About Surrey Heath

The Borough of Surrey Heath covers 36.5 square miles, with towns and villages set amongst wild areas of open heath and pine and birch woodlands.  Located in the north west corner of Surrey, the Borough is home to over 80,000 people.  Around two thirds of the population live in the urban part of the Borough which comprises of one third of the land.  Planning to meet the needs of the people and the environment are important. The vibrant economy is based on nursery and market gardening, commerce and industry.   With London and its international airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, only an hour away by car or train and other major towns in the South within each reach, Surrey Heath is a perfect location for worldwide commerce.

Surrey Heath is a generally affluent area.  A report published in 1995 by Bristol University based on the 1991 census, cited Surrey Heath as the most wealthy local authority area in the country.  The needs of the people, the environment and commerce must be skilfully blended. 

The very strong message from consulting with the community is that residents wish us to continue to provide services at least to the same standard as at present. In this context, Council Tax strategy aims to achieve a suitable balance between the cost to local people and the maintenance of the valued and well performing services.

The Council also has a role in encouraging community involvement, listening to the views of local people, and forming a focal point for leadership. Therefore our Vision is 'Leading for Tomorrow'.

However, the Council is not the only provider of public services to the local community. In addition to the purchasing, provision and/or monitoring of local services, we will be promoting the interests of Surrey Heath in other spheres of government. We have taken the lead in setting up a Local Strategic Partnership, working with other agencies such as the health sector, voluntary and community organisations and businesses, to develop a Community Plan for Surrey Heath.

The overall vision for the future is that Surrey Heath will be a safe, green and clean environment in which to live, work, learn and enjoy leisure activities.

The Council will play an active role in ensuring this vision is achieved.

Population The resident population of Surrey Heath has risen gradually since the 1991 census pollution of 79,073 to 80,314 in the 2001 census. The estimated current population is 83,000.
View Overall Surrey Heath Population Statistics Opens in a new window

Population statistics for wards within Surrey Heath can be accessed by selecting the relevant ward in the following list.

Bagshot	Bisley	Chobham	Frimley
Frimley Green	Heatherside	Lightwater	Mytchett
Old Dean	Parkside	St Michaels	St Pauls
Town	Watchetts	West End	Windlesham

Economic Profile of Surrey Heath

Surrey Heath has the lowest level of unemployment in Surrey at 0.5% (May 2004) compared to the UK figure of 3.7% and the Surrey figure of 0.7%. As at January 2010, the borough claimant rate was 2.3%.

The 1996 census of employment shows that Surrey Heath's major employment areas are financial services, distribution and catering and public administration.

Employment	Percentage figure
Transport and Communications	2%
Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants	23%
Construction	2%
Manufacturing	14%
Energy and Water	1%
Other Services	3%
Public Administration	20%
Banking and Financial Services	35%

Economic Development

Surrey Heath has a thriving business sector.  In 1997, the business registration rate was the highest in Surrey with 74 businesses registered for VAT per 10,000 of the resident adult population.  The figure for Surrey as a whole was 59 per 10,000.

Surrey Heath last prepared an economic development strategy for 1998/99 under the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.  The Local Government Act 2000 now requires local authorities to prepare a community strategy for promoting or improving the economic social and environmental well-being of the Borough and a new strategy is currently being prepared.