Voters go to the polls in Woking on Thursday, May 2 with 11 of the council's 30 seats to be decided, including those held by the leader and deputy leader of the council and the opposition leader and his deputy.

Each year one of the three seats in each of the 10 wards is up for election but this year there are two sets of candidates in Hoe Valley after Lib Dem councillor Andy Caulfield resigned.

Lib Dem council leader Ann-Marie Barker is facing two opponents – Labour’s Chris Martin and the Conservative Debbie Harlow, who was defeated in Knaphill in 2022 after nine years on the council.

The Conservative group leader, Kevin Davis, is up against five candidates in Heathlands: Pav Pandher (Lib Dem); Sebastian Purbrick (Labour); Paul Hoekstra (Green), Judith  Squire (Heritage Party) and Allan Petrie (Reform).

Mr Petrie is the first Reform candidate in a Woking Borough Council election and his votes will be scrutinised nationally to see if the party is likely to pose a serious threat to the Conservatives.

Deputy council leader Will Forster will be hoping to retain his Hoe Valley seat and be joined on the council by fellow Lib Dem Tom Bonsundy-O'Bryan. They are up against two Conservatives, Martin Benstead and John Lawrence and two Labour candidates, Francis Anyaegbu and Samar Chaudhary.

The deputy Conservative leader, Josh Brown, is defending his Byfleet and West Byfleet seat against Erica Singharay (Lib Dem), Oliver Lester (Labour) and Steve Howes (Independent).

The other vacant seat, apart from Hoe Valley is in Horsell where Lib Dem Adam Kirby is standing down after winning the seat from veteran Conservative councillor and former mayor Beryl Hunwicks in 2021. The seat is being contested by five candidates, Melisa Kuipers (Lib Dem), Christine Murphy (Green), Colin Scott (Conservative), John Scott-Morgan (Labour) and Emma Stephens-Ducros (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition).

The sole Labour councillor up for election this year is Tahir Aziz in Canalside, who is facing Trevor Leek (Conservative), Faisal Mumtaz (Lib Dem) and Eleanor Waple (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition).

The current make-up of the council, with one vacancy, is 19 Lib Dems, four Conservatives, four Independents and two Labour.

The 11 seats being contested this year are: five Lib Dem, four Conservative, one Labour, and one vacant (formerly Lib Dem).

Surrey's four 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner candidates, clockwise from top left: Paul Kennedy (Lib Dem), Kate Chinn (Labour), Alex Coley (Independent), Lisa Townsend (Conservative)
Surrey's four 2024 Police and Crime Commissioner candidates, clockwise from top left: Paul Kennedy (Lib Dem), Kate Chinn (Labour), Alex Coley (Independent), Lisa Townsend (Conservative) (Candidates)

An election is also being held for Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner and the Conservative Lisa Townsend, who was elected PCC in 2021, is facing Paul Kennedy (Lib Dem), Kate Chinn (Labour) and Alex Coley (Independent). 

The PCC does not run Surrey Police but oversees its work and appoints the Chief Constable and holds them and their decisions to account. They set the strategic direction and aims for the force through the Police and Crime Plan.

If you are voting in person, remember to bring an accepted form of photo ID and check your polling station location (www.woking.gov.uk/pollingsearch) as this may have changed since you last voted.

Polls will be open from 7am until 10pm.