MARK WILLIAMS

I moved here in 2000 and love the village, as does my wife Elaine, who hails from Haddenham then Thame. We enjoy and treasure the benefits of living in the green belt. In fact, I started writing this piece having come back from a walk across Bishops Court Farm, down past where the lambs were and round back home here in Abingdon Road, and those fields are in stark contrast to the ever-increasing building going on elsewhere. We are all most fortunate to live here.

I served on the Parish Council 2003 - 2011 and again 2015 to present, the last 4 years as Chairman. I was on the Neighbourhood Development Plan Committee 2012 -2018 and have been a Village Hall Trustee and Treasurer since 2004. Some of you may have seen me performing with DADS from 2005 until Covid stopped such things and I hope to take to the stage again later this year.

I was Business Director of Berinsfield Community Business from 2002-2019. BCB was a social enterprise providing housing management services on behalf of Soha Housing to over 330 families in Berinsfield, and expanded to include training and job opportunities in cleaning and grounds maintenance across the District.  I currently work in accounting in Chalgrove.

For me, the job of a parish councillor is to work to deliver what the community wants rather than what I as an individual want. Of course, the community has a range of wants, needs and opinions. A major new consultation process will be carried out by the new council that will inform councillors not only of the current issues, but also their priorities, and I believe that I can continue to play my part in delivering on those priorities.

Our outgoing Parish Council had a number of successes, and the influx of so many new councillors will bring in new ideas, experiences and perspectives, and so provide a great opportunity to build upon them. And it is vital that in order to deliver, councillors can operate as a team. We won’t always agree but must work towards a majority consensus on all the key issues to maximise our chances of resolving them. I have 16 years’ experience working in this way.

In summary, I love living here, I care about this community and am concerned how it will cope in challenging times. I am also concerned about pressures on the green belt and how we try to maintain the character of the village. I recognise that we don’t live in a museum but believe we must balance change with preservation. I have a great deal of experience in business, social housing, finance and of course, the realities of being a parish councillor. I believe I can continue to play a productive part in the next council and so ask you to cast one of your votes for me.

Thank you.