Surrey Heath

About Surrey Heath the place

Situated in North West Surrey, with a population of 91,000, Surrey Heath is a beautiful place to live and work. We rank first in the Home Counties for wellbeing (NOMIS 2019) and first in England and Wales for tree coverage (Bluesky). Combine that with close proximity to London and Heathrow Airport, and our ambitious regeneration programme for Camberley town centre (the Borough’s largest town), and we have a lot to offer.

The borough covers 36.5 square miles in north west Surrey, on the border of both Berkshire and Hampshire and is a contrast of urban and rural environments. The area has unique military heritage with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where all Officers in the British Army are trained, and Deepcut Barracks.

Generally a highly affluent area, people who work here have the second highest average weekly wage in the South East. But having enough homes for people that need them and are affordable is a significant challenge, especially when balanced against the need to maintain the green nature of the borough and the extensive specially protected heathland (SPA).

We know a number of our residents and their families that are struggling, a situation made more challenging by the fragile national economy and relatively high food and fuel prices. In some parts of the Borough there is a life-expectancy gap of up to 11 years and with the number of older people expected to rise more in Surrey Heath than other places over the next five years.

This is a uniquely challenging time for local businesses, therefore a strong economy and vibrant town and village centres are vital for local employment and future business success. The Council has invested significantly over recent years in Camberley town centre and in 2022 was rated as the best town for business in the UK. We will continue our work with our towns, villages and rural communities to make these areas attractive to businesses and visitors.

Many of our front-line services are delivered through external contracts or through partnerships with neighbouring Councils. We also provide services on behalf of other Councils.

We have made excellent progress with delivering our Medium-term Financial Strategy (MTFS) which was established last year and is focused on addressing the impact of the pandemic and its aftermath on the Council’s finances, including the impact on traditional income sources. Overall, we have a good track record of financial management which is owned at every level in the organisation. We also have a healthy level of financial reserves.

Delivery is important to us and in Surrey Heath and this is underpinned by effective governance and project management, excellent customer service and meaningful community engagement.