TOGETHER WITH
Good Morning Surrey,
There’s something about the first Monday of March that makes everything feel slightly more official. The calendar flips, the inbox refills, and somewhere a school WhatsApp group remembers it exists. If your week starts with a mental list of “small admin things” that quietly become big admin things, you’re in good company.
With the tax year turning soon, this is the week to do the boring five minutes that saves you the annoying five hours later. A quick scan of your tax code and payslip, especially if you’ve had a pay change, a bonus, or you’ve tweaked pension contributions, can spare you an April surprise. Have you checked yours recently, or do you live dangerously until HMR emails you.
If you need an excuse, call it spring cleaning for your finances, without the guilt, or the hoover.
Now, in today’s edition
The April tax year changes worth noting. What frozen thresholds mean in practice
Energy price cap falls from 1 April, what to watch for on readings
Base rate held at 3.75%, with the next decision due 19 March
East and West Surrey councils transition, plus May 2026 elections timing
Woking Leisure Centre refurb, what to check before you turn up for a class
This week’s performances, markets, reopenings, and a couple of practical new openings
Let's Take a Look...
-- Prince Khurram.
News
April tax year, frozen thresholds - what to check now
The income tax thresholds staying put sounds calm, but it can still change what you feel in your take-home pay. With bands frozen through to 5 April 2026, more people drift into higher bands over time, especially if your salary has crept up.
The personal allowance remains £12,570, and the basic-rate limit remains £37,700 for 2025 to 2026.
Frozen thresholds can mean “fiscal drag”, you earn a bit more, but a larger slice is taxed at a higher rate.
If your pay has changed recently, it’s worth checking your next couple of payslips so April doesn’t arrive with attitude.
If you do one thing, note your meter readings and your payslip details now, then you have a clean before-and-after.
National headlines for Surrey
Energy price cap cut from April, typical bills down by around £117 a year
Ofgem’s new cap runs from 1 April to 30 June 2026, and the “typical household” figure is based on standard usage assumptions. If you’re on a standard variable tariff, it’s worth taking meter readings around the end of March so your bill splits cleanly across the change.
Bank of England holds base rate at 3.75%, next decision due 19 March
Tracker mortgages and savings rates tend to react fastest, and fixed deals usually move in anticipation. If you’re due to remortgage soon, this is a nudge to check what your lender is offering now, rather than waiting for the next headline.
Properties of the Week
Home A, Under £350k
Price: £245,000
Address: Baillie Road, Guildford, GU1
Details: First-floor apartment / 1 bed / Baths not stated
Parking Type: Allocated
Click here: To view the full listing and plan your showing
Home B, £350k–£650k
Price: £400,000
Address: Devoil Close, Burpham, Guildford, GU4
Details: Terraced house over three floors / 2 beds / 2 baths
Parking Type: Not stated
Click here: To view the full listing and plan your showing
Home C, Above £650k
Price: Guide Price £1,900,000
Address: Downs Drive, Merrow, Guildford, GU1
Details: Detached house / approx. 3,505 sq ft (as listed) / 5 beds / Baths not stated
Parking Type: Not stated
Click here: To view the full listing and plan your showing
County Updates
East/West Surrey councils transition, and the May 2026 elections
Surrey’s local government reorganisation is moving from concept to timetable. The headline is two new unitary councils, East Surrey and West Surrey, with elections scheduled this May before the new authorities go fully live in 2027.
East and West Surrey Council are becoming fully operational from 1 April 2027.
Elections for the new councils are scheduled for Thursday 7 May 2026.
West > Guildford, Woking, Waverley, Surrey Heath, Runnymede and Spelthorne.
East > Elmbridge, Epsom/Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead and Tandridge.
2026 bin calendars and service guides, Guildford and the joint waste area
Not thrilling, but genuinely useful. The 2026 bin calendars and recycling guides are now easy to pull down, and it’s quicker than arguing with the fridge magnet from 2023.
Use the postcode lookup to confirm your next collection day.
Download the 2026 calendar if you like having a PDF you can wave at your household.
Joint Waste Solutions also round up calendars and guides across several Surrey areas.
Community Digest
Surrey community projects funding, and councillor allowances
There is still money available for small local projects, and this is one of the more practical pots because it runs through local councillors rather than a giant form that disappears into the void.
Here’s how it works:
Funding is aimed at community projects with a local benefit.
Each councillor can allocate funding, so the route in is often your local member.
The deadline for this round is 20 March at 5pm, and some allocations may happen earlier.
Click here: To read the guidance and find out how to apply
Woking Leisure Centre refurbishment, closures and reopen dates
Woking Leisure Centre is in the middle of a £1.2m refurbishment, with some studio areas closing in phases. If you have classes booked or you’re running on routine, check before you turn up and discover your spin session has moved to “somewhere else”.
Countryside volunteering, Headley Warren tasks, 3–5 March
If your idea of fresh air includes doing something useful while you’re out there, the Lower Mole volunteer programme has task dates at Headley Warren this week.
Click here: To view the volunteer programme and sign up
Events
Theatre & Performances
Single White Female | 3–7 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: New Victoria Theatre, Woking (Info/Tickets)
Description: A full week run for a proper midweek-to-weekend night out. Age guidance is 15+, which is useful to know before you promise it to the whole household.
Demons | Thu 5 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: G Live Studio, Guildford
Description: A local company production with a post-show Q&A noted after the Friday performance, check the listing for the date you’re booking.
Tap Factory | Thu 5 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: Dorking Halls, Dorking
Description: A one-night show with a family-friendly angle. Good for something different that doesn’t require a full weekend plan.
The Best Of Tubular Bells I, II and III | Sat 7 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: G Live, Guildford
Description: A Saturday night anchor if you want music with a bit of nostalgia and a proper theatre seat, rather than standing near a sticky bar.
MozART Group | Sun 8 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
Description: The listing flags this as selling fast. A good Sunday choice if you like your culture with a lighter touch.
Comedy
Acid Wehn | Fri 6 March (Info/Tickets)
Location: Dorking Halls, Dorking
Description: A Friday night set with limited availability noted on the listing, so it’s one for sooner rather than later.
Special Events
Postgraduate graduation ticket booking deadline | Fri 6 March, 09:00 (Info/Tickets)
Location: University of Surrey, Guildford
Description: If you have a graduation in the family, this is the practical one. Ticket booking has a hard deadline, and additional tickets have their own rules, so it’s worth reading both pages rather than relying on group chat memory.
Markets
Guildford Farmers’ Market | Tue 3 March
Source: guildfordrocks.co.uk
Location: High Street, Guildford
Description: The monthly city-centre market slot, handy if you’re in town anyway. Expect the usual mix of produce and a few tempting “just for later” purchases.
Click here: To confirm date, opening times and stall details
Cranleigh Country Market | Fri 6 March
Location: Cranleigh
Description: A regular Friday market that suits anyone doing errands, or anyone who prefers their shopping with fewer fluorescent lights.
Click here: To confirm timings and details
Byfleet Farmers’ Market | Sat 7 March
Location: Byfleet
Description: Good north Surrey balance for the week. Times can vary, so it’s worth checking the listing before you build the morning around it.
Click here: To confirm date and see the latest details
Eat & Drink
Restaurant of the Week | The Black Swan
Location: Ockham
Description: The Black Swan is reopening on Thursday 5 March, which makes it a useful midweek option if you fancy something familiar, but freshly reset. Reopenings tend to attract the “we should pop in” crowd, so if you’re thinking of going in the first few days, booking is the polite move.
Golden Fords Café, Chantry Woods
Location: Guildford
Description: Reopens on Saturday 7 March after a closure period. A handy “walk first, coffee second” option if you like your caffeine earned.
Click here: To confirm reopening details and opening times
New pub announced for Stag Hill campus
Location: University of Surrey, Guildford
Description: Trade press reports a new Wetherspoon, “The Sir Ronald Wates”, is due to open around mid-May 2026 and will be open to the public.
Tour of Burgundy tasting
Location: The Wine Room, East Molesey
Description: A ticketed tasting on 18 March with Price: £75pp shown in the listing, one for booking ahead rather than hoping.
Click here: To see what’s included and book tickets
Mother’s Day offer
Location: Amani Restaurant, Epsom Downs
Description: Mothering Sunday is on 15 March, and the restaurant is already flagging a special. Worth reserving early if your family does the classic “let’s book it later” routine.
Directory
Superga Guildford
Location: Guildford
Description: New store now open at 3 Market Place, useful if you’re in town and you prefer trying things on in person rather than playing delivery roulette.
TDO Therapy Farnham
Location: Farnham
Description: Specialist foot health and footwear store, with the Farnham opening listed at 49 Downing Street, GU9 7PH and opening hours on the site.
Click here: To see the store details and contact information
e movement
Location: Woking
Description: E-bike sales and repairs, with the Woking location listed at 12 Broadway, GU21 5AP. One to keep in mind if your bike needs attention before spring optimism turns into spring commuting.
Lidl Horley
Location: Horley
Description: A newer supermarket location on Brighton Road, with opening hours shown via the store finder. Handy if your regular shop has started feeling like a contact sport.
Click here: To check address and opening hours
And Finally
If you’re planning anything that involves booking, a form, or a “deadline at 9am sharp”, this week is quietly full of them. Surrey in early March is like that, one foot in spring, one foot in admin. If you spot something else that deserves a practical heads-up, send it in, and we’ll sift it with the rest.
Thank you for reading. let’s chat on Wednesday.
