West Surrey Council's brand goes to a vote on 10 November at up to £299,412, including £11,000 of stickers to cover old logos. The design is not yet public.
The council that replaces Woking Borough Council next April is about to choose its logo. Rolling it out is estimated to cost up to £299,412.
The West Surrey Shadow Authority Executive will be asked to agree the brand at 10am on Tuesday 10 November, at the Civic Offices in Woking (West Surrey Council branding report).
Residents cannot see the design yet. The report lists it in an appendix marked “to follow”, and that appendix was not among the papers published with the agenda when we checked today. The report says none of the material is exempt from publication, and that the brand will be shared once the Executive has decided.
Where the money goes
The costing paper gives maximum estimates (West Surrey Council branding costing paper):
| Category | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Items that must carry the new name by law or for safety | £200,250 |
| Key customer and staff locations | £68,500 |
| Coat of arms | £19,830 |
| Staff lanyards, ID cards and holders | £10,000 |
| Promoting the branding survey | £832 |
| Creating the brand and rolling it out | No costs anticipated |
| Total | £299,412 |
The biggest single items are:
- £100,000 to rebrand about 200 online forms, websites and portals
- £87,000 for environmental health and regulatory items, including taxi licence documents, licensed vehicle plates and officer warrant cards
- £29,000 for library signs
- £19,830 for a coat of arms from the College of Arms
- £12,500 for signs at five register offices
- £11,000 for temporary stickers
The stickers cover old logos on car park tariff boards and payment machines, recycling centre signs, reception signs, maintained schools, cemeteries and crematoria.
The two papers do not quite agree. The report gives the requirement as £298,912, which is £500 less than the costing table. The costing paper also gives the survey promotion as £881 in its text and £832 in its table. The initial budget was about £400,000, and the report says the money comes from the D&LGR Implementation Fund, the reorganisation budget.
Everything else keeps its old logo until it wears out. The report calls this “natural wastage”, and says those replacement costs will fall to individual services. They are not included in the total.
What residents asked for
More than 2,500 people took part in the survey in July and early August. The report says they favoured a nature-based identity, with trees, woodland, landscapes and water as the most representative symbols.
Historic landmarks and established Surrey symbols also had wide support. Some councillors and respondents in Spelthorne wanted its Middlesex history reflected, though the report says that view did not emerge as strongly as the others.
The brand was designed by in-house staff from the existing councils. The new website and social media channels launch in February 2027, and West Surrey Council takes over services on 1 April 2027. Woking keeps its own name and logo until then.
The other vote: a Surrey Combined Authority
The same meeting is asked to back something more lasting. The local government minister wrote on 20 October confirming the government intends to create a Foundation Strategic Authority for Surrey, subject to local consent (Foundation Strategic Authority report).
Its legal name would be the Surrey Combined Authority, and it would start on 1 April 2027 (summary of the draft Order):
- it has no elected mayor
- West Surrey and East Surrey councils each appoint two elected members
- the two councils pay its costs, split equally if they cannot agree a share
- it can run adult education from its first academic year
The report says the available powers span transport, skills, housing and strategic planning, economic development and climate. The Shadow Executive makes a recommendation, and the full Shadow Authority decides on 19 November, subject to East Surrey agreeing too.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes yet. Woking Borough Council stays in charge of its services until 31 March 2027.
- From 1 April, expect council stickers rather than new signs at many car parks and recycling centres.
- To watch: the meeting has a webcast link on the agenda page. We will add the design here once it is published.
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