The following report was provided by the Parsh Council Chair, Tim Wyatt, to Brightwalton’s annual parish meeting on 12 May 2025. (you can read the full minutes here):
“It has generally been a steady and quiet year for 2024 and 2025. We have had a couple of upsets which have affected the budget, one being the cherry trees on Brightwalton Hill being smothered, and some vandalism.
“The cherry tree issue was that the hedging around them had been allowed to grow out of control, due to a contractor letting us down repeatedly. This was remedied and everything was put right, however at a cost. Two things have come from this for me. Firstly, move quickly when a contractor lets you down (and find reliable contractors to do the work). Secondly, as a PC we have to be mindful of the ongoing maintenance expenses taking on new projects. It is often stated that we should ask for volunteers, but this is often easier said than done.
“Vandalism is always sad to see in a small community like ours. This year we have seen the notice board on the Village Hall damaged and pulled from the wall necessitating its replacement. Noticeboards are surprisingly expensive. The one we have now is durable and has many years of service ahead of it. We also found that poles had been removed from the new goalposts and thrown into a hedge. Luckily they were found with no damage and put back in place.
“On a positive note, thanks to Councillor Clive Hooker, we were able to secure a members bid from West Berkshire Council to refurbish the phone box in the village, it was in a pretty poor state. It is now looking resplendent in its new red paint.
“I would like to highlight what is happening to the precept. As a PC we have tried to keep the precept down as low as we can. The fact is that our precept has been significantly lower than other parishes. For instance, Aldworth’s is higher and they are a smaller village. Costs are going up significantly due to UK and world events outside of our control. This has had an impact on our savings account and meant that our budget is also extremely tight. We have no option but to raise the precept each year for the next couple of years in order to ensure that we can maintain the village to the standard you expect.
“I would like to thank the Councillors for their excellent work throughout the year. It is a voluntary role and sometimes a thankless task. I would also like to thank the myriad of volunteers who help at events like the village cleanup, and the fete, but also the “invisible” volunteers who do things around the village without fanfare, the verges around Butts Furlong and Dunmore Meadow are well kept, thank you!
“Finally thank you to Faye, our PC clerk who has been excellent throughout the year, and has kept me on track with the things I have needed to do.”
