These notes incorporate some but not all of the matters discussed at the Hungerford Town Council meeting on 5 January 2025, the agenda for which can be found here. The official minutes of the meeting will in due course be found on the HTC site. Any references below to “the meeting” refer to this event unless specified otherwise. Any such issues are not necessarily covered here in the order in which they were raised and some items that were discussed may not be covered here.  This report may also include information about HTC’s activities which were not discussed at the meeting. 

Full Council Meetings generally take place at 7pm in the Library on the first working Monday of every month, or on the first Tuesday if the first Monday is a bank holiday. 

The agenda for the future meetings (as well as for the Council’s various committee meetings) can be found in this section of the HTC website. 

See the foot of this post for more information.

HTC = Hungerford Town Council; WBC = West Berkshire Council; WAPC = WBC’s Western Area Planning Committee. NDP = Neighbourhood Development Plan. H2036 = Hungerford’s NDP (so-called until October 2023). HNP = Hungerford’s NDP (from October 2023). DC = District Councillor; TVP = Thames Valley Police.

For HTC updates from previous months, please visit the archives here.

Police report

No members of the TVP team attended the meeting and no report was provided.

See also The local Police team section below.

The gingerbread folk trail

Before the meeting oficially began, The Mayor thanked Susan Mayes, the organiser of this pre-Christmas initiative which invited local children to visit local shops and find the small gingerbread dolls and then nominate their favourite coloured one and what present they would like them to buy for Santa.

The Mayor had chosen one winner and drew another at random. Congratulations to Imogen and Emilia who suggested that Santa should have has his present respectively a holiday and a bike.

The Mayor’s report

I would like to wish Members a happy and healthy New Year. I hope 2026 brings success and happiness to you all. On a personal note, this will be a particularly busy and celebratory year for my family, with a family wedding and our 25-year silver-wedding anniversary.

Paassing of Sally James

It was with great sadness that I received a call in December informing me of the passing of Sally James. Sally was a well-known and highly respected member of our community and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

I have been requested, in my capacity as Mayor, to attend Sally’s memorial service alongside the Constable. The service will be held at St Lawrence’s Church at 2.30pm on Wednesday 7 January, followed by a gathering at the Corn Exchange. Hungerford Town Council extends its deepest condolences to former Constable Robert James and to all of Sally’s family and friends at this difficult time.

December engagements and events

December was an exceptionally busy month, filled with community events, celebrations and festive activities across the town.

• 2 December: Hungerford Primary School Year 2 Christmas Play. As always, the performance was outstanding. I was extremely impressed by the pupils, who were word-perfect even at their first performance.
• 8 December: Tuesday Burchett Club Christmas Tea. It is always a pleasure to be invited to celebrate with this group. The event provided a valuable opportunity to speak with residents, particularly those who are less mobile, allowing them to raise any concerns in a relaxed and friendly setting.
• 10 December: John O’Gaunt School Art Exhibition. The standard of both art and technology on display was exceptional, as it always is. It was a pleasure to speak with students and staff  and I wish all those taking GCSEs this year the very best of luck.
• 11 December: John O’Gaunt School Year 11 Christmas Dinner. Congratulations to Years 10 and 11 for hosting such a lovely evening. The dinner and entertainment were thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.
• 12 December: Victorian Extravaganza. Congratulations to the Hungerford Chamber of Commerce for their considerable efforts in organising another successful event. It was very well attended and clearly enjoyed by many. Highlights included the Scottish pipe band, mulled wine, and making table decorations at the Methodist Church. I was disappointed to read some negative comments on social media and would encourage residents to support the volunteers who work tirelessly for our community.
• 13 December: Hungerford Town Band Concert. It was wonderful to see such a strong turnout this year. The band delivered an outstanding performance, supported by delicious refreshments, audience participation, and a successful raffle. We are extremely fortunate to have such a talented local band.
• 13 December: Hungerford Town Council Christmas Gathering. Thank you to Colin and the team at Terrace View for hosting a very enjoyable evening. (For clarity, councillors and staff personally covered the cost of this event.)
• 14 December: Mayor’s Carol Service. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the collection for local charities. My thanks also go to the office staff for organising the refreshments.
• 15 December: Christmas Hampers. Congratulations to Stella and St Lawrence’s Church for hosting. A tremendous team effort ensured the successful packing and delivery of hampers to local residents. It was heartening to be able to bring some Christmas cheer to those who needed it most.
• 16 December: Christmas Gathering. Thank you to Hungerford Chamber of Commerce and BMW for hosting this event. The new showroom looks great.
• 20 December: Newtown Carol Service. This was my first time attending, and I was honoured to be asked to do a reading. The setting was wonderfully authentic, with the service held in a barn, seating on hay bales, and children placing animals in the manger—an absolutely delightful experience.
• 21 December: Candlelight Service at St Lawrence’s Church. Another very well-attended service. Thank you for the invitation to read and for the refreshments provided afterwards.

Closing Remarks

I would like to thank the wider community for their warm hospitality and for inviting HTC to be part of so many celebrations throughout December. These events truly highlight the strong sense of community and local involvement within the town.

As we move into the New Year, members should note that Hungerford will experience some disruption as gas works commence in the High Street. Please be patient whilst these necessary works are completed. HTC will be monitoring the works. More information can be found here.

A huge thank you to Broadmead Estate Services for offering to chip and recycling Christmas trees for a donation, all donations made go to support local charities, The Constable and I met with Jim Smith and thanked him: we believe Broadmead has been operating this service for twenty years. The three groups chosen this year are CHAIN, Youth & Community Centre and Community Christmas Hampers.

Marcia Wadden will leave for a Team Vicar position (one of three looking after nine Clarendon Team churches, a section of the Diocese of Ramsbury) at the end of February; she’ll live in Alderbury, just south of Salisbury.  Her last service is expected to be Sunday,22 February. I really hoped Marcia would stay longer in Hungerford. I for one will miss her dearly. Sending our very best wishes for the future Marcia. HTC will miss your enthusiasm and community support.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Hilary Kelly and team for hosting Christmas lunch for those alone on Christmas day. Hilary has been organising the Christmas lunch for many years now, thank you for everything you do to support our community, Hilary. You deserve to be recognised. I’ve heard lots of lovely feedback from those who attended the lunch. Residents really do appreciate the effort.

The Hungerford Neighbourhood Development Plan

As mentioned last month, the referendum on Hungerford’s Neighbourhood Development Plan took place on 27 November and the result was 758 votes in favour and 218 against. That means that, once a formal six-week for legal challenges has passed, the plan will be folded into WBC’s local plan and will become as much a part of it as it WBC had written it itself.

• You can click here to see the official page on WBC’s site which summarises the entire process and which provides links to, amongst other things, the official result, the various consultations, the inspector’s report and the plan itself.
• You can also click here to see the article that Penny Post has been keeping up to date since the NDP project was first conceived in early 2018. This includes every major statement made by Hungerford Town Council and the HNDP Steering Group as well as details of all consultations and engagement events and other major landmarks in the process.

Matters arising from the last meeting

• Gutters at the Queen Anne building (see last month’s report). These have been cleared.
• SNG’s garages. SNG is awaiting quotes for the repairs (see last month’s report). An inventory was required specifying which garages are SNG’s and which are private.
• Redwood House. SNG is responding to the points raised (see last month’s report) and a meeting is planned with HTC later in the month.
• Pothole outside the John O’Gaunt pub. This has now been filled, for perhaps the eighth time (see last month’s report). WBC’s Highways department seemed unaware of how frequently this had been done and it was suggested that as the underlying cause was down to Thames Water, it should be suggested to WBC that it seek to recover the costs from TW.
• Memorial plaque for John Willmott. It was proposed, and his widow has agreed, that one be placed on one of the town’s benches. A further commemmoration might be planned by the Smarten Up Hungerford team.
• Hungerford NDP. HTC is looking into having some printed copies of a summary of this made available.

Contaminated land in Upper Eddington

A recent article on the Newbury Today website was discussed at the meeting. This referred to development issues in Upper Eddington and the concerns that the land was contaminated. In particular , the article considered application (25/02390/FUL) for “Creation of a new detached 2-storey dwelling with associated landscaping, including new vehicular access and driveway.” This was validated by WBC on 27 October 2025, discussed at HTC’s Environment and Planning Committee meeting on 10 November and refused by WBC on 19 December.

Referring to the phrase in the article that asserted that ““HTC’s environment and planning committee did not object,” the Council observed that “this suggests a rather limited interest – a very slap-dash approach – on our part. What the article did not do was give the full picture – what we actually said was:

“‘Given that this application is very much in line with a previously approved application, HTC does not object to this planning application, subject to the following conditions:

• Site Contamination: WBC must confirm that there is no contamination on the site, as contamination had previously been identified on a neighbouring site.
• Access for Neighbouring Residents: The front access for neighbouring residents should be reviewed and re-sited if necessary.

“‘The HTC Planning Committee also recommends that you investigate the two adjacent properties for any historical contamination and provide confirmation that no residual contamination remains on the site.’

“We knew that WBC’s planners would have some restriction because they had already given permission before, and that it is by no means impossible to give permission subject to dealing with any contamination. WBC did this at a major site in Compton so there is precedent, and there would in fact be benefit to Hungerford to see any remaining contamination on that site removed.”

District Councillors’ report

No DCs were able to attend the meeting and no reports were provided.

Contact details for the Hungerford & Kintbury ward members (and all the other ones) can be found by clicking here.

A councillor vacancy

Despite recent co-options, HTC still has a vacancy for one councillor. You can find out more information by clicking here.

At the meeting, one member offered herself as willing to stand. As is customary, she was invited to attend HTC;s committee meetings in the following month and a decision would then be taken at the February Full Council meeting.

HTC’s budget and precept

Following receipt of the band D council tax figure from WBC, the HTC precept will be £393,344, an increase of 2.45%.

HTC’s action plan

This was reviewed at the meeting. It covers a number matters with which the four committee areas (see below) are concerned and prioritises them as being of high, medium or low urgency. These included staff and councillor training, the town meeting, streetlights, various speeding and traffic issues, dog bins, the Christmas lights, various lease and contract renewals, the Triangle Field and EV charge points.

Health and safety

• A wobbly paving stone outside Costa Coffee. This recently resulted in a member of the public falling and injuring themselves and has been fixed.
• Slippery pavements. This problem continues, caused it was felt by a combination of York stone, plenty of trees and pigeons and several inclines. As WBC’s seems disinclined to conduct a proper clean, Councillor Keates wondered if HTC could do it itself, possibly using equipment loaned for the occasion by a local firm. Concerns were raised about possible legal liability, damage to existing street furniture and the expectation (by both the public and WBC) that this work would then be continued by HTC. It was decided to press WBC one further time for a solution.
• Concerns from walkers on Sanham Green about when the 30mph signs would be installed. Councillor Hudson reported that WBC had said that this would not happen until the proposed 20mph consultations had happened: Councillor Reeves felt that the two issues were largely separate and that the 30mph signs could be put in place sooner.

CCTV upgrade

The need for a new network router and recorder was discussed at the meeting. It was agreed that, without this, HTC’s investment in cameras over several years was rendered slightly pointless. It was felt that that the price of about £4,900 was on the high side and that efforts would be made to reduce this.

REME’s freedom of the town award

The event for this (the onle one that fits REME’s calendar) has been agreed as Saturday 25 April. More information – including about fundraising, volunteers, HTC’s working group and further details of what’s planned – would be announced as soon as feedback had been received from an initial meeting with REME.

The Station Road mini-recycling centre

It was reported that the units are often full and were (perhaps understandably) particularly so over Christmas leading to what might be termed a form of controlled fly-tipping with people leaving items near the units.

Various solutions were discussed including encouraging WBC to expand this or add another in the town (both of which appear to be contrary to its long-term strategy) and encourging more frequent collections.

Contacting HTC

HTC can be contacted in the following ways:

• By email to townclerk@hungerford-tc.gov.uk.
• By post to The Town Clerk, Hungerford Town Council, The Library, Church Street, Hungerford RG17 0JG.
• In person at the above address between 10am and 2pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• By phone on 01488 686 195.

Any questions for an HTC meeting need to arrive by 2pm on the day (please allow more time if you have left this on the ansafone).

Members of the public are also welcome to attend any meetings.

Contacting WBC in an emergency

You can also contact West Berkshire Council out of office hours for emergencies. These are considered to include:

• Major incidents such as major accidents or significant flooding.
• Fallen trees and other debris blocking or restricting roads or causing potential danger to road users.
• Traffic lights not working (West Berkshire Council only manages fixed traffic lights, not temporary ones).
• Emergency repairs to council-owned temporary accommodation (tenants of properties should contact their housing association, landlord or agent).

The sections above cover the main issues with which HTC has recently been involved or concerned: it by no means describes all of HTC’s activities. Nor is this an official record of any meeting nor of any other aspect of HTC’s activities. Links to the official minutes of this and other meetings are provided in this post. For more information on HTC, please click here.

If there’s anything that you’d like to see addressed by HTC, and perhaps also covered in this way in future editions of Penny Post Hungerford, please email claire.barnes@hungerford-tc.gov.uk. Any such suggestions should be received at least four working days before the end of the month (and preferably sooner) if they are to be included in the corresponding post for the following month. That is not, of course, to say that HTC will not in any case give the matter its attention and respond personally if appropriate.

This information has been compiled by Penny Post from information supplied by HTC and others. Every reasonable effort has been made to provide a clear and dispassionate summary of the points covered but these may contain expressions of opinion which may not accord with HTC’s official view on the matter. Links have been provided to other posts, on the Penny Post site or elsewhere, to give additional information where this has been judged useful or necessary. The presence of such a link should not be taken to imply that HTC necessarily agrees with, endorses or supports any of the material contained therein.