The Annual Budget of Horley Town Council has been confirmed and the Precept for 2024/25 has been set at a total net figure of £604,096.  This means that the Town element of Council Tax will be an average annual amount of £54 per household, representing an increase of £6.24 per Band D property (+ 13.1 %).  This figure is well below the National Average figure for Town and Parish Councils which last year (2023/24) was £79.35. 

The Precept increase is due to a rise in inflation and higher costs to cover council services and this required careful decisions to be made in this regard.  We equally understand that rising household bills creates significant financial pressures for many residents and we must maintain a pragmatic approach to financial management and use of public money. Consistent progress with our five year Town Plan objectives reinforces our steadfast approach to deliver local community projects through innovation and commitment along with other meaningful ways to support the local community and to promote well-being and social cohesion.

Garden waste service annual break

The annual two-week suspension of the garden waste service starts Saturday 23 December and resumes on Monday 8 January. 

Real Christmas tree collections

Once scheduled collections resume on Monday 8 January, garden waste members can recycle their real Christmas trees in the following way during January. Put your tree out with your brown wheeled garden bin on your usual garden waste collection day. Please remember to remove the decorations first.

You can check when your next collection will be on the Check your bin collection dates page.

Alternative ways to recycle your Christmas tree

If you have not joined our Garden Waste Service, you can take your old Christmas trees to your local Community Recycling Centre.

Town Awards were presented at the Councillors Christmas Hospitality on Saturday 9th December 2023

The worthy recipients were former councillor and Horley Royal British Legion President, David Powell and Royal British Legion Member Tony Keay, they were presented with their awards by Town Mayor, Cllr Martin Saunders.

Tony Keay (pictured on the left)
Tony, an ex-Royal Navy officer, joined the Horley Royal British Legion in 2012 and almost immediately took on the role of the Branch Secretary together with the responsibility of organising the annual Remembrance Parade and Service of Remembrance held at the Horley War Memorial, the opening of the Garden of Remembrance, held the Wednesday before the Remembrance Service, and the 11.11.11 gathering in Horley Town centre to mark the signing of the Armistice at the end of both World Wars. Tony continues to maintain a strong affinity with the local ex-service population and has been deeply involved in organising special events locally such as the commemorative services following the loss of both the Queen Mother and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as well as attendances at local funerals of ex-servicemen and women. 

For Tony's full citation click here

David Powell (pictured on the right)
David served as a Horley Town Councillor for 16 years.  He was elected Chairman & Town Mayor in 2018 for 2 years and was appointed Vice-Chairman and Deputy Town Mayor in 2021.  He had many accomplishments during this time, including championing the ‘’Go Horley – Go Green’ environment campaign along with many fundraising initiatives, including the annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.  David Powell was elected to the Borough Council in 2012 and then appointed Deputy Mayor in 2015.  The following year, in May 2016 with his theme of office entitled ‘Love your Community’, he was the first Horley Town Councillor to be elected Mayor of Reigate & Banstead for 25 years.  He was also a school governor at Horley Infants School for many more years.

In 2014, aged 78 and whilst the Mayor of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, he became the oldest person in the world to perform a daytime High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) Freefall Skydive from 30,000 feet to raise monies for various charities. David has continued to fundraise for various charities and only retired as a Horley Town Council member this year.

For David's full citation click here

Rethink Waste is a free scheme available to anyone living in Surrey that offers a range of rewards for reducing waste.

Surrey residents can sign up online and will receive weekly emails, which include engaging and gamified activities designed to help residents reduce the amount of waste they produce. Every time a member engages with content, they receive points, which can be used to donate to schools, charities or to enter prize draws.

Participating Surrey schools can win a share of £6,000 from the scheme to run an environmental project benefiting the school and its pupils.

So, not only will you be helping the planet, as waste reduction means fewer resources are used up when creating new products, you’ll be helping good causes too.

Residents can take part in Rethink Waste now by signing up online at www.rethinkwaste.co.uk

Surrey County Council is in the process of setting its budget for the next financial year – how it will spend money from council tax and government to deliver vital services for residents and invest in making Surrey a great place to live.
Despite the huge pressures that councils are facing across the country, we’re on track to set a balanced budget.
Spending is increasing, but due to huge inflation making things much more expensive to deliver and some reductions in funding, the council has identified over £50m of efficiency savings and is transforming the way it delivers some services to make them more effective and efficient.
The draft 2024/25 budget was approved by Cabinet last week and a consultation survey is now open so people can have their say before the final budget is approved at a full council meeting in February.
We know that spending public money is a huge responsibility, so please take a look and share your views https://orlo.uk/hElim

If you needed to leave your home in a hurry, would you know your home insurer and policy number? The exact details of your partner's medication?

If the worst should happen, then having key information to hand is invaluable. To help make this easy, Surrey Prepared have developed an In Case of Emergency information template. We have added lots of useful information and contact details and provided spaces for you to add your own personal details like medication and agreed meeting places.

Store these details on your mobile device as well as keeping a paper copy somewhere accessible.

Click here for the paper form and more here for more information and to sign up for alerts