Waverley Borough Council

Address:
Waverley Borough Council
The Burys
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 1HR

Tel: +(44) 01483 523333
Fax: +(44) 01483 426337

Emergencies (out of hours)
Tel: 02392 242 161

About Waverley Borough Council
Waverley Borough Council is situated in south-west Surrey. It is a rural district and the largest by geographic area in Surrey. Shaped by the Downs to the north and the Greensand Hills and Weald clay to the south it is an area of contrast and variety and of outstanding natural beauty.

Bordering East Hampshire and West Sussex, this is the corner of Surrey which gave the world the remarkable partnership of Sir Edwin Lutyens, architect, and Gertrude Jekyll, garden designer; and where the Arts and Crafts movement flourished.

Waverley takes its name from the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded just outside Farnham in 1128. www.waverley.gov.uk/abbey

Godalming, where Waverley has its main offices, was the first town in the world to combine private and public lighting in one commercial undertaking, whilst Farnham resident John Henry Knight, received the first speeding conviction in the 1890s! These days, the borough is home to some national and international names such as British Car Auctions, Winzur Wurth, and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

Quick facts about Waverley

Population of 115,665 (2001 Census)
Area - 345 square kilometres (133 square miles)
76% of land use is agriculture and woodland
61% of the borough designated as Green Belt (find out more in the countryside section)
There are 45 designated conservation areas and over 1,600 listed buildings
The area has three tiers of local government throughout with four main settlements - Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere and Cranleigh. The rest of the area has 17 rural parish councils comprising 20 villages
There are 5,300 businesses, 89 per cent of which employ less than 10 people
There are 46 businesses per 1,000 population (national average 28)
Key employment sectors are banking, finance and insurance (29 per cent of the workforce), distribution, hotels and restaurants (26 per cent) public administration, education and health (23 per cent), and manufacturing (11 per cent)
Tourism provides more than 2,600 jobs and is worth £100m to the local economy
The unemployment claimant count as a percentage of working age population is historically low and is currently at 0.8 per cent (compared to 1.5 per cent in the South-East and 2.6 per cent in the UK as a whole)
Waverley has 136 homeless households and 1,300 households on the housing needs register. In 2001, there were 2,252 'concealed households' i.e. still living with parents
In 2002, just 330 homes became available to let,134 of which were for the elderly. Waverley also had 38 nominations to housing associations.

Main office reception opening hours:

Mondays to Thursdays, 8:45 to 5:15
(cash desk 9.00 to 4.45)
Fridays open 8:45 am to 4:45 pm
(Fridays cash desk 9.00 am to 4.15 pm)
(Fridays planning desk 9.00 am to 4.00 pm)
Saturdays 9:00 to 12:00
(cash desk and some planning services only)
Sundays CLOSED

Housing costs
The cost of living and employing staff is high with housing costs overall more than twice the national average. An average semi-detached property in Waverley costs £227,514, compared with the national average of £130,093.

For more information like 'workout timetable' & brochures see: Waverley Borough Council