Updates from the Leader of the Council

The Council is currently completing the transfer of dozens of public assets from its ownership, mainly to Parish Councils. These assets include, but are not limited to, car parks, recreation grounds, toilets and allotments. 

The Community Asset Transfer (CAT) programme began in September 2024 and its initial purpose was to reduce the council’s ongoing costs by investigating whether other organisations could safely take over the assets. But with the sudden and very swift arrival of local government reorganisation, and the resulting abolition of Tandridge District Council at the end of March next year, the programme took on an additional purpose.  

It became clear that the new East Surrey unitary council which will replace this council next April will need to save money right from the start and there was concern this would inevitably lead to much valued public assets being sold off. This concern was fuelled by statements contained in unitary papers, for example:  

“Both East and West Surrey will operate in a very challenging financial environment, with significant budgetary pressures and limited financial resources from 2027/28, coupled with increasing demand and costs of service delivery. Both new unitaries will be increasingly reliant on Council Tax as the primary source of income.” 

To date, 65 assets have been approved by councillors for transfer and 45 are being progressed through the CAT process. It is expected that more will be approved.  

In some cases, a single asset may comprise multiple elements held under one title or forming part of a single operational site. For example, a recreation ground may include several associated assets such as play areas and pavilions, but it is recorded as one asset within the project.  

Among the assets so far approved for transfer are: 

•  Hambledon Park Open Space (Caterham on the Hill Parish Council) 
•  Ellice Road car park, Oxted (Oxted Parish Council and Limpsfield Parish Council) 
• Boulthurst Way Play Area and Amenity Land (Oxted Parish Council) 
• Woldingham Station Road Car Park (Woldingham Parish Council) 
• Featherstone Playing Fields and Play Area (Godstone Parish Council) 
• Blanchman’s Farm Local Nature Reserve (Warlingham Parish Council) 
• Hamsey Green Recreation Ground (Warlingham Sports Club) 
• Grange Meadow Playing Field (Bletchingley Parish Council) 
• Talbot Road Recreation Ground (Lingfield Parish Council) 
• Dormansland Recreation Ground (Dormansland Parish Council) 
• Caterham&Whyteleafe Tennis Club and Manor Park Pavilion (Whyteleafe Village Council) 

Hopefully, this initiative will protect these prized public assets and keep them under local control. In the new unitary, there will be far fewer local councillors to have a say in their future.  

As you probably know from May’s East Surrey Council elections, only 12 councillors will be representing the whole of Tandridge District in this huge new council which covers more than 550,000 residents. That’s out of a total of 72 councillors representing the current five council areas of Tandridge, Reigate and Banstead, Mole Valley, Elmbridge and Epsom and Ewell.  

East Surrey Council takes over on 1 April 2027. Until that time, it will function as a “shadow” authority dealing with matters relating to the setting up and functioning of the new council.  

Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council and their existing councillors will continue to run services such as planning, housing, recycling and highways until the end of next March. 

If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council  

The council is tightening planning controls in Whyteleafe and Caterham after a rapid rise in family homes being converted into shared houses.  

It follows numerous complaints and consideration of evidence showing a large increase in small houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The resulting impacts include poor housing quality, parking congestion, pressure on residential amenities, loss of family housing and  increased noise and anti-social behaviour.  There has been a steady increase in complaints to planning enforcement and licensing amid growing concerns from residents. 

A legal process called an Article 4 Direction in now underway covering Whyteleafe, Caterham Valley and Caterham Hill  because of an over concentration of HMOs. Evidence shows that 53% of all HMOs in Tandridge District are in these areas.  The goal is to protect local amenity and character and to prevent future adverse effects on neighbouring properties and communities. 

Severe impacts 

The extent, speed of change and severity of the impacts means an immediate Article 4 has been necessary. The other option was a non-immediate direction but that requires a 12 month notice period which would allow uncontrolled conversions for a further year, exacerbating the situation.   

The direction means the removal of permitted development rights that allow a single family home to be converted into a small HMO (up to 6 people) without planning permission. Landlords must now submit a planning application and secure consent for any conversion.   

The aim is to ensure that, in future, the council can fully assess any proposal and manage the location, quality and cumulative impact of HMOs. In addition, it should support coordinated effective regulation of HMOs through the council’s planning, licensing and enforcement functions so strengthening the ability to address poor housing standards and bad management practices.  

The Article 4 Direction requires a statutory consultation period of 21 days after which any representations are considered and a decision is then made on whether to confirm it. 

The direction becomes effective from the date of issue, including during the 21 day consultation period. However, it does not apply retrospectively and existing lawful HMOs would remain unaffected with only new conversions requiring planning permission. 

Local authorities across the UK are increasingly implementing Article 4 Directions to manage the sharp rise in the number of small HMOs with some reports showing a 2.3% increase in England over the past year. The surge in these properties has created widespread concerns regarding increased anti-social behaviour, overcrowding and added pressure on parking and local services. For large HMOs, which are rented out to seven or more unrelated occupiers, planning permission is already compulsory. 

If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council

The next steps towards setting up an East Surrey unitary council are underway. Ten councillors from across the eastern area have been appointed to a joint committee which has begun meeting to help prepare for transferring powers and responsibilities to the new council.  

Five are Surrey County Councillors who have been appointed by the County Council. The other five are appointed by the Districts and Boroughs that will make up the eastern authority. As well as Tandridge, these are Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley and Reigate & Banstead councils. I am the only representative from Tandridge District who is on the joint committee.  A similar committee has also been set up to prepare for the West Surrey unitary.  

For Tandridge District Council, establishing the East Surrey unitary will require a financial contribution of around £1.5m in one-off costs in 2026/2027 which, for us, represents a major financial commitment. It also means a major increase in workload to prepare for the creation of the new authority while also carrying out business as usual. 

Government plans for local government reorganisation will see all eleven of Surrey’s district and boroughs, plus Surrey County Council, abolished. They will be replaced by the two new unitaries, each of which will be responsible for all local services, including housing, planning, waste, education, roads and social care. 

Some services, such as children’s and adult social care which are currently delivered by Surrey County Council, will need to be disaggregated and split across the two new authorities. Other services currently delivered separately by the five districts and boroughs will need to brought together so they can be delivered by one authority.  

Elections for the East Surrey unitary will go ahead on 7 May. It will have a lot fewer councillors than under the current system. There will be two councillors elected per ward. For Tandridge, that means a total of 12 unitary councillors compared with 43 district councillors and six county councillors at present.  

The new East Surrey Council will run alongside the existing ones for almost a year before formally taking over on 1 April 2027. Until that time, Tandridge District Council will continue to provide services as usual. 

Will there be other elections? 

No. Elections had been due to take place this May in Tandridge and some of the other councils when a third of the total number of councillors would have been elected. However, because of the elections for the new unitaries, these will not happen.  

In March, the government is expected to make a Structural Changes Order that legally implements local government reorganisation in Surrey. As part of this, all Surrey councillors will have their terms extended until 31 March 2027, the last day of operation of the old councils.  

Before the lights go out... 

There are several key priorities I would like to deliver before the lights go out at Tandridge District Council. We are one of the few councils to have kept and increased its stock of council houses and one goal is to build more of them and also to make improvements to the 2,600 we already have.  

Moving ahead with a new Local Plan for the district is also high on the list with the aim of  delivering more affordable housing and better infrastructure and protecting our beautiful environment from inappropriate development. It’s also important to complete our programme of playground and toilet refurbishments. The Council has been on a tough journey to achieve financial stability and I want to ensure we stay financially in the best place possible to deliver good services for residents right up until the end. 

If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council  

The government requires every local planning authority to have an up to date Local Plan in place as soon as possible. Once adopted, the Local Plan will direct all planning decisions. 

The Council is now preparing a new Local Plan for Tandridge District. We intend to start the first public consultation later this month and it’ll last for six weeks. We are keen for as many residents and businesses as possible to take part so we can make the best decisions in the context of what is a very challenging situation. 

The Local Plan will guide where new homes are built, what countryside and green spaces are protected, employment opportunities, access to schools and GPs as well as other new infrastructure such as road improvements.  

Why is it challenging? 

The government wants to build 1.5 million new homes nationally by 2029 and to enable this, it has introduced a number of planning reforms. These include: 

● Allowing areas of Green Belt to be reclassified as grey belt with a view to releasing  them for development. Grey belt isn’t only land that is previously developed but can  also mean building on open countryside.  

● Introducing a new standard method for calculating housing need with much higher  mandatory housing targets. 

● Removing the Green Belt protection against urban sprawl that previously applied  to villages. 

The Council’s new Local Plan must be in accordance with the new rules or it will not pass the necessary examination by a Planning Inspector. 

Our district is particularly affected because it is 94% Green Belt. The Council appreciates this is a finite and precious resource. The preferred location for new development will always be brownfield land which is land that has been built on before and is available for redevelopment. Tandridge District does not have nearly enough available brownfield land to meet the government’s set target. Government policy means we must now assess whether any Green Belt could be considered for development.   

How many homes do we need to plan for? 

The government sets a target for how many homes each council should plan for:  

● Our district’s requirement is currently 993 dwellings per year. This compares with  125 dwellings per year in the current Local Plan (2008 Core Strategy). 

● Meeting this target will be very difficult because of the constraints here. As well as   Green Belt, the District has two National Landscapes, Surrey Hills and the High  Weald, and has significant flooding and infrastructure constraints. 

● The new Local Plan needs to balance the need for new housing, for new  infrastructure and for new economic growth with protecting the district’s character  and beautiful landscapes.  

It is a difficult balance and the Council would like your help to get it right. 

Why are we doing it? 

Apart from being a government requirement, it is important to have an up to date Local Plan because it allows more local control over development and avoids costly planning appeals. Without one, the district is vulnerable to speculative and inappropriate development proposals. This is happening at the moment.  

A Local Plan also allows us to set affordable housing policies and to specify a percentage of affordable housing which developers must include in new developments. This should help provide more housing for key workers such as nurses and teachers and also help local businesses that need staff who can afford to live nearby.  

You can take part in the consultation by visiting: www.tandridge.gov.uk/consult, or visit the Council Offices in Oxted. Paper copies will also be available at Caterham and Oxted libraries. 

Please do let us have your views. Thank you. 

If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council  

Elections for the new East Surrey unitary will go ahead on 7 May. It will have a lot fewer councillors than under the current system. There will be two councillors elected per ward. For Tandridge, that means a total of 12 unitary councillors compared with 49 councillors at present. To vote, residents must be registered by midnight on Monday 20 April 2026 at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.   

The councillors elected in May will work as members of a shadow authority, helping to oversee the transition to the new system.  From 1 April 2027, the East Surrey unitary will officially take over delivering all local services in East Surrey. Existing councillors will continue to represent their areas until 31 March 2027 and Tandridge District Council will continue to provide services as usual up to that date. 

Until the May election, a joint committee of current councillors is holding regular meetings to help prepare for transferring powers and responsibilities to the unitary.  

Ten councillors from across the eastern area have been appointed to the joint committee. Five are Surrey County Councillors who have been appointed by the County Council. The other five are appointed by the Districts and Boroughs that will make up the eastern authority. As well as Tandridge, these are Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley and Reigate & Banstead councils. I am the only representative from Tandridge District who is on the joint committee.  A similar committee has also been set up to prepare for the West Surrey unitary.  

For Tandridge District Council, establishing the East Surrey unitary will require a financial contribution of around £1.5m in one-off costs in 2026/2027 which, for us, represents a major financial commitment. It also means a major increase in workload to prepare for the creation of the new authority while also carrying out business as usual. 

Government plans for local government reorganisation will see all eleven of Surrey’s district and boroughs, plus Surrey County Council, abolished. They will be replaced by the two new unitaries, East and West Surrey, each of which will be responsible for all local services, including housing, planning, waste, education, roads and social care. 

Some services, such as children’s and adult social care which are currently delivered by Surrey County Council, will need to be disaggregated and split across the two new authorities. Other services currently delivered separately by the five districts and boroughs will need to brought together so they can be delivered by one authority.  

All the district and borough councils and Surrey County Council have created a Future Surrey website about local government reorganisation changes which is available at www.surreylgrhub.gov.uk.    

 If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council  

The first public consultation is now underway for a new Local Plan for Tandridge District. It began on 19 January and lasts for six weeks, closing at midnight on 1 March. We are keen for as many residents and businesses as possible to take part in the context of what is a very challenging situation. 

The government is requiring every local planning authority to prepare and adopt an up-to-date Local Plan as soon as possible. Local Plans determine how much development is needed, where it should go, and how it should be supported by infrastructure and environmental safeguards. Once adopted, the Local Plan is the key consideration in making all planning decisions. 

The government wants to build 1.5 million new homes nationally by 2029 and, to enable this, it has introduced a number of planning reforms. The Council’s new Local Plan must be in accordance with the government’s new rules or it will not pass the necessary examination by a Planning Inspector. The reforms include: 

Allowing areas of Green Belt to be reclassified as grey belt with a view to releasing them for development. Grey belt isn’t only land that is previously developed but can also mean building on open countryside.  
Introducing a new standard method for calculating housing need with much higher mandatory housing targets.

Removing the Green Belt protection against urban sprawl that previously applied to villages. 

The government’s housing target for our district is 993 dwellings per year. This compares with 125 dwellings per year in the current Local Plan (2008 Core Strategy). 

Meeting this target in full will be a considerable challenge as the district is one of the most constrained in the country with 94% Green Belt, two national landscapes, large areas of flood risk, protected biodiversity designations and significant infrastructure deficits. However, not having an up-to-date local plan in place puts the district and its residents at significant risk of unacceptable unplanned and speculative development being allowed at appeal in locations that would normally be inappropriate. 

This first stage of the Local Plan consultation is to find out people’s priorities and their views on the options available for accommodating new development. At this stage, no decisions have been made and no sites have been included. 

The new plan has to balance the need for new housing, for new infrastructure and for new economic growth with protecting the district’s character and beautiful landscapes. It is a difficult balance and the Council would like your help to get it right. 

You can take part in the consultation by visiting: www.tandridge.gov.uk/localplan2026, or visit the Council Offices in Oxted. Paper copies will also be available at Caterham and Oxted libraries.

Please do let us have your views. Thank you.

If you have any comments or questions, please just get in touch at Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk 

Councillor Catherine Sayer 

Leader of the Council  

Household waste is estimated to increase by around 30% during the festive period with packaging, excess food and unwanted gifts all contributing to the pile. Plus, many common festive items, such as wrapping paper with glitter or foil, tinsel, Christmas cracker toys, are not easily recycled through standard household collections and often end up in landfill. 

If you’d like to have a greener Christmas and recycle as much as possible, here are a few suggestions: 

Food waste 

• Any food you can’t eat or freeze, please pop it in your green food caddy and not in your recycling or rubbish bins. 

Wrapping and decorations 

• Extra cardboard? If it doesn’t all fit in your recycling bin, cut it up and place it next to your recycling bin in a cardboard box or a clear plastic bag. Keep the extra box or bag light and not too tall so crews can move them safely. 

• Avoid glittery or foil wrapping paper, it cannot be recycled and must go in your rubbish bin. 

• Use less Sellotape if possible. 

• Christmas cards and envelopes can be recycled, but avoid glitter, foil, or cards with batteries. 

Batteries, lights, electrical 

• Many decorations, toys and gadgets come with batteries and these shouldn’t go in your household bins. Batteries can cause fires if mixed with rubbish or recycling. Just put them in a small, tied bag next to your food caddy. 

• Broken or unwanted Christmas lights can be recycled. Place them in a tied carrier bag next to your food caddy on your collection day. 

Christmas tree 
If you’ve a real Christmas tree, you can recycle it: 

• At Community Recycling Centres at either Bond Road, Warlingham or Chaldon Road, Caterham. 

• By cutting it up and composting it at home. 

If in doubt, visit our recycling and rubbish web pages for more information – www.tandridge.gov.uk/recyclingandrubbish. 

Member of the Green Waste Club? 

You can recycle your tree by cutting it up (maximum trunk 10cm diameter) to fit in your bin and ensure the lid closes. 

Garden waste collections will not take place in the weeks starting 22 December or 29 December 2025. 

Recycling and rubbish collection changes over Christmas 
Collections will change following the bank holidays. You can check your dates at: www.tandridge.gov.uk/checkmybinday 

Have a wonderful and green Christmas! 

If you have any comments/questions, please just get in touch at: Cllr.Catherine.Sayer@tandridge.gov.uk