Brill Parish Council Newsletter

January 2023 (vol 3, issue 1)

Where does all the money go?

How does Brill Parish Council spend the parish portion (the £50k “precept”) of our council tax? Cllr Steven Judge, who works alongside Bobs Damerell, the Parish Clerk, and Chair Jennifer Tuffley on the council’s Finance Committee, explains …

A major portion of the money goes on community amenities, including paying the electricity bill for street lighting, managing the mowing of our open spaces, caring for Brill Common, and arranging for the regular emptying of litter and the dog waste bins. Considerable sums are also spent on safety-related activities; tree inspections, public liability insurance, playground safety inspections, and investment in road safety equipment such as the newly-purchased Speed Indicator Devices. (Responsibility for road safety largely falls to the qualified staff at Bucks Council, but the Parish Council can press for improvements - and has to meet a some of the costs.) Part of the budget is set aside for community organisations; maintenance of the Memorial Hall, for example, and support of groups such as Brill Scouts and Brill With Ukraine.

All this work has to be organised; contracts agreed, bills paid, finance records maintained for independent scrutiny - and so the parish council employs a part-time Parish Clerk to manage this and other responsibilities. (The Councillors themselves are unpaid and receive no compensation.)

Once all of these commitments have been met, the relatively small amount left over is available for investment in community assets and amenities. Perhaps the most demanding of these is Brill Windmill; irreplaceable and much-loved - but very expensive in terms of on-going and future maintenance and repair. Fundraising, donations and grants will only meet a proportion of the anticipated costs in the next two to three years.

In summary: Without the Precept, collected through your Council Tax - and without the Parish Clerk to administer the spending and the Parish Council to represent residents’ views, many of the amenities and services we use in Brill would simply not be here.

The budget for 2023/24 was discussed in detail at January’s meeting and we’ve published it on our website. Please take a look - and, if you like what you see (or even disagree!) consider joining us as a Parish Councillor to hep us see this important matter through.

Remember that all Brill-based community groups can apply to the parish council for financial help with projects that will benefit the people and environment of Brill Parish. Read more about this on our website.

Brill History Day 2023
February 11th, 10am to 4pm

A FREE event in Brill Memorial Hall organised by The Brill Society and Buckinghamshire Archeological Society supported by Brill Parish Council

In the morning (10am to 12 noon) … stalls and chat

• A Muddled Museum of archaeological bits & pieces; can you help?

• Discover … the role of the County Archaeological Service

• Get involved … with The Brill Society

• Browse … books & journals from the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society

• Show us your finds! A member of the Portable Antiquities Scheme will help identify your garden and allotment finds

• Children’s activities

In the afternoon (1pm to 4pm) … expert talks and Q&A

• Mike Farley talking about the Kings at Brill - and some problems

• Peter Symes on The Brill Tramway; what it was - and what is could have been

• Ian Beckett: Brill, Buckinghamshire & the Civil War

• Julian Hunt talking about Brill: Buckinghamshire’s best preserved village; an architectural and historical survey

Keeping warm and well this winter

Winter is still with us, so we make no apology for repeating this information from previous issues.

This page on the Brill Parish Council website pulls together information on regular community events and venues, including coffee mornings, lunches, and pub and Club opening times. The following information may also be helpful:

For door-to-door transport for GP, clinic and hospital appointments, call Judy Basford ‭01844 237279‬. Judy coordinates a team of volunteer drivers for Age Concern Bernwode. (New volunteers always needed.)

If you need medicines collected from Brill Surgery and delivered to your home, please call Jenny ‭Edmans 01844 237855‬. Jenny likewise has a number of volunteers to help her with this service.

If you’re concerned about heating bills, there’s some excellent information on the Met Office website around keeping costs as low as possible and using your heating cost-effectively.

If you are struggling to pay your bills, the official advice is to first contact your energy supplier (you’ll find contact details on your most recent bill). There’s lots of further advice and information on the government’s website and on the Bucks Council Cost of Living pages.

If you don’t have the internet and want to know more about any of the things listed above, please phone (01844 238662) or call into the parish council office to speak with Bobs, the Parish Clerk. He will happily help you access the Bucks Council website, in confidence.

And, finally…

Please tell others about this e-newsletter. Lots of people aren’t on Facebook or comfortable with social media, and we want to reach all parishioners equally. We also value the opportunity to give something extra to subscribers - longer explanations or different perspectives - than is possible on the website.

Tell friends, family or neighbours to email hello@brillparishcouncil.co.uk or fill in the newsletter form on the Brill Parish Council website. Alternatively, if they’d like a regular paper copy, suggest they drop us a note or call in to the office. We’ll even deliver if need be! There will also be copies of the newsletter in the pouch on the office door, and on the welcome table in All Saints Church.

All good wishes
Brill Parish Council