The Economic Picture for East & West Surrey

Surrey’s local government reorganisation will replace twelve councils with two new unitary authorities: West Surrey and East Surrey. Nine of the 11 districts backed a three-authority model; the government chose two, citing savings of £39 million a year.

Using Beauhurst data on 96,180 companies, we looked at what that boundary line means for businesses, funding, and growth across the two new authorities.

Where is the investment?

Equity

Grants

West Surrey accounts for a significantly larger share of equity and grant funding across the county. The top five equity-funded SMEs in West Surrey raised £376m, compared to £61m in East Surrey. On grants, the gap is wider — £20m versus £5m for the respective top five. These figures point to two different kinds of local economy, each likely to need different support from the new authorities.

Employment figures in East and West Surrey

At the SME level, the sector mix is nearly identical: property, trades, software, and hospitality dominate both sides. The divergence is in the large employers. East Surrey’s are in property, automotive, schools, and care: businesses that serve local demand. West Surrey’s are in software, manufacturing, and distribution: businesses that serve national and international markets.

West Surrey has a higher concentration of companies in military & defence, medical devices, and supply chain management, and is home to all five of Surrey’s space infrastructure companies. East Surrey’s company base is more weighted towards financial management, property services, and consumer-facing sectors.

High-growth businesses

Scaleup rates are similar across both authorities. West Surrey has more companies with patents and higher levels of venture capital activity.

What each authority inherits

Different economies and different starting points.

East Surrey

Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge.

East Surrey has a higher overall business density (83 per 1,000 residents) than West Surrey, with Elmbridge the most dense borough in the county at 95.5 per 1,000.

Total equity raised sits at £917m across 45k companies. Equity per capita is £1,68k, compared to £5,77k in West Surrey. Grant funding totals £32m, with Mole Valley (£13.2m) and Epsom & Ewell (£9.6m) accounting for the largest shares.

Large employers are concentrated in property & construction, automotive, schools, and care. East Surrey has 508 scaleups and 184 companies with patents.

West Surrey

Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley, Woking.

Contains the majority of Surrey’s equity-backed companies and a higher concentration of companies with patents and grant funding than East Surrey.

Total equity raised is £3.8bn across 51k companies, though two companies — McLaren Group and Big Yellow — account for a significant portion. Grant funding totals £223m, with Guildford (£77m) and Runnymede (£39m) the largest recipients.

Large employers are led by application software, HR, hospitality, and manufacturing. West Surrey has 610 scaleups and 291 companies with patents.