These notes incorporate some but not all of the matters discussed at the Hungerford Town Council meeting on 5 May 2026, 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
A TVP representative , PC Mike Greaves-Hurd, attended the meeting. Local issues included:
- More foot patrols have recently been organised in the town.
- Vehicle-related ASB is noted near the skate park and patrols have been increased there.
- There are issues at Sandham View of which the Police are aware. Residents have been notified.
- The seasonal shift locally now moves the emphasis away from hare-coursing and towards fish poaching. A session on this with the Town and Manor has recently been organised.
- Two problems addresses in the town as regards ASB and drug-dealing are being closely monitored.
Two other comments were raised by councillors
- Recent ASB near One Stop: TVP staff are aware.
- Potential problems when Basingstoke next has a football fixture against Hungerford, trouble having been reported before. The TVP welcomed advance notice any such fixture.
See also The local Police team section near the foot of the post; als the Mayor’s report immediately below.
Election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor
As expected, Jerry Keates was elected as Mayor and Chris Hall as his Deputy, both unanimously.
Election of the committee Chairs and Deputies
These were elected as follows, also unanimously:
- Finance and General Purposes: Chair Simon Mulholland, Deputy Keith Carlson.
- Highways and Transport: Chair Jerry Keates, Deputy Richard Hudson.
- Recreation and Amenities: Chair Jane Brunning, Deputy Chris Hall.
- Environment and Planning: Chair James Cole, Deputy Sue Terry.
Two councillor vacancies
As a result of the resignation of the former Mayor and the Deputy Mayor from HTC, two vacancies exist on the Council. These will probably be filled by co-option. If you’d like more information, please contact townclerk@hungerford-tc.gov.uk.
Interviews with the Mayor and his predecessor
You can click here to see an interview with recently elected Mayor, Jerry Keates; and click here to see one with his predecessor, Helen Simpson.
Chestnut Walk
The saga of the former care home at Chestnut Walk was discussed and the Mayor read out the following statement:
Hungerford Town Council has significant concerns regarding the current planning application for Chestnut Walk. However, we also recognise this as an important opportunity to engage constructively with West Berkshire Council and to work collaboratively toward a solution.
We wish to ensure that any development at Chestnut Walk delivers a cost-effective, sustainable outcome that aligns with our adopted Neighbourhood Plan. At present, the proposal appears to present a short-term, temporary solution that raises a number of serious questions, including the following points:-
We seek clarity on how such a temporary arrangement will benefit the individuals being housed, and what their expected profile will be. The proposal appears to prioritise expediency and cost-saving, but without sufficient detail on long-term outcomes or suitability.
Concerns also arise regarding the appropriateness of this development in a rural location, where access to transport and essential services is limited. How will residents maintain access to their existing support networks? What provisions are in place given the absence of 24-hour security or policing?
For families, particularly those with children who may only remain in this accommodation for a short period (e.g. up to six weeks), how will continuity of education be ensured? What impact will this have on Special Educational Needs provision within Hungerford?
We also request further information regarding the social support structures that will be available to occupants. Additionally, clarification is needed on what West Berkshire Council means by “tenancy sustainment” in this context.
It is also important to note that West Berkshire Council previously condemned this building approximately ten years ago. We therefore ask for clear justification as to how it is now considered fit for purpose.
We are currently awaiting a formal response from West Berkshire Council regarding our planning objections. We hope that they will recognise our genuine desire to work collaboratively and reconsider the available options for Hungerford in a way that ensures appropriate, sustainable, and community-aligned outcomes.
We respectfully request that West Berks take the opportunity to stop, engage and listen to Hungerford residents on this matter.
Further information on this matter – including the background, the details of the current planning application and HTC’s response to this – can be seen in this separate article.
Councillor Cole added that this was more than just a planning issue and that he felt Hungerford was being “done over”. He said that WBC’s previous proposals had not been out of line with the town’s expectations: this one, however, was. There was nothing he could see in the recently adopted NDP to support this proposal.
Councillor Terry said that there was a golden opportunity here to create something exceptional and sustainable that would be an exemplar to other communities. However, this could only happen if HTC were involved in the discussions.
Padel courts
The 20 April meeting of HTC’s Environment and planning committee considered seven applications. One was Chestnut Walk (see above). Another was for four padel courts at Cobbs Farm Shop in Hungerford.
With two abstentions, the committee resolved to support this application. “We wish to expand the sporting facilities in Hungerford,” the comments concluded. “It is an inclusive sport which would be an asset to the town. The Committee disagree with Highways comments; the facility should be on the perimeter as its not suitable for a residential area.”
The nature of WBC’s Highway’s objection, and some other aspects of this application, are considered in this separate article. More information on other matters discussed at this Committee meeting can be seen in the “HTC’s committees” section below.
Garages owned by Sovereign (SNG)
As reported in previous months, problems continue in getting SNG to address the increasingly dangerous state of some of its garages in the town. DC Gaines said she had recently written a formal email to all the people who’ve ever been involved in this discussion in order to try to get some attention.
To this has been added a fresh potentially problematic development as it appears that SNG is minded to sell some of these. This would have two implications: moving them from the public sector into the private; and removing from HTC any slender influence it may have abo0ut the state of their maintenance.
The Mayor pointed out that this was part of a pattern of disposal which SNG had recently displayed in the town, with four dwellings recently sold or planned to be, and so lost to public use. This is a trend which is proceeding even more quickly in rural areas of the district.
Fly-tipping at the mini recycling centre
There have recently been cases of items being left at this facility in the Station Road car park including furniture and household waste. Residents were reminded by the last month by the then-Mayor that using an third-party contractor to dispose of waste is no defence if the origin can be traced back to the owner. Anyone approached by such a company needs to see, and note, their credentials that they are authorised to deal with waste.
The Mayor reported that contact with senior officers at WBC had led to the conformation of a meeting on 20 May to discuss not only this issue but also the partly-collapsed wall near the station car park.
Dog mess and rubbish at the playgrounds
This has been reported at Bulpit Lane and elsewhere. HTC will be being extra-vigilant on this and anyone who sees any such cases is urged to report it to HTC (see contact details below). The Mayor also confirmed that social-media and other campaigns would be launched to explain why dog mess was so dangerous (as well as unpleasant).
The Mayor’s report
It has been somewhat strange writing a mayor’s report when I have not had any official duties this month but that will obviously change in the future. I feel extremely privileged to be put forward as the Mayor of Hungerford and will do my very best for the town residents and to fiercely protect our way of life and all that we hold precious. We have an extremely strong team of councillors and brilliant office staff which makes me confident that we can deal with anything that is put in our path in the coming year ahead.
None the less, the baton has been passed. As a result, April was quite a hectic month for me with Easter, Hocktide, the previous Mayor’s reception and the Freedom of the Town Parade.
Hocktide
On Monday 13 April HTC I was kindly invited by the Constable to witness the tradition of ale tasting and verification of the bread. I can confirm that the beer I had was certainly a goodly brew! Deborah and I also attended the Hocktide lunch on Tutti Day the following day: I urge anyone who has not done this to do so. At the post-meal ceremony, Roger and Loranne Ballard were along with several others “shod” by the Town & Manor’s Blacksmith. A great time was had by all.
The final part of the week was the Constable’s Parade held on Sunday.
The Mayors Reception
This was held on 17 April in the Royal British Legion Club and was primarily to thank people for their hard work over the preceding year. It also afforded Helen the opportunity to say her goodbyes before standing down as Mayor and leaving the council. She will now be able finally to focus on her hobbies and home renovations, whilst squeezing in an imminent huge family wedding.
We also said goodbye to Claire Winser who will be missed but will remain as a driving force behind Hungerford in Bloom.
Station litter pick
Along with Councillor Hudson and representatives from Smarten Up Hungerford and GWR, I took part in a six-monthly litter pick on the waste ground behind the northern platform of Hungerford station. Disappointingly, we again filled a considerable amount of waste bags.
GWR has now fitted hidden CCTV cameras to keep an eye on potential offenders before deciding on next actions and securing founding for possible solutions. Calum from GWR is also going to highlight the significant amount of land that might be potentially used as additional parking if justification can be demonstrated for investment.
REME’s Freedom of the Town award
What a fabulous event we had on Saturday 25 April as HTC bestowed 6 Armoured Close Support Battalion the freedom of the town. It was truly a history-making day, if rather hot for the three hundred soldiers on parade.
It was also poignant as this was Helen’s final civic event and a culmination of her ten years on the council and eight years as Mayor. A huge thanks goes out to the team that always work away tirelessly to make things happen in the background for our wonderful town to enjoy.
See also this separate article for a brief report on the event.
Reporting a problem
The best way of reporting problems with for example potholes, and a wide range of other ones, is WBC’s Report a Problem page. In general this works very well and gives the person making the comment a unique reference number and the option of being updated about the progress.
District Councillor’s report
DC Bennyworth was present at the meeting. Matters he covered included the following:
- Congratulations to the newly-elected Mayor and Deputy. He said the role of Mayor of Hungerford was one he’d previously filled and that it was very worthwhile.
- Chestnut Walk. After the above-mentioned statement was read by the Mayor, he recognised HTC’s concerns but added that in planning terms only the current application would be considered, not the merits of any previous one for that site.
- Members’ bids. He reminded HTC that the deadline for these was fast approaching. The sums available were smaller (£4,000 rather than £5,000 per member) but the need for match-funding and been removed.
Contact details for the Hungerford & Kintbury ward members (and all the other ones) can be found by clicking here.
Formal business
As is normal at the May meeting, a number of formal matters involving policies and procedures were also agreed at the meeting.
HTC’s committees
The following committee meetings have recently taken place (“last meeting” refers to the last meeting for which minutes were available on the day this post was published). Environment & Planning generally meets once a month and the others every other month. See the separate section above for meetings relating to the Hungerford Neighbourhood Development Plan (which has now been adopted).
- Highways and Transport. (Last meeting 23 March – click here to read the minutes.) Items covered included: update on actions; safety and speeding; slippery pavements; the telephone box in the High Street; the recycling centre; welcome signs; litter picking; parking and road closures for the REME parade; parking on the zebras; and parking signs.
- Finance and General Purposes. (Last meeting 11 March – click here to read the minutes.) Items covered included: an update on actions; financial matters; the Library building; the REME Freedom of the Town event; and the Croft Field Centre.
- Environment and Planning. (Last meeting 20 April – click here to see the minutes.) Items covered included: enforcement issues; Strongrove Hill; seven planning applications (one support, two objections, four no objections); and case officers’ reports. Note: the minutes include at the end more information on two of these applications, the padel court and Chestnut Walk (see also separate sections above).
- Recreation, Amenities and War Memorials. (Last meeting 16 March – click here to read the minutes.) Items covered included: a presentation from the Youth and Community Centre; ypdate on actions from the previous meeting; tree work; RoSPA inspections; a request for a storage unit at the Croft Field; dog fouling; the Triangle Field; Hungerford Archers; repairs and maintenance; Britain in Bloom; signage; and the Station Road recycling facility.
Note: if the links above don’t work, this may be because they were linked to unadopted (draft) minutes which have since been replaced by adopted ones. If so, please visit this page of HTC’s website for the most up-to-date information on meetings past and the agendas of those yet to come.
For details on HTC’s committees, including membership, agendas and minutes, please click here (and go to the “Town Council” tab).
The local Police team
The current set-up of the team is one Inspector, one Sergeant, three Police Constables and four PCSOs to cover the Hungerford and Downlands area. Please see below for how to contact them.
Crime and incident statistics
It was explained at a previous meeting that discrepancies between the figures reported by the local TVP team and those available for the whole area were due to the former relating only to incidents with which the local TVP team was directly involved.
The total of all reported crimes can be found here. The more you zoom into the Crime Map, the more specific the location of the various crimes will be (within the legal limits of how these can be defined).
Local events
If you have any community events for which you would like representation from your local NHPT, please contact them via the email address below. While local TVP representatives cannot guarantee always to be able to attend, they will make every effort to do so.
General information (including contacts)
- Please report all incidents to the Police or otherwise they will not be officially recorded – news travels fast round a community but if no one reports incidents the police may not know about it. Mentioning an incident on social media does not count as reporting the crime.
- See this web page for more information on the local TVP Police team in the Hungerford area.
- People are encouraged to sign up for Thames Valley Alerts. As well as local crime information, you can receive details of the latest scams.
- Thames Valley Police has a Facebook page.
- The local policing team also wants to draw attention to the ‘what three words’ app which is used to help with the prevention of rural crime by locating people. The app provides a three-word code for each grid which is mapped over the world. By ringing 999 and quoting it, the police can locate you.
- If you believe you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, please report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
- You can report incidents online but if it is urgent please continue to call on 101 (non-emergency) and 999 in an emergency.
- If you would like to report anonymously you can do so via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
- The team’s email address is HungerfordandDownlandsNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk This is not monitored 24/7 and should not be used in an emergency or to report a crime.
- The local police team is keen to promote the Herbert Protocol initiative which helps us all to try to keep vulnerable members of our community safe.
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.
