Councillor Faces Backlash for Two-Year Absence

West Berkshire's Conservative group leader, Ross Mackinnon, is facing a formal complaint from parish councils in his Bradfield ward over repeated absences.

Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet parish councils told West Berkshire Council he hasn't attended their meetings for two years, though they noted he had sent apologies. The chair of Bradfield parish council said he had failed to attend their meetings too.

The three parish councils said they will submit a communal complaint to West Berkshire Council.

Mackinnon replied that when a West Berkshire Council meeting clashes with a parish meeting, WBC duties take priority. He defended his work with parish councillors across the ward and said he values their role.

He highlighted recent local projects he has helped with, including campaigning against the reinstatement of the Four Houses Corner site, securing a new pavement by the school, volunteering at the Bradfield May Fayre, winning funding for solar panels at Englefield Village Hall, and supporting the Bradfield Village Hall redevelopment and talks on long-term road closures.

He said he looks forward to continuing to work with residents and the four parish councils to make the area a better place to live.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter