brill parish council annual report june 2024 to april 2025

as submitted to Annual Parish Meeting, April 28th 2025

Parish Clerk: Bobs Damerell [brill.parish@gmail.com]. Please see our website [www.brillparishcouncil.co.uk] for current councillors’ roles and email addresses.

PURPOSE

Brill Parish Council exists to serve the Parish of Brill, building a safe, sustainable, harmonious and productive community.  The Council also has a statutory duty to protect the Common; it is a rare privilege to have a beautiful common on our doorstep and we all have a responsibility to preserve it for nature and /the enjoyment of future generations.

HIGHLIGHTS

Common and Village Greens

The Brill Common and Village Greens Advisory Group continues to support the Parish Council on conserving the Common and green spaces as a peaceful place of natural beauty. Thanks are due to the many volunteers who work on the Common whose contributions are invaluable. The volunteers will be supported by a professional Ranger, funded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Further details on the role of the Ranger and plans for the Common will be discussed during the Parish Meeting on April 28th 2025.

There have been some issues with householders encroaching on the Common and the Council continue to take a proactive approach. Brill Parish Council own 78 acres of common land; it is used for recreation and conservation and is designated as an area of wildlife importance.  Encroachment is illegal.

We have made progress in our quest to have less mowing around (select) village spaces where we hope to encourage more wildflowers and feeding ‘our’ bees. We have worked with Brill Sports and Social club to reduce the frequency of weed and feed (includes pesticide) on the park and it is not being used either on the football field or on the playing fields at all. You can see daisies, dandelions and other wildflowers popping up here and insects arriving to feed off these early flowers of the season. The volunteers who look after the cricket field and surrounds continue to do an amazing job.

The War Memorial has been cleaned and new chains installed as a fitting memorial to those who sacrificed so much for us all. The surrounding garden is thriving and is a source of delight to residents and people passing by.

Support for local groups and events

The Parish Council has been pleased to provide funding to support local groups, including:

  • Brill Community Market

  • Part-funding new recording equipment for the Brill Society for the history project

  • A contribution to start-up costs of the Bernwode Rural Shed

  • Maintenance of the Memorial Hall

The Parish Council organised hustings for the general election in July 2024; a well-attended and lively event.

Efforts by the village, led by The Brill Society in partnership with the Parish Council, to purchase Hartwell’s Barn and Saunder’s Field were unfortunately not successful.  There was much time and effort spent on this project and we are grateful to all involved. Unfortunately, the vendor decided to sell the property privately.

The Brill with Ukraine group continues. We meet less frequently but support remains firm. We have two Ukrainian families still living in Brill.

Roads and traffic

Two electric vehicle charging points will be installed in the Memorial Hall car park over the summer. It will be possible to refurbish the car park once the power cables are in place, subject to approval by the new Parish Council. New village signs are on order due to the vandalism of the sign on Tramhill. The new signs have the Bernwood Forest logo.

The Parish Council has supported the proposed Waddesdon Freight Zone. The results of similar restrictions on HGVs around Ivinghoe are under review and a decision is expected in due course.

On-going business

The Parish Clerk and Councillors have been working to ensure the smooth running of the village, including:

  • Reviewing and commenting on planning applications

  • Organising services such as street lighting, grass cutting and emptying the dog waste bins

  • Arranging the removal of fly-tipped waste

  • Contingency planning: Improving document control using DropBox to make it easy for councillors to share documents and to have clear records to handover to the next council

  • Organising safety inspections and maintenance of the playgrounds

  • Ensuring there is public liability insurance in place

  • Responding to questions and complaints 

  • Communications with Buckinghamshire Council officials

  • Maintaining the financial accounts

  • Keeping residents informed with a monthly newsletter (digital and print) and comprehensive website.