Proposing the name ‘West Surrey and South Middlesex Council’

Since 1965 the people of the Spelthorne area of Middlesex have suffered the indignity of being under a local authority absurdly called “Surrey County Council”. But with the abolition of Surrey County Council in April 2027, it is time to right this historic wrong and to bring the Middlesex identity of Spelthorne to the fore.

The London Government Act 1963 placed most of Middlesex within “Greater London” for the administrative purposes of that act. However, around 60% of the ancient hundred of Spelthorne was made part of the administrative county of ‘Surrey’.

The use of ‘Spelthorne’ for the borough council’s name did at least do something to reflect the Middlesex identity of the area. Despite sixty years of confusion, the Middlesex identity of Staines, Sunbury, Ashford, Stanwell, Laleham and Shepperton remains strong.

The abolition of Surrey County Council in April 2027 provides an opportunity to properly reflect our historic counties in the names of the new unitary councils. Instead, the Government is proposing that the Spelthorne area be put under a unitary authority to be called “West Surrey Council”. No mention of Spelthorne. No mention of Middlesex.

Our friends at Middlesex Heritage are campaigning to see this new council be named “West Surrey and South Middlesex Council”. Get involved by joining the Proposing the name ‘West Surrey and South Middlesex Council’ Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/westsurreysouthmiddlesex

The final say on the council’s name will lie with the shadow authority once elected in May 2026. We hope that particularly those elected representatives from the Spelthorne area will push for a more appropriate name to be adopted.

Over the next few years all of the remaining “county councils” in England are set to be abolished and replaced by unitary councils. These new councils must not be allowed to make inappropriate use of historic county names, as most of the 60s/70s county councils did.