Home Guard. In September 1939, the boys of Haberdashers Aske 's School were evacuated to the town and a public Anderson shelter was constructed on Master Park. Two fighter aircraft, a Hawker Hurricane and a Messerschmitt Bf 109 crashed in the civil parish in August 1940. National and local government Oxted is in the parliamentary constituency of East Surrey and has been represented at Westminster since May 2019 by Conservative Claire Coutinho. There is one representative on Surrey County Council, Conservative Cameron McIntosh. There are six representatives on Tandridge District Council with much of Oxted South being Hurst Green : There is also a parish council with 11 members. Demography and housing The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%. The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free). Culture and community Band and civic centre Oxted is one of the few Surrey towns to retain a town brass band, Oxted Band, which has been a fixture within the town since 1901. The town became the administrative town of the Tandridge District when it was established in 1974. Pram race Oxted is host to a charity pram race held annually. It was started in 1977 by Eric and Elsie Hallson, who ran it for nearly 20 years before retiring. Entrants wear fancy dress and must push a pram around the two-thirds of a mile course, stopping at each of the seven licensed premises on the way to quaff a drink as quickly as they can. The race ends in Old Oxted high street where the road is closed for the evening and a street party is held. Events in Master Park The park hosts annual events such as that run by the local football/cricket club. Every year there is also the Oxted Beer Festival. Barn Theatre The Barn Theatre was conceived as a public hall for the local parishes and was opened on 22 May 1924 by the playwright Harley Granville-Barker. The building, parts of which date from between 1362 and 1433, was originally used as a barn for a sawmill and was