily.
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£15.6million for Guildford businesses still unclaimed
If you own a business in Guildford, you may qualify for a grant to help you through the financial impact of the coronavirus. We have £22 million in government funding available, but so far we have only been able to pay 25% of this as many local businesses have not applied.
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Planning Committee launches virtual meetings
Members of the public will be invited to share their views on a number of local planning applications when the Guildford Borough Council Planning Committee launches its first ever online meeting on Wednesday 20 May at 7pm.
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Don't miss out on business grants - £3 million already distributed locally
Do you run a business in Guildford borough? Have you applied for funding to help you during the coronavirus? We have already distributed £3.1 million of government funding to local businesses as the coronavirus affects trade across our local economy and expect to make all remaining payments in April.
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Council urges residents to not support sky lantern campaign
Guildford Borough Council joins the National Fire Chiefs Council, RSPCA and other organisations in urging residents to not support a social media campaign to light sky lanterns on Thursday night.
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Grants for businesses
The government has announced a range of help for businesses to be delivered by us as a Council to help support businesses affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19). We expect around 1,750 businesses will qualify for the grants in our borough, which will probably total around £22 million.
They have continued to review the guidance for local authorities. It has become clear that we need additional information from ratepayers so we can make payments through the scheme.
Over the next week, we will write to all ratepayers who we consider are eligible for a grant. Meanwhile a generic version of the
Business grants letter [62.72KB]
letter is available here. Please provide the additional information through our Grants payment form.
We will start to make payments during the week commencing 13 April, and aim to distribute all the grants during April. Where we can we will make payment prior to receiving the additional form information - however you must still complete the form so that post payment verification can take place.
Further information on the grants can be found at on the government website.
Published 9 April 2020
Call the Council for direct help
From Monday 6 April any resident who feels they need help can call the Council's new community helpline and receive direct support.
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Number Five night shelter becomes Guildford's new rough sleeper hub
Number Five night shelter in York Road is modernising and enhancing its service so rough sleepers can get the help they need to turn their lives around.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19): statement from Caroline Reeves, Leader of Guildford Borough Council
As we move into the 'new normal' of staying home, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank our residents who are diligently following the government guidance. We remain at a critical stage in the fight to stop the spread of the Coronavirus and we all need to continue to play our part to help save lives and ease the pressure on our brilliant NHS staff.
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Democratic response to Coronavirus
We are all playing our part in responding to changes brought about by the Coronavirus. While the Council prioritises critical services in order to serve the needs of its residents and more vulnerable at risk groups, it is also necessary to ensure that we are able to continue making decisions on key projects, policies, and services, as well as planning applications and in compliance with the law. The new Coronavirus Act 2020 gives the Secretary of State powers to make regulations about the conduct of local authority meetings, and these are widely expected to include the capacity for virtual meetings.
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Please stay at home and stop the spread
We'd like to say thank you to all of our residents who are diligently following the government guidelines to #stayhomesavelives and only go outside for essential groceries and to exercise once a day.
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£150 Council Tax rebate for Guildford Local Council Tax Support recipients
Local Council Tax Support recipients within the borough of Guildford will automatically receive a further discount of £150 on their Council Tax bill for 2020-21.
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Council calls for everyone to play their part
We know many of our residents and businesses are taking necessary precautions and making all the necessary sacrifices to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) - thank you. We are also aware that there are a few people who are choosing to not follow the guidance on staying at home and social distancing and we strongly urge everyone to play their part.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19) - help for tenants and the homeless
Guildford Borough Council will fully help and support residents through this difficult time.
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Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - help for business ratepayers
The government has announced a range of help for businesses to be delivered by us as a Council to help support businesses affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19). These measures are evolving. Information on the current situation and what you can do now to help us help you is below. If you think you qualify for any of the help listed here, please do not telephone us. We do not have any further information and we need to focus on plans to deliver the help.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19): Statement From Caroline Reeves, Leader of Guildford Borough Council
As these uncertain times become more challenging by the day, I want to reassure you that we are doing all we can to ensure we continue to deliver essential services, and support to our communities as best we can.
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Community spirit helps provide targeted support to those in need
We have received many offers of help from the local community, asking how they can support those in need during the coronavirus outbreak. It's fantastic to see such community spirit from the people of our borough, but it's important that voluntary support is done in a safe and coordinated way. We have asked Voluntary Action South West Surrey to take on the vital role of coordinating this in our area and their contact details are below.
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Farewell to About Guildford newspaper after 24 years
The final souvenir issue of About Guildford, the Council's own newspaper, will be delivered to every residential address in the borough next week from 16 March 2020. The decision is part of our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and tackle climate change at a local level. Instead, we are taking our news online.
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Puttenham Neighbourhood Plan - consultation dates announced
A seven-week consultation on the Puttenham Neighbourhood Plan (2016-2033) will begin on Monday 9 March 2020.
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Have your say on Guildford borough's future
What do you think should be our top priority to ensure Guildford continues to be one of the most successful boroughs in the South East?
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Personal touch in developing local businesses
Do you run a business in our borough? Looking for some bespoke advice on how to grow it, recruit the best talent and keep your finances in good shape? Guildford Business Growth offers all this and more.
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General Election result for the Guildford Constituency
The result of the election of a Member of Parliament for the Guildford Constituency has been declared.
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Major investment approved as £52.3 million grant awarded for new Weyside Urban Village
The new Weyside Urban Village project took another significant step forward today as the Chancellor announced that the Council's bid for £52.3 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to support the provision of 1,500 new homes on the site has been successful.
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Final results for all 22 Guildford Borough wards now online
We have been publishing the results for each ward as they were declared throughout the day.
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New Local Plan - Planning Inspector's final report published
The government's Planning Inspector has now produced his final report and recommendations and submitted them to the Council. This marks the end of his independent examination of our submitted Local Plan.
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