Brill Parish Council Newsletter

September 2026 (vol 7, issue 9)

Parish Council Update

A message from the Chair and Councillors -

Your Parish Council, now in the second year of its tenure, continues to support our community to thrive whilst retaining the unique character of our parish. Here’s a selection of the things we’re working on right now. 

The Walks

The Walks are now being managed, with four areas of cut grass and paths mown through the wilding areas. Cllr James Tuffley made the two picnic benches now in The Walks. We will shortly add two disabled-access benches.

Cllr Andy Fisher and Fiona Bennett-Meere (Brill’s Wildlife & Community Ranger) recently visited the Centre for Outdoor Accessibility Training where they tried disabled-access gates that may be suitable for The Walks - and learnt just how difficult outdoor access can be without sensible measures.

We’re working on a plan to restore and re-puddle The Walks pond. Right now, we’re waiting for advice from experts in the protection of Great Crested Newts which (as Fiona reported in her blog) are breeding in the pond.

Salt bins

The Council has purchased a number of salt bins (plus salt). These will be placed around the village to help keeps our roads and streets safe in the Winter.

Litter picking station

As noted earlier in the Summer, Cllr James Tuffly has set up a litter picking station outside Brill Fire Station. Here you will find equipment to borrow to pick up litter - plus bins for your collected rubbish.

New working group for Brill Common

Fiona is organising a weekday volunteer group to help her with conservation work on the common. This is part of the Protect Brill Common Forever National Lottery Heritage Fund project. Please email Fiona if you’d like to help.

Parking stubs on Brill Common

The Council is finalising a plan to replace rotten or damaged wooden stubs. These are in place to prevent parking on commonland. We will be adding new ones in certain areas to further protect our common.

MoD Bicester Site A

The Parish Council is in communication with Buckinghamshire Council and Greg Smith MP regarding Site A. Here is the text of public letter recently received from Cllr Ashley Waite, councillor for Waddesdon Ward (which includes Brill):

Thank you for your email. I would like to provide clarification on Buckinghamshire Council's position and role in relation to the proposal.

As the proposed accommodation site is located within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire Council has not been formally consulted with by the Home Office. However, council officers are now attending Home Office meetings to maintain awareness of developments, and challenge where appropriate, given the site's proximity to the Buckinghamshire border and the interest being expressed by residents and elected members. The Leader of Buckinghamshire Council has also made a formal representation to the Home Office setting out concerns and opposition to the proposal.

Currently, the Home Office is undertaking feasibility assessments for the site and no final decision has been made. You can keep up to date on the latest position by visiting this page on the government website. [Buckinghamshire] Council will continue to monitor developments and respond to any matters that may have implications for Buckinghamshire residents or services.

We recognise that communities close to the county boundary, including Brill, may have questions and concerns. You may find it helpful to look at how other parish and town councils in the vicinity of the proposed site have responded. Bicester Town Council has publicly considered the proposal and made representations directly to the Home Office. Read their public statement on the Bicester Town Council website.

I hope this provides some useful clarification. We will continue to keep abreast of developments and any potential implications for Buckinghamshire.

[End of Cllr Waite’s letter]

Have your say

Brill Parish Council welcomes the views of residents of any aspect of its work. Please use one of the following methods to get in touch -

• Email the Parish Clerk who will forward your message to the Councillors.

• Use the Contact Form on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

• Attend one of our monthly meetings. The next meeting is Tuesday September 15th and time is always set aside at the start for residents to speak.

• Call in and talk with the Parish Clerk. He is in the Parish Office in Brill Memorial Hall most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings 9.30am to 11am.

We hope you have found this update useful. It will be a regular feature in the newsletter going forwards.

Swift Action

Fiona Bennett-Meere
Wildlife & Community Ranger

The recent screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing in Brill got me thinking about the positive things we can do right here to mitigate, in a small way, the impact of the climate and nature crisis. Creating better habitats to give nature a helping hand may not change everything but can make a real difference locally. Furthermore, this sort of conservation work has the potential to bring communities together - and reconnect us with the wildlife on our doorsteps.

I’d like to introduce you to a project that Barbara, a friend and previous work colleague at BBOWT, has been facilitating in Crowthorne, Berkshire. Barbara’s wildlife community work always inspires me and the Swift Street project is no exception.

Community action

Swifts are incredible birds, spending almost their entire lives on the wing and returning to the same area to breed year after year. They arrive in the UK in May, having travelled thousands of miles from Sub-Saharan Africa, to look for suitable places to raise their young. The problem is that modern buildings lack the nooks and crannies in which Swifts like to nest and so we’ve lost 60% of our Swifts in the past 25 years.

The Crowthorne Swift Street project is a community-led initiative to help bring swifts back to the town by providing purpose-built nesting boxes and call systems. Working with residents, businesses, the local Men’s Shed, the Parish Council and the Fire Service, BBOWT has so far helped install eleven Swift boxes in the village.

I’d love to start a similar project here in Brill! How about making Brill a community that really welcomes Swifts, with residents, businesses and community groups all playing a part? Recording nesting sites, building Swift boxes and fixing them to buildings, recording sightings - or simply learning more about these amazing birds; there’s something everyone can do.

What to do now

If you’ve seen Swifts around Brill or know of a nesting site, remember Swifts in years gone by or would like to welcome Swifts to Brill in the future, please email me - and come along to Barbara’s talk on October 6th. Let’s make this happen together!

Here’s a wonderful fact to finish with: in a single lifetime, a Swift can fly 2,000,000 miles; the equivalent of travelling to the Moon and back four times!

PS! Next year I’d like to link this project with House Martins, another wonderful bird that needs our help. In the meantime, please record House Martin nests on the House Martin Conservation Interactive Map.

The Brill People’s Emergency Briefing Follow-up

A message from Andy Cotgreave, organiser of Brill’s Briefing:

Seventy-five people gathered in Brill Memorial Hall on September 4th to view The People's Emergency Briefing. Together we watched a film about the climate and nature crisis and then joined in a passionate discussion of the challenges we face.

I’m delighted that so many people showed up! Our screening was one of over 3,500 across the country and it’s really reassuring to know so many people in this village care about our environment, locally and globally. We now need to build on this interest.

if you are in any way concerned about our climate, here are three simple things to do right now:

• Join the Brill Emergency Briefing WhatsApp Community.

• Email Greg Smith our MP. As far as we know, he hasn’t attended a single one of the screenings in his constituency. Encourage him to do so and ask him to join the Parliamentary Call for a televised briefing introduced by the Prime Minister.

• Do something locally! Help out with the Common Volunteers - or join Fiona, our Wildlife and Community Ranger for a wildlife survey.

If you missed the Brill event, find another screening or - better still! - consider hosting your own screening in your community or workplace.

Join the Common Volunteers!

A message from Cllr James Tuffley:

We’ve been at it again! Last weekend the Common Volunteers tackled North Bank. We used a combination of the Commander mower, our new Bluebird, and brush cutters to clear the steep bank and adjacent area in line with the management plan for Brill Common.

The cut grass is removed to prevent enrichment of the soil and maintain a low nutrient level. These conditions enable a wider diversity of flowers and pollinators than would be the case in rich grassland.

It was great to be joined by new volunteers - welcome Andy, Ian, Mark and Rupert - but there’s always room for more! Join us and make a real different to our community and environment. We meet every first and third Saturdays of the month in the windmill car park, work hard for two hours and then usually round off the morning with a drink and a bowl of chips at the pub.

We’d particularly welcome any young people undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Working with the Brill Common Volunteers would be an excellent way to fulfil the volunteering section section of the Award; learning new skills, building confidence, and developing teamwork - all within a committed and supportive group.

Please email me if you’d like to get involved - and a big thank you to everyone already making a difference with the Common Volunteers, The Friends of Brill Common, and the Brill Community Herd.

Your Bucks, Your Say!

Tell Bucks Council what services should be prioritised in the budget

A message from Buckinghamshire Council -

Every day, council services support residents across Buckinghamshire, from caring for vulnerable adults and children to maintaining roads, supporting communities and libraries and keeping neighbourhoods clean and safe. As we plan Buckinghamshire Council’s budget for 2027 to 2028, we'd like to hear what matters most to you.

Like councils across the country, we face increasing demand for services and rising costs. Your feedback will help us understand local priorities and ensure we continue to focus investment on the services residents and local organisations value most.

Whether you’re a resident, or represent a business or community organisation, please take a few minutes to complete the budget consultation and share your views. The consultation is open until October 18th 2026.

Do the survey online or complete a paper copy at Buckinghamshire libraries and Community Access Points.

Safer Buckinghamshire Partnership

This new(ish) website brings together local authorities, emergency services, voluntary organisations and local people to prevent crime, support victims and build stronger, more connected communities. All the advice and support we hope we’ll never need - but really should be aware of - in one place.

Topics covered include avoiding scams and frauds, safeguarding personal property and support for those living with domestic violence and alcohol and drug abuse. Senior residents (and others) may be interested in this leaflet produced by Age Concern about ways to protect against scams.

You may also find the Safety & Security page on the BPC&C website useful.

Parking in Brill

A message from Cllr Jules Newman, Chair of Brill Parish Council -

Inconsiderate parking is once again becoming an issue in the village and on the common.

If you have space to park your car on your property, please use it. If you have to park on the street, please consider pedestrians - especially those using push chairs or mobility aids.

Read more about parking in Brill on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

Using the road? Respect the code

Significant changes were made to the Highway Code at the start of 2022. One of these changes was the introduction of the ‘hierarchy of road users’ - but many road users are still not aware of the impact these changes have had on how they navigate the roads.

Go to the road safety campaign page on the Buckinghamshire Council website to find out exactly what has changed, what it means to all road users, and what we need to know - and then test yourself with the interactive quiz.

Back to school

Whilst walking to and from school, wear bright contrasting clothing, keep watching where you are going and ask yourself “Can I see?  And, can I be seen?” 

Keep your eyes up and on the road and your surroundings - not looking down at a phone or book - especially as electric vehicles are often unheard because they are so quiet.

Finally!

This newsletter is emailed every month to over 320 subscribers. We really appreciate everyone’s interest and support. If you’ve enjoyed reading, please mention the newsletter to friends, family and neighbours. Tell them there are two ways to subscribe:

• complete the form on welcome page of the BPC&C website

• email the Editor

We also publish an abridged print edition a few days after this digital version. There are always copies of this on the Parish Council noticeboard (on the Memorial Hall), in the pouch on the door of the Parish Office, and in All Saints Church and Brill shops.

Remember, you can read past newsletters and access lots of community and council information on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

All good wishes, Brill Parish Council