Spelthorne councillors voted 22 to 0 on Monday to ask ministers to keep the borough's mayor after 1 April 2027. One abstained and 14 sent apologies.
Spelthorne Borough Council has voted to ask the government to keep the Mayor of Spelthorne after the council is abolished next April.
The motion passed by 22 votes to 0, with one abstention, at an extraordinary meeting on Monday 28 September. The draft minutes record it as a recorded vote.
The decision now rests with ministers. Only the Secretary of State can create charter trustees, and without them the office of mayor ends on 1 April 2027, when Spelthorne becomes part of West Surrey Council.
We previewed the meeting last week, including what charter trustees are and what they could cost.
How the vote went
The meeting had two items, both on charter trustees. Council first agreed the motion, then agreed the officers’ report, which asks for the request to go to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the form set out in its Appendix 1.
The minutes record:
- For, 22: Councillors Dunn, Gibson, Attewell, Bateson, Beatty, Bhadye, Boughtflower, Buck, Burrell, J Doran, S Doran, Geraci, Grant, Gyawali, Howkins, Islam, Lee, Mooney, Rutherford, Turner, Williams and Woodward
- Against: none
- Abstained, 1: Councillor Neall
- Apologies, 14: Councillors Arnold, Barker, Beecher, Bing Dong, Boparai, Button, Caplin, Chandler, Clarke, Geach, Mathur, Nichols, Saliagopoulos and Sexton
Neither the councillor who wrote the motion nor the one due to second it was there. The motion was submitted by Councillor Geach and proposed on Councillor Geach’s behalf by Councillor Burrell. Councillor Williams seconded it on behalf of Councillor Button. Both Geach and Button are among the 14 who sent apologies.
Three councillors declared that they also sit on West Surrey Council: Attewell, Bateson and Mooney.
What happens now
The council said on 30 September that it has agreed to submit the request. Its announcement sets out what the charter trustees would be:
- the 14 West Surrey councillors for the wards covering Spelthorne
- able to elect a Mayor and Deputy Mayor each year from among themselves
- responsible for the civic regalia, including the mayoral chains and robes and the borough coat of arms
- without any decision-making powers
The mayor would carry on attending civic and ceremonial events and fundraising for local charities.
The council’s report gave 30 September 2026 as the deadline for the request. Neither the minutes nor the announcement say when it was sent. The council itself says the final decision rests with the ministry, and the Secretary of State has to make an order.
The minutes record no change to Appendix 1 of the report. As published, that draft described the area as “the East Surrey Council Wards of” Spelthorne, although the borough is joining West Surrey. We raised this in our preview. It is not known whether it was corrected before the request went in.
Why Spelthorne needs charter trustees at all
In most of England a town or parish council can take over a borough’s civic traditions. Spelthorne has none. The council’s announcement says charter trustees are the way to keep those traditions because “there are currently no town or parish councils in Spelthorne”.
Spelthorne Borough Council was created on 1 April 1974. It will have existed for exactly 53 years when it closes.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes before April. The office of mayor, held by Councillor Dunn according to the council’s list of members, continues until the council is abolished on 1 April 2027.
- It is not certain. If ministers refuse, the office of Mayor of Spelthorne ends on that date.
- No cost in the first year. As our preview set out, the council’s report says West Surrey Council would meet reasonable costs in year one.
- A small precept is possible from 2028. The report put the likely figure at about £1 to £4 a year on a Band D home. Our Staines council tax bands page shows what you pay now.
- Services are not affected. Charter trustees run no services. Bins, planning and housing move to West Surrey Council on 1 April 2027 either way.
Sources
- Draft minutes of Spelthorne Borough Council, 28 September 2026, read 1 October 2026, for attendance, apologies, declarations, the proposer and seconder, and the recorded vote.
- Meeting page and papers, Council, 28 September 2026, for the motion, the officers’ report, its Appendix 1 and the 30 September deadline.
- Spelthorne Borough Council, “Council seeks to preserve role of Mayor of Spelthorne”, 30 September 2026, for the 14 West Surrey councillors, the trustees’ role and the ministry’s final say.
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