What the West Surrey Election Results Mean for Surrey Heath
Now that the West Surrey Unitary Council elections on May 7th 2026 have concluded and the votes have been counted, we want to thank everyone across Surrey Heath who supported the Conservative Party and our local candidates.
We also congratulate the Liberal Democrats on their victory across West Surrey and wish them well in delivering on the many promises made during the campaign.
At a local level, we are particularly pleased to congratulate Bilal Akhtar, Jonathan Lord and Paul Deach on being elected to the new authority. They will now serve residents as part of a 20-strong Conservative opposition group on the new 90-member West Surrey Council.
The Wider West Surrey Picture
The Liberal Democrats secured overall control of the new West Surrey Council with 56 councillors out of 90 seats.
The overall composition of the authority is:
- Liberal Democrats: 56 councillors
- Conservatives: 20 councillors
- Reform UK: 9 councillors
- Farnham Residents: 2 councillors
- Independent: 1 councillor
- Residents for Guildford and Villages: 1 councillor
- Runnymede Independent Residents’ Group: 1 councillor
The creation of the new authority represents one of the biggest changes to local government in Surrey for decades. The new authority inherits significant financial and operational challenges and residents will rightly expect the new administration to focus on effective delivery, service performance and financial management.
While political debate is inevitable, responsibility for making the new authority work successfully now rests squarely with the Liberal Democrat administration.
The Surrey Heath Position
Across the Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency area, Conservatives elected three councillors, while Reform UK did not win any councillors locally.
This point is particularly important because the revised Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency now includes Worplesdon. While Worplesdon sits within Guildford Borough for existing local government purposes, it forms part of the Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency that will be contested at the next General Election.
The Conservative victories in Worplesdon and Frimley Green & Mytchett therefore matter not simply as isolated local results, but as evidence that Conservatives remain electorally competitive across key parts of the wider Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency.
The final councillor position across Surrey Heath constituency wards was:
- Liberal Democrats: 11 councillors
- Conservatives: 3 councillors
- Reform UK: 0 councillors
What the Results Also Show
It is important to recognise that Reform UK achieved a significant vote share across Surrey Heath from what was effectively a standing start. Clearly many voters are frustrated with national politics and are looking for change.
However, under the UK’s electoral system, vote share alone does not automatically translate into representation. Elections are won ward-by-ward and seat-by-seat.
That reality matters because, despite Reform UK’s growth in support, Conservatives remained the only party able to defeat Liberal Democrat candidates anywhere within the Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency area.
In several wards, the combined Conservative and Reform vote was greater than the Liberal Democrat vote. This suggests that fragmentation of the centre-right vote played a significant role in some outcomes.
At the same time, the results also demonstrate that where Conservatives retained strong local campaigning infrastructure, active volunteers and visible local candidates, Conservative representation remained achievable.
Surrey Heath Constituency Ward Results
Bagshot, Windlesham & Chobham
- Simon Browne (Liberal Democrat)
- Richard Wilson (Liberal Democrat)
Camberley East
- Jamie Calder (Liberal Democrat)
- Ying Perrett (Liberal Democrat)
Camberley West & Frimley
- Alan Ashbery (Liberal Democrat)
- Sarbie Kang (Liberal Democrat)
Frimley Green & Mytchett
- Paul Deach (Conservative)
- Jacques Olmo (Liberal Democrat)
Heatherside & Parkside
- Rob Lee (Liberal Democrat)
- Nirmal Kang (Liberal Democrat)
Lightwater, West End & Bisley
- Julie Hoad (Liberal Democrat)
- Shaun MacDonald (Liberal Democrat)
Worplesdon (*)
- Bilal Akhtar (Conservative)
- Jonathan Lord (Conservative)
(*) “While parts of Worplesdon Division remain associated with Guildford Borough for some local government purposes, areas including Normandy and Pirbright now fall within the Surrey Heath Parliamentary constituency.”
Full official West Surrey Unitary Council election results can be viewed on the Surrey County Council elections website here: official West Surrey Unitary Council election results
Looking Ahead
The political landscape across Surrey Heath and West Surrey will continue to evolve over the coming years.
For Conservatives locally, there will be much work to do:
- rebuilding support,
- strengthening campaigning,
- listening carefully to residents,
- developing policy for the new authority,
- and continuing to hold the Liberal Democrat administration to account.
Nationally, the Conservative Party is continuing the work of rebuilding and renewing under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, while locally we will continue strengthening our organisation and campaigning across Surrey Heath.
But one important point from these elections is already clear.
If residents want to challenge Liberal Democrat control locally, and ultimately help remove this Labour Government nationally at the next General Election, Conservatives remain the only realistic electoral alternative within Surrey Heath.
We will continue working hard for local residents and we thank once again everyone who supported our candidates and campaign.
