Last week I chaired the Finance and Resources Select Committee for the first time. This is a great privilege and responsibility as we scrutinise important decisions from our Buckinghamshire Council leaders, including the £577 million annual budget on behalf of over 570,000 residents. Alongside engaging with our Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources, I was pleased that my colleague Dev Dhillon will join me as Vice Chairman.

You can see some highlights on my questions and inclusive approach on my Facebook Page and I look forward to working with colleagues in the coming year to ensure our Council is running both effectively and efficiently.

I am honoured to have been elected as the new Chairman of the Finance & Resources Select Committee at Buckinghamshire Council. This is a real privilege - and a serious responsibility. My role is to help scrutinise a £577 million annual budget on behalf of more than 570,000 residents across Buckinghamshire, including here in Beaconsfield. I'm grateful for the trust. Now, to work.

I recently chaired the Standards and General Purposes Committee, where I have always sought to act in a non partisan way, ensuring every councillor has a voice and that we fully explore options with officers to improve how the council works, including support for parish councils.

Over the past year we have achieved a great deal, including passing an amendment to improve transparency on allowances. At this meeting we reviewed Member Code of Conduct complaints and asked officers to return with practical proposals to strengthen culture, training and transparency across the council and our town and parish councils.

As this may be the last meeting before potential changes in committee membership, I would like to place on record my thanks to all members for the constructive and collaborative way we have worked together.

You can watch the responses on my Facebook here.

In my capacity as Chair of the Standards and General Purposes Committee, I presented an amendment to Full Council that will require councillors to declare, within the register of interests, any allowances or fees received from outside bodies to which they have been appointed by virtue of their membership of the council. This amendment will bring that information into a single, publicly accessible location on the council’s website.

I believe this increase in transparency will highlight that most councillors undertake their roles without any additional remuneration, and that relatively few positions carry higher allowances, most of which are modest. It reinforces the fact that the majority of members serve out of a sense of public duty rather than financial reward.

I note that the Government is also considering introducing a mandatory national code of conduct, which may supersede this amendment. However, with no fixed timetable or clear requirements, the position remains uncertain. The committee took the view, rightly, that we should act now rather than wait. I am pleased that this amendment was passed and hope it demonstrates our commitment to transparency in local government.

At the recent Full Council meeting, I directly challenged the Chief Fire Officer of Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service about the removal of a fire engine in Beaconsfield, to be replaced with a Crew Welfare Unit. Beaconsfield Town Council had repeatedly made the case through a detailed submission to the Fire Authority consultation that we need increased investment, not reductions. With 158,000 more homes being imposed across the Fire Authority’s jurisdiction, the risks are growing, not shrinking. The Fire Authority’s own data shows that nearly a third of cross border fire engine attendance across the county relates to Beaconsfield, the highest of any station.

I have full admiration for the hardworking firefighters who protect our communities every day, and I am gravely concerned about their capacity to serve when vital equipment is being removed. I am therefore disappointed by the Chief Fire Officer’s response, which also goes directly against Buckinghamshire Council’s position. I will continue to make the case for greater fire engine capacity for Beaconsfield and our county.

I also note that in neighbouring Milton Keynes, which shares our Fire Authority, there are a local council elections in less than three weeks’ time. This may change the political composition of the Fire Authority and, therefore, its decision making. We shall see!

You can here my challenge on my Facebook Page here.

I recently visited the Butterfly House in High Wycombe, part of Florence Nightingale Hospice, to learn more about the incredible support they provide to patients and families.

It was a privilege to see first hand the compassionate care offered by their dedicated team. I was also pleased to join the Mayor of Beaconsfield in presenting a cheque from Beaconsfield Town Council in support of their work.

Organisations like this play a vital role in our community, and it is important we continue to champion and support them. I definitely will.

Beaconsfield Town Council

It was a pleasure to meet with representatives from the National Farmers’ Union to hear directly about the realities facing our local farming community.

We discussed the pressures farmers are under, from rising costs and regulatory changes to the wider impact of the Labour government policy on rural livelihoods.

I really value these conversations given the importance that the voices of those who manage our countryside and grow the food we depend on are properly understood and reflected in local and national decision making. I will always stand up for our hardworking farmers.

🏡 This week at the Strategic Sites Committee, we explored a number of projects impacting Buckinghamshire. This included a proposal for new infrastructure to enable the use of land as a SANG near Little Marlow. A SANG is a ‘Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace’, a designated high quality green space created to mitigate the impact of new residential developments on protected nature conservation sites.

I sought reassurances that these types of projects will only go ahead after we have secured funding commitments through developer contributions (Section 106), to protect taxpayers. With our area facing unprecedented pressure from developers, we must ensure they understand and meet their obligations to local residents.

You can watch some highlights on my Facebook here.

🏘 Buckinghamshire is facing the prospect of a Labour Government imposed target of 95,500 more houses in our County, with sites around Beaconsfield not ruled out.

I have been engaging with local residents and advocacy groups who have helpfully suggested an independent demographic analysis to make the case that Beaconsfield and wider Buckinghamshire cannot handle such ramp up of housing, our infrastructure simply cannot cope. We need to challenge at every stage the assumptions being made on their housing formula.

I know Buckinghamshire Council officers are listening carefully to our suggestions and I hope they take full advantage of this to make our case to reduce our housing targets.

This week I spoke at the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee at Buckinghamshire Council, where I continued to deploy all my legal experience to challenge any development pressure on our precious greenbelt.

I’m afraid that means going deep into the technical details, even at footnote level, to test and push our council to explore every avenue in challenging Labour’s attempts to dilute our Greenbelt protections, including being exposed to ‘Greybelt’ reclassification.

We need full transparency on how many hectares of Greenbelt might be lost and how many dwellings might be built. I know that our colleague at Buckinghamshire Council are consulting hard with the government and I will play my part to ensure your voice is heard at every stage.

You can watch highlights on my Facebook page here.

STATEMENT on fatal motorbike crash with two cars in Buckinghamshire.

'This is desperately sad news. A young life lost, and in an area where we have already seen tragedy recently. My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the girl who has died, and with everyone affected. I hope the community can rally around them in the days ahead.

I want to be careful at this stage. I have no information about the circumstances of this accident, and it would not be right for me to say anything that could interfere with the investigation or cause further pain to the family before the facts are known.

The roads around Beaconsfield have been claiming lives. I want serious, sustained action from those responsible for our roads’ and for an urgent review of safety provisions on the routes by the council and National Highways.’

As reported in the Metro

I am deeply saddened to learn that the young woman injured in the M40 collision on 21 February has passed away. My sincere condolences go to her family, friends, and all those affected by this tragedy.

This makes the case for action on M40 safety all the more urgent. As I said, south Buckinghamshire continues to grow, and our road infrastructure must keep pace.

To access the book of condolence please click here

Statement on the Local Plan

The recently published Local Plan documents will shock many Beaconsfield residents. I share your alarm.

Let me be blunt about what is driving this. The Labour Government is imposing 95,500 new homes on Buckinghamshire which could see up to a 50% increase in population in our county over the plan period - with not a penny for infrastructure. No school places, no GP capacity, no road improvements.

The focus of the Labour Government on Buckinghamshire is reinforced by the fact that just days ago the Labour Housing Minister wrote directly to our Council reinforcing pressure on us to deliver the local plan to our current timetable.

For Beaconsfield, this means land around our town has potentially been identified as “grey belt” and is being potentially considered for release from the Green Belt. I find this deeply concerning. I recognise that the Green Belt review is a requirement imposed by Labour’s changes to the NPPF and I am pleased to see that Buckinghamshire Council has indicated that it has applied what it is required to do in a way which is specific for Buckinghamshire. I will be reviewing the grey belt methodology in detail now that the documents have been published.

I am pressing the Council to exhaust all brownfield options first and above all else, that when we reach the stage in the plan of site allocations later this year there is a credible infrastructure plan to support them. I expect the Council to get this right for Beaconsfield.

Without a Local Plan, we are even more exposed. Developers are already winning appeals - 120 homes approved at Broad Lane, with another being conceded at Beeches Park. Our housing land supply stands at less than one year.

The Government must reduce these targets and fund our infrastructure.

In every Council meeting I have relentlessly defended Beaconsfield’s greenbelt and this will never change.

Your voice matters - please engage with the consultation. You can submit comments in the link below or write to Draft Local Plan Consultation, Planning Policy, Buckinghamshire Council, Walton Street Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UA.

https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/2aa4b313/

I will be publishing further detail on the specific Beaconsfield sites once I have reviewed the full documents.

🌳 I have immediately met with Buckinghamshire Council Leader Steven Broadbent following publication of the Local Plan to make clear my position on the Green Belt. You can watch a video about it here.

We both share deep concerns about Labour-imposed housing targets, made even worse by the lack of commitment to infrastructure funding, which will heavily impact our county.

I have both behind the scenes and publicly continued to express my stance clearly — which is to do absolutely everything we can to protect our Green Belt. That battle will continue.

Your views really do count, so please take a look at the consultation and share your thoughts. I will continue to scrutinise the Local Plan in detail and will keep you updated as soon as I hear more.

https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/planning/2aa4b313/

Last week I continued my duties as your Beaconsfield Councillor at the East and South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee, where we considered a planning application at Boveney Court Farm, Boveney Road, Dorney, Buckinghamshire.

I recognise the huge pressure from the Labour government to build more housing locally but applications must pass strict tests, including our golden rules, such as delivering the right level of affordable housing to justify eroding our precious green spaces.

I used every bit of my legal background to scrutinise the council’s planning officers and ensure we did not set a damaging precedent that could open the floodgates to developments without the highest thresholds being met.

After careful consideration, I did not feel this application was justified. I am pleased that the Committee also voted to decline the planning application.

I promised I would do all I can to protect our Green Belt and I will keep doing so.

You can watch some of the exchanges here.

I was featured in the local paper after the Daily Mail magazine editor accused Beaconsfield of being soulless and having no atmosphere. I wasn't going to let go of that slight in our beautiful town.

Below is an extract:

"Conservative Beaconsfield councillor Jackson Ng expressed his shock at the depiction and quipped that calling Beaconsfield soulless is "a bit like calling a library quiet and concluding nobody reads".

He stated: "Beaconsfield's soul isn't loud.

"It doesn't announce itself with neon signs or queue-around-the-block hype.

"But it's there - in the Tuesday market traders who know your name, in the neighbours who pack out the Council Green every September, in the volunteers who keep our community lunches, playgroups, and film screenings running week after week."

"In the church groups that support the elderly, youth and vulnerable.

"Soul isn't something you can spot from a car window on the A355.

"You find it when you stop, stay, and show up."

You can read the full Bucks Free Press article

The new definition of Grey Belt may sound a bit technical but is fundamental in determining whether new housing developments are being built.

Last year I challenged and won a vote from the Council to prevent housing development in Holtspur, arguing it would hurt our green belt.

But this was overturned, in part due to the issue of the Grey Belt definition. Even at national government level the definition of Grey belt is still in contention.

Therefore I continued to push the council to test the robustness of their definitions as this will determine many housing developments decisions for the future. You can see some of my questions in the link here.

The Government is mandated Buckinghamshire to build 95,000 more houses. We obviously need infrastructure investment to match this expansion to prevent overcrowded schools, overwhelmed GP surgeries, gridlocked roads etc.

This week I asked tough direct questions to the Council exec and officers on calculating any funding gaps, push for any representations to the central government and sought to see whether any funding pots were applied to. I won’t shy away from pushing for more for our residents given the inevitable disruption these developments may have to existing residents.

You can watch some highlights here.

I will always stand up to local residents concerns about densification in Beaconsfield. This week at the East and South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee I asked Councillors and officials to focus on three things:

1.) The place

2.) The people

3.) The practicalities.

We are not here to tick boxes but to be a judge on whether an outcome is overbearing in real life. While the committee approved this particular example, not the outcome I hoped for, I will continue to be the voice of our community and deploy specific local arguments to make the positive case to protect the special character of our area.

You can see highlights of the exchange via this link.

Public service does not end at the council chamber door.

Within our local county, there are children in foster care with talent, ambition and potential, yet without access to the guidance and professional role models many take for granted — particularly in fields such as law.

I am offering my time, on a voluntary basis, to mentor children and young people in foster care in our county who aspire to pursue a career in law. This includes guidance on education pathways, applications, interviews, and a clear understanding of the profession.

Opportunity should never be limited by background. Supporting aspiration strengthens our community and our future.

Statement on the news that Buckinghamshire Council deciding not to contest the appeal against the Council's refusal of planning permission of the Beeches Park development.

I am very disappointed to learn that after taking legal advice, Buckinghamshire Council has decided not to contest the appeal by developers seeking to overturn the refusal of planning permission for the Beeches Park development.

This means that despite strong local opposition, including from myself, local residents, town councillors and our local MP, the development may go ahead, although I urge the Planning Inspectorate to reject it.

I know how strong residents feel about this and we have fought long and hard against this development which encroaches on our precious Green Belt. We had won a crucial vote at the Strategic Sites Committee of Buckinghamshire Council, where I spoke extensively and submitted a twelve page evidence paper setting out all our concerns, including the threats to our heritage and infrastructure.

Unfortunately the new planning environment created by the Labour Government through the so called 'Grey Belt' has increased the chances of developments like this on our Green Belt. I am very concerned about the precedent this sets.

My position remains the same. Local voices matter and our Green Belt matters. I will continue to apply pressure to ensure any harm is limited.

On Small Business Saturday - it is a reminder of how essential our businesses and entrepreneurs are for Beaconsfield. I will always stand up for our small business community.

I attended Full Council where I praised the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield and also passed a motion condemning the Lib Dem and Labour dominated Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes's Fire Authority's reckless decision to cut fire engines across our County, including in Beaconsfield, which could impact response times and therefore the safety of residents and property.

Earlier I attended the regular Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee, where I had the opportunity to question Cabinet Members at Buckinghamshire Council on performance targets, including on the levels of resident visits to our sports facilities, country parks and social media. Targets are being met, which is encouraging and reflects well on the Conservative led Council, but I’m always pushing for higher performance, so I’ve asked whether targets should be revised up.

You can watch the interaction on the webcast here.

Honoured to attend Armistice Day at the Cenotaph today. We remember the fallen and those who served - including many from the Commonwealth and of Chinese descent who stood for freedom. Lest we forget.

In Beaconsfield this morning, our town came together to honour all those who gave everything to protect our way of life - our freedoms.

We will remember them.

Earlier this month I chaired the Standards and General Purpose Committee. The main topic agenda included a motion on transparency proposals for Councillors regarding fees and allowances. As Chair, my duty is to ensure members who wish to speak do so and that everyone get’s a fair hearing. I felt we did that with a balanced view and a robust debate and that motion will now progress to Full Council.

You can watch the meeting here.

I recently attended to my usual duties on the East & South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee, paying particular attention at a development Chalfont St Giles. I supported colleagues in asking the important questions including putting the pressure on developers to ensure that issues relating to traffic, green spaces and investing in the community are properly scrutinised and provided.

You can listen to the whole interaction on the webcast here.

More committee duties! I sat as a Member of the Growth, Infrastructure and Housing Select Committee, further scrutinising the broader strategic plans for Buckinghamshire, including on issues relating to providing sufficient health infrastructure, the push for quality jobs and as always - challenging issues relating to the new Grey Belt / Green Belt definitions to ensure protecting our green spaces stays at the forefront of decision maker’s minds!

You can watch my questions here.

As part of my duties as a Member of the East & South Buckinghamshire Area Planning Committee, I scrutinised Eton College on their plans for housing development. While not in Beaconsfield, I was concerned, and remain concerned about precedence of allowing applications that discard the protections in place regarding the NPPF and the "Golden Rules", as well as pushing for more affordable housing if developments were to take place and asking whether green spaces are being offered to the community. As I say in my exchange: I make no apology of being a real stickler on the green belt, that’s what residents voted for us to protect and I’ll keep voicing those concerns on their behalf. You can see some of my questions here.