Tandridge District

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the whole area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:

• Caterham and Warlingham Urban District
• Godstone Rural District The new district was named after the medieval Tandridge Hundred, which had covered a similar area. From the seventeenth century onwards, hundreds gradually declined in importance as administrative divisions, with their functions passing to other bodies such as the county courts. The final administrative functions of hundreds had been extinguished in 1886. The Tandridge hundred was named after the hillside village and ridge of the North Downs, Tandridge.

The vast majority of the district is covered by the Metropolitan Green Belt to prevent extension of the London urban area.

The district is not currently twinned, but one of its towns, Lingfield, is twinned with Plaisance-du-Touch, a commune on the outskirts of Toulouse, France.

Governance

Residents’ Alliance OLRG : : ;Other parties (23) : : Conservative (7) :

Tandridge District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. It has been led since 2021 by a minority administration comprising local party the Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group (OLRG) and some of the independent councillors.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2000 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council is:

The twelve Residents Association councillors sit with the Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group as the "Residents' Alliance" which forms the council's administration. The next election is due 7 May 2026.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on Station Road East in Oxted (the building is actually in the parish of Limpsfield). The building was purpose-built for the council in 1989 on the site of the old Godstone Rural District Council's headquarters.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2024, the council has comprised 43 councillors representing 18 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time to serve a four-year term. Surrey County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.

Parishes

The entire district is divided into civil parishes. The former Caterham and Warlingham Urban District was an unparished area until 2000, when six parishes were created covering that area: Caterham-on-the-Hill, Caterham Valley, Chaldon, Warlingham, Whyteleafe and Woldingham. None of Tandridge's parish councils are styled as a "town council". The Royal Mail classes Caterham, Godstone, Lingfield, Oxted, Warlingham, and Whytleafe as post towns.

Each civil parish is named after one of its towns or villages which has been established around an Anglican church. All other settlements/neighbourhoods with their own Anglican church or chapel and therefore traditionally in England defined as "a village" are marked with an asterisk. A double asterisk indicates the locality has a church hall used as a Church of England church. One chapel in Limpsfield ecclesiastical parish and civil parish has no adjoining settlement, in Staffhurst Wood.

Arms

References

References

1. "Tandridge Local Authority".
2. [http://surreymaps.surreycc.gov.uk/public/viewer.asp Local Authority Map. Accessed 2012-04-23]
3. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
4. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
5. "Tandridge Hundred". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
6. [[Riot (Damages) Act 1886]] (49 & 50 Vict. c. 38), s.2
7. London Green Belt Council http://londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk/threats_map/ {{Webarchive. link. (12 January 2018)
8. [http://www.tandridge.gov.uk/leisure/LocalGroups/default.htm District Council link to external website. Accessed 2012-04-23]
9. "Council minutes, 15 May 2025".
10. (30 March 2021). "Tandridge District Council appoints first permanent chief exec since 2019". In Your Area.
11. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
12. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
13. "Tandridge". [[BBC News Online]].
14. (4 July 2000). "Ones to watch - LGC takes a look at 10 councillors rising through the town hall ranks". Local Government Chronicle.
15. (9 May 2016). "Conservatives retain control of Surrey councils". BBC News.
16. "Council minutes, 26 May 2016".
17. (3 May 2019). "Election results: Tories suffer four Surrey council defeats". BBC News.
18. "Council minutes, 21 May 2019".
19. (10 June 2022). "Ex-Tandridge council leader made 'inappropriate and disrespectful' comments to undermine employee's position". Surrey Live.
20. "Council minutes, 27 May 2021".
21. (31 August 2021). "The remarkable rise of the independent councillors". BBC News.
22. (3 May 2024). "Tandridge election result". [[BBC News]].
23. "Your councillors by political grouping".
24. "Tandridge". Thorncliffe.
25. (4 May 1989). "We are coming to Oxted". Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser.
26. {{cite legislation UK. (2024)
27. "The Tandridge (Parishes) Order 1999". The National Archives.
28. "Parish Councils".
29. [http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/mapsearch.aspx Map] {{Webarchive. link. (24 April 2012 created by [[Ordnance Survey]], courtesy of [[English Heritage]])
30. Church of England website - [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parishfinder.php ecclesiastical parish finder]
31. "Tandridge District Council (Surrey)". Civic Heraldry of England.