10 Minutes with Cllr Steven Judge
It was a planning application that got me involved in Brill Parish Council. I felt strongly about proposed building work in my street so I commented online and then followed up with the PC. I found out that although the parish council’s role in planning applications is advisory, county planners do really value local input. I began to think that this might be something I’d like to be involved with - because I care about everyone’s quality of life in Brill - and so, in June 2022, I volunteered to be co-opted onto the council. I’ve since found out that it’s not always easy representing - the views and interests of all sectors of the community but we do our best. One thing the PC has done is encourage developers to be thoughtful about the impact on neighbours during the building phase, things like parking considerately and not working at anti-social times.
Soon after I joined the council, I found myself serving on the finance committee, scrutinising the PC budget line-by-line, tightening up policies and procedures and generally making sure we spend the public money wisely. The budget includes things like street lighting, grass cutting and the emptying of litter and dog waste bins plus contributing to the maintenance of our greatest assets, the windmill and Brill Common. The PC also supports community groups and events; you can apply for funds really easily using the Section 137 application form on the website. One piece of advice I’d give to a new councillor is to pick a topic that you are interested in and focus on that, building up your knowledge and contacts and seeing things through. I chose Roads & Traffic which involves working closely with Buckinghamshire Council and our very helpful Local Area Technicians. It was a steep learning curve and progress has been slow - but the PC is gradually making improvements: the safety bollards outside the Memorial Hall, better signage to encourage people to use the Memorial Hall car park, new speed indicator devices, replacement village signs on order (one was damaged by shotgun pellets) - and, this year, the installation of fast EV charging points in the Memorial Hall car park. None of these things would have happened without the persistence and detailed local knowledge of the Parish Council and the support of Buckinghamshire Council. I just wish I could find a way to prevent unsafe parking on the Windmill Street corner; I’ve had several useful discussions with Buckinghamshire Council but there is no easy solution. I’m also proud of how the role the Parish Council has played in communications in the widest sense. We hosted the first hustings of the General Election (standing room only!) and organised an Energy Clinic, gathering together experts to advise us how to save energy in our homes and businesses. You can view the Energy clinic presentations on the BPC&C website - and there’s a follow-up workshop planned for February 19th. I think it’s really important to understand what the PC can and can’t do. Our main role is governance, ensuring public money is spent wisely and that the views of the wider community are considered in planning decisions. Many aspects of community life are taken care of by various statutory bodies, businesses, charities and volunteer groups, and the best thing the PC can do is to enable them to succeed. There are often legal and financial constraints on what we do so if you disagree with a decision or a policy please contact our Parish Clerk or (better still) come along to a meeting. The next one is Tuesday January 21st. Finally, please remember parish councillors are all volunteers, proud of our village and giving up our free time to make things a little better for everyone.
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