Chairmans Diary Feb 2026: a Tense Time
February is always the shortest month but this year it was quiet for me, as Council Chairman. I'm now ¾ through "my" year and have been reflecting on what the role is - and could be. But first let me say a little about the few engagements I've had.
My "consort" (and wife) Cllr Martha Vickers (Chair of Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee) and I attended an event hosted by the Injured Jockeys Fund in Lambourn on 4 February. It was a "Summit" on suicide: identifying the risks, preventing it and dealing with the awful impact on loved ones, friends and colleagues of the victims.
The West Berkshire Suicide Prevention Action Group was set up the then Director of the local Volunteer Centre, Garry Poulson. Volunteer Centre West Berkshire had taken part in developing a Strategy and the new organisation was set up to coordinate the actions recommended in it, according to its website.
The racing industry in Lambourn has recently suffered several suicides. Hence the Injured Jockeys Fund and Racing Welfare partnered our own Public Health team with stands and speakers at the event. Martha and I were really impressed by the way the industry has "grabbed the reins" on this important matter.
With the ramping up of threats to their residency rights, we find that there is a big increase in numbers of family members with one or both parents not having Citizenship of the UK feeling a need to make the final step to secure family unity. What used to be - as recently as a year ago - a Citizenship Ceremony every other month in Shaw House has become monthly. This month we had the fourth US citizen since June taking the Oath of Allegiance to King Charles. There was also a Russian lady and another from mainland China! Among those on the path to UK citizenship is the long-term partner of a fellow Member of this Council.
That leads me to my reflections on the Chairman of Council's role.
Strictly speaking there are only two things I must do and one of them was fairly recently introduced: the formal Citizenship Ceremony, where I am there as First Citizen of West Berkshire, supporting the Lord Lieutenant (or one of his many Deputies), who represents the Monarch.
These are very humbling occasions for someone who became a British Citizen at birth, despite being born in India. No exam or expense for us. I see myself representing Democracy, although the Chairman must remain apolitical. So in my short speech, I emphasise the responsibilities of citizenship as well as the rights. At the ceremony, we are granting the right to vote but also the responsibility to obey the law and to respect the rights of those who may disagree with us. If only there was a similar set of rights and responsibilities enforceable among nation states, perhaps we would have fewer wars!
The other statutory duty of the Chairman is to chair meetings of the Full Council, which occur routinely only about 4-5 times a year. We had the most important of those meetings on 26 February, at which we had to set the Budget for the financial year 2026/27. You can read about that elsewhere on the Council website.
I approached the meeting with the intention of maintaining calm by balancing the seriousness of the business with a certain lightness but also firmness. My few remarks were slightly adjusted so as to help those attending remotely (because there is only room for about 20 public in the Council Chamber) to understand what was happening and why.
You can judge whether I succeeded by viewing the YouTube recording, which was live-streamed - as are all Council public meetings. This has been one success due to COVID. Over 500 residents watched some or all of the proceedings.
Before that, on 13 February, I presided over the annual Community Champions Awards in Shaw House. That event has its own news page, so I won't repeat what you can read there. There is one award winner who couldn't attend but I've arranged a surprise presentation for him soon!
There was a brief ceremony outside the Royal British Legion in Pelican Lane, to remember those naval personnel lost at sea on 14 February 1942 when all hands on board HMS Tigris were lost due to enemy action off Naples. Their bodies were never recovered.
Why Newbury? As a way to raise funds to build more submarines for World War II, towns across the UK were asked to each sponsor one. Our forebears chose Tigris. No direct family members of the crew now live in West Berkshire, but our local veterans rightly still wish us to remember them.
As we listen to the news of what is happening in the Middle East, we must all hope that another World War isn't beginning. So let's remember those who serve in our Armed Forces today and all who live under the threat of bombs and drones across that region right now.
