Reigate & district · Local news you can trust
Three new councils for Reigate, Redhill and Banstead were approved on 14 September. They start on 1 April 2027 and could add £15 to £30 a year to Band D bills.
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Schools
Beacon School Banstead Meets Ofsted Standard in 5 Areas
Ofsted rates The Beacon School at the expected standard in five of six areas, four years after an inadequate judgement. Attendance needs attention.
Planning
Reigate Local Plan 2044: Have Your Say by 26 October
The first consultation on the borough's new Local Plan is open until 5pm on 26 October. The council writing it is abolished in April 2027, before adoption.
Police
Surrey Police merger: 80% of 3,430 surveyed say no
Eight in ten of the 3,430 residents who answered the Commissioner's survey oppose merging Surrey Police. The Government's review still has not named a number.
Redhill
Redhill Memorial Park: £290,595 for Play Area and Gym
A second allocation of £162,343 will expand the Memorial Park playground, including equipment for children with additional needs. Total for the park: £290,595.
Food hygiene
Reigate & Banstead food hygiene: all 9 August checks got 5
All nine borough venues inspected in August scored 5, from East Surrey Hospital to Waitrose Horley. It was also the lightest inspection month in 20 months.
Planning
Kingswood L&G Site: 299 Homes, No Affordable Housing
Officers back 299 homes and a health club at the derelict Legal & General HQ in Kingswood, with no affordable housing at all. Councillors decide on Wednesday.
Reigate
Run Reigate road closures: Bell Street shut 8am, 20 Sept
Bell Street and Cockshot Hill close at 8am on Sunday 20 September, and Reigate Road in Horley stays shut to 11.30am. Sector times, crossing points, car parks.
Horley
Horley fireworks: 17 October, £6 tickets, none on gate
The Horley Lions display is Saturday 17 October, three weeks before Bonfire Night. Gates 5.30pm, bonfire 7pm, fireworks 7.30pm, £6 adults, none on the gate.
Reigate
Reigate Christmas lights switch-on: no 2026 date yet
Reigate's lights come on at the Business Guild Christmas Fayre, and no 2026 date is published. Here are last year's times, and the borough date already fixed.
Tadworth
Tadworth Christmas lights: 25 Nov, two switch-ons
Tadworth switches on twice on Wednesday 25 November: Station Approach at 4pm with the junior choir, then the High Street at 5pm with Phil Tufnell. Free event.
Merstham
Merstham FC 3G Pitch Clears Last Condition, Due October
The council signed off the final planning condition on Merstham FC's 3G pitch on 2 September. The £500,000 build is due to finish in October, with home games at Sevenoaks until then.
Reigate
Reigate Heritage Open Days: 9 Free Sites, 12 to 19 Sept
Nine buildings in Reigate and Banstead open free on 12, 13 and 19 September. Seven need no booking. The Town Hall tour is capped at 30 and booking shuts on 11 September.
Reigate News covers Reigate, Redhill, Banstead, Horley and the villages between them, and it reports from documents. When the council decides something, when an application goes in on your road, when the crime figures for your ward shift, there is a public record behind it. We go to that record first, and we link to it so you can read the thing yourself rather than take our word for it. Where a document is genuinely unclear, we say so instead of guessing.
Our patch runs from Banstead, Nork, Tadworth and Kingswood along the top of the Downs, down through Reigate and Redhill, and out to Merstham, Earlswood, Salfords and Horley on the Gatwick edge. We keep the everyday pages current as well, because a bin day you can rely on is worth more than an opinion.