Council Tax Insert 2025
Residents of Mole Valley will be receiving copies of an informational leaflet, along with their Council Tax bill, by post from March 2025.
This webpage is a digital version of the leaflet.
Dear Residents,
Despite the challenging financial context we continue to work in, we have continued to successfully deliver high quality services, invest in our district, and set a balanced budget for 2025/26. Through our Transformation Programme, Evolve 2026, we are on track to achieve £3.9 million in savings by the end of 2026/27. Our 2025/26 Annual Plan focuses on sustainability, community wellbeing, affordable housing and economic growth, with a continued goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Initiatives include:
- Adopting a new affordable housing strategy
- Providing non-emergency patient transport so that our residents can get to hospital more easily
- Enabling young people to access and take part in a range of out of school activities that they might not ordinarily be able to afford
- Commencing the second phase of renewal of Dorking Halls
- Identifying potential areas for biodiversity enhancement within our parks and countryside estate
- Continuing to progress plans for the regeneration of Leatherhead town centre
- Completing essential repairs to Pippbrook House and piloting its use as a hub for culture and wellbeing
- Putting in place masterplans for Bookham and Dorking in partnership with local communities and seeking grant funding for specific projects
- Implementing the Local Plan
Further expanding the range of topics which our Customer Contact Centre can resolve at first point of contact. While the impact of the proposed local government reorganisation on Mole Valley remains unclear, we are continuing to deliver the high-quality services our residents and businesses expect. Learn more about our projects at: molevalley.gov.uk/annualplan
Councillor Stephen Cooksey, Leader of Mole Valley District Council
Where Does Your Council Tax Go?*
- 75% – Surrey County Council
- 14% – Surrey Police
- 9% – Mole Valley DC
- 2% – Parishes
*Representation of average percentages
How MVDC Spends Its Money
- 22% Finance and Organisation – including Finance, Revenues, Legal, ICT, HR and other support services
- 17% Projects – focused on Property and Regeneration and Transform Leatherhead
- 16% Environment – focusing on waste and recycling, ground maintenance, street cleaning and climate change
- 12% Wellbeing – covering Environmental Health, Licensing and Housing
- 11% Leisure – including Community Safety and Wellbeing, Parks and Landscapes and Dorking Halls
- 10% Community – including Mole Valley Life, Customer Service and Communications with residents and businesses
- 8% Planning – covering Building Control, Development management, Planning Policy and Support
- 4% Sustainable Economy & Security – covering Parking, Business Advice and Support, Opportunity Dorking and Enforcement
Where Does MVDC’s Money Come From?
- 37% – Government Grants
- 34% – Sales, Fees and Charges
- 16% – Council Tax
- 5% – Interest on Investments
- 3% – Business Rates
- 3% – Other Grants
- 2% – Contributions*
*Benefits and recycling credit
Annual Plan Projects
We’ve invested over £4m in 2024 to repair and improve Dorking Halls. The works focused on replacing the failing plaster ceiling in the Grand Hall, refurbishing and increasing the facilities in the ladies’ toilets, and installing a draught lobby. The second phase of refurbishment works will commence later this year, with the likely closure of the venue planned for 2026.
Our Neighbourhood Fund now totals just over £1million for creating new, or improving existing, infrastructure in Mole Valley. The Fund consists of the money developers pay us when new homes or retail space is built in the district. The next deadline for applications closes on 2 June 2025 and anyone, whether an individual or a community group, can suggest how the funds should be spent.
Grade II listed Pippbrook House is currently undergoing necessary roof repairs by specialist contractors. The works are due to last until summer 2025. The old units on the Foundry and Church Street workshops site were demolished in February 2024, in preparation for a new development. A public consultation will take place in spring 2025, ahead of the submission of a planning application for new residential and commercial units.
Over the summer the Leret Partnership (the joint venture between MVDC and Kier Property Developments) held a public consultation on the concept plans for the Swan Centre and Bull Hill; the results of which have fed into the next stage plan. Stage two engagement has begun. The Claire House and James House buildings were demolished at the end of 2024, retirement specialists McCarthy Stone have now submitted a planning application for the site.
In September 2024, we adopted a new Parks and Open Spaces Concessions Policy, enabling us to welcome mobile businesses like food vans, coffee stands, and craft vendors into local parks. We hope this will attract high-quality traders, enhance park activities, benefit the community, and boost commercial opportunities while promoting vibrant and sustainable use of Mole Valley’s parks and open spaces.
2024 saw a range of community volunteering events take place across our district. Examples were clearing ponds, litter picks, and even building bee hotels. A very big thank you to everyone who took part. Community gardens are also starting to take shape as continually evolving shared projects for people to enjoy long into the future. Check our website for more information and how to get involved.
Services and Information
Sleep easy…we’ve got you covered!
No more bin dilemmas with a simple email reminder the day before collection. Sleep easy knowing you’ve put the right bin out for the right day. It will also let you know of any service updates for your home and reflect any changes to your collection day arising from bank holidays. No need to check the neighbours, no need to worry, just a quick email the day before collection to give you peace of mind and save you time. Sign up here: molevalley.gov.uk/mymolevalley.
Residents less familiar with digital technology can request paper copies of bin collection schedules and other helpful information via our Customer Service team on 01306 885001.
Independence. It’s crucial to leading a fulfilling life but can be challenging to maintain as we get older.
If you or someone you know would benefit from assistance getting from A to B, taking part in some fun, social activities in the community or achieving a greater sense of safety and peace of mind at home with our lifeline alarms, Mole Valley Life is here to help. Visit our website or call 01372 204500 to find out more.
Drop into our offices at Pippbrook (9.00am – 2.30pm) or call our friendly team on 01306 885001 for help navigating the digital world – whether signing up for services, or gaining paper copies of key information.
Devolution is a transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. To learn more about devolution and its potential impact on your local area, please visit:
Did you know that since Rethink Waste launched, it has awarded £18,500 to 22 Surrey primary schools? So far, nearly 11,000 households in Surrey have signed up to take part!
Simply sign up, complete fun activities for points, and donate those points to your chosen registered school. Money from Rethink Waste has funded projects ranging from creating brand new outdoor classrooms to buying litter picking sets, building new guinea pig homes and building raised beds.
We can appreciate it isn’t always easy to know which service rests with which council…but we’re here to help! Click here for more information.
Additional Projects and Updates
The adoption of Mole Valley’s Local Plan, Future Mole Valley, in October 2024 was a landmark moment for us. We now have a Local Plan in place until 2039, which means we control the rate of housing growth in the coming years, achieving the agreed annual target of 336 homes – with considerable focus on affordable housing – in a sustainable way. Areas without a Plan in place run the risk of having decisions such as where, what and how much development imposed on them by the government.
Our Plan has been designed to meet the needs of the district’s local communities, whilst respecting the unique rural character of Mole Valley. The Plan will ensure that new housing developments will not be built without essential supporting infrastructure, such as improved healthcare services, new parks and green spaces, better transport links and flood prevention measures.
Whether you’re looking for practical tips on reducing waste, seeing how we’re addressing our carbon footprint, learning about conserving energy, or adopting greener habits.
Visit sustainablemolevalley.co.uk today for all the support you need!