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Houses with grasses and wild flowers in front

Developments done well can include good features for wildlife such as areas of wild flowers. Photo by Kieron Huston

Vote to create, enhance and restore nature

Though rich in places, Britain as a whole is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Never has there been a more important time to invest in our own wildlife.
Sir David Attenborough, Wild Isles 2023

Local elections May 2023

 Nature doesn’t have a vote, so BBOWT is speaking up for all local wildlife and the local environment.

Leading up to council elections on 4 May 2023, we were delighted that a total of 201 candidates signed BBOWT’s pledge for nature. Of those, 113 are now councillors, and we are looking forward to working with them.

We were very encouraged by the personal commitments made by prospective and current councillors, and by the range of issues on which councillors are intending to work for the benefit of wildlife and people across our three counties. Such topics included:

  • Securing funding for the creation or enhancement of green spaces for the benefit of wildlife and people
  • Creation of new green spaces such as woods, community orchards and wildflower meadows for health and wellbeing benefits
  • Managing local authority owned land for the benefit of wildlife and people
  • Improving water quality and reducing pollution events
  • Developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies
  • Including environmental commitments in local authorities’ corporate plans
  • Committing to achieving more than a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain in all developments.

A huge thanks to all those who signed our pledge, and to everyone who asked their candidates to sign. This is the pledge that we asked councillors to make:

I pledge to work to create, enhance and restore nature in my council area.

The government’s Environmental Improvement Plan published in January this year sets out the ambition to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042, restore or create 140,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats outside protected sites by 2028, compared to 2022 levels and roll out Local Nature Recovery Strategies to identify areas to create, enhance and restore habitat and deliver environmental benefits.

How will you create, enhance and restore nature in your council area?

Find out more about BBOWT’s approach to creating, enhancing and restoring nature here.

Find out if your candidates signed the pledge

Click on the council name to see a list of the councillors and candidates that signed the pledge.

* Indicates councillors and candidates who did not sign the pledge but have indicated broad support for its objectives.

Bracknell Forest Council

Binfield North & Warfield West

  • Shiela Collings - Green
  • Adrian Haffegee - Green
  • John Harrison - Conservative

Easthampstead & Wildridings

  • Paul Bidwell - Labour

Great Hollands

  • Mary Temperton - Labour

Town Centre & The Parks

  • Dr Roy Bailey - Labour

Whitegrove

  • Graham Firth - Labour

Cherwell District Council

Banbury Calthorpe & Easington

  • Julia Middleton - Green

Bicester East

  • Tom Beckett - Green

Bicester South & Ambrosden

  • Nick Cotter - Liberal Democrat

Deddington

  • James Hartley - Liberal Democrat
  • Linda Iris Newbury - Green

Fringford & Heyfords

  • Mark Chivers - Liberal Democrat

Grimsbury & Hightown

  • Sophie Parker-Manuel - Liberal Democrat

Kidlington East

  • Fiona Mawson - Green
  • Ian Middleton - Green

Maidenhead & Windsor Council

Ascot and Sunninghill

  • Lilly Evans - Liberal Democrat
  • Sanjay Karia - Liberal Democrat
  • Jonathan Pope - Liberal Democrat

Belmont

  • Simon Bond - Liberal Democrat
  • Sian Martin - Liberal Democrat

Bisham and Cookham

  • Mark Howard - Liberal Democrat
  • Mandy Brar - Liberal Democrat

Boyn Hill

  • Adam Bermange - Liberal Democrat

Bray

  • Suzanne Cross - Independent
  • Glynis Crane - Independent

Clewer East

  • Amy Tisi - Liberal Democrat
  • Karen Davies - Liberal Democrat

Clewer and Dedworth East

  • Helen Price - Independent
  • Alison Carpenter - Independent

Cox Green

  • Gary Reeves - Liberal Democrat

Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury

  • Edwin Larcombe - Independent
  • Jodie Grove - The Borough First Independents
  • David Buckley - Independent

Eton and Castle

  • Devon Davies - Liberal Democrat
  • Mark Wilson - Liberal Democrat
  • Liam Harrison - Green
  • Michael Boyle - Green
  • Julian Tisi - Liberal Democrat

Furze Platt

  • Catherine del Campo - Liberal Democrat
  • Joshua Reynolds - Liberal Democrat

Hurley and Walthams

  • Craig McDermott - Green

Maidenhead Riverside

  • Richard Coe - Liberal Democrat

Oldfield

  • Helen Taylor - The Borough First Independets

St Mary's

  • Donna Stimson - Conservative
  • Gurch Singh - Liberal Democrat

Sunningdale and Cheapside

  • Valerie Pike - The Borough First Independents
  • Matt Newman - Independent
  • Carolyn Fallon - Liberal Democrat

Old Windsor 

  • Lynne Jones - Old Windsor Residents' Association

Milton Keynes Council

Bletchley Park 

  • Michael Sheppard - Green

Danesborough and Walton

  • Peter Skelton - Green

Laughton and Shenley

  • Vanessa Skelton - Green

Monkston

  • Ammar Noorwali - Green

Newport Pagnell North and Hanslope 

  • Scott Humphries - Liberal Democrat

Stantonbury

  • Gary Lloyd - Green
  • Stephen Brown - Labour

Tattenhoe

  • Lucy Bjorck - Green

West Bletchley

  • Jo French - Green

Wolverton

  • Alan Francis - Green

Woughton and Fishermead

  • Tony Coughlan - Green

Reading Borough Council

Battle

  • John Grout - Liberal Democrat
  • Amjad Tarar - Labour

Caversham

  • Jan Gavin - Labour

Caversham Heights

  • Sam Juthani - Labour

Emmer Green

  • Wendy Rooke - Green

Emmer Park

  • Pieter De Boiserie - Liberal Democrat

Katesgrove

  • Margaret McNeill - Liberal Democrat

Kentwood

  • Jonathan Barker - Liberal Democrat

Norcot

  • Colette Dennis - Labour

Park

  • Rob White - Green
  • Josh Williams - Green
  • Henry Wright - Liberal Democrat
  • Oliver William - Labour

Southcote

  • John Ennis - Labour

Thames

  • Adele Barnett-Ward - Labour

Tilehurst

  • Len Middleton - Labour

Slough Borough Council

Cippenham Village

  • Frank O'Kelly - Liberal Democrat

South Oxfordshire

Benson & Crowmarsh

  • Andrea Powell - Green
  • Sue Cooper - Liberal Democrat

Berinsfield

  • Robin Bennett - Green

Chinnor

  • Ali Gordon-Creed - Green

Cholsey

  • Sue Roberts - Independent

Didcot North East

  • Andrew Tinsley - Liberal Democrat

Didcot South

  • Sarah Nohre - Green

Didcot West

  • Adam Grindey - Green

Forest Hill and Holton

  • Tim Bearder - Liberal Democrat

Garsington

  • Sam James-Lawrie - Liberal Democrat

Goring

  • Maggie Filipova-Rivers - Liberal Democrat

Henley-on-Thames

  • Helen Fraser - Green
  • John Powell - Liberal Democrat
  • Sara Kandiah - Henley Residents Group

Kidmore End & Whitchurch

  • Peter Dragonetti - Green

Sandford & The Wittenhams

  • Sam Casey-Rerhaye - Green

Sonning Common

  • Leigh Rawlins - Liberal Democrat

Wallingford

  • James Barlow - Green
  • Katharine Keats-Rohan - Liberal Democrat 

Watlington

  • Freddie van Mierlo - Liberal Democrat

Woodcote & Rotherfield

  • Jo Robb - Green
  • James Norman - Green

Vale of White Horse

Abbey Northcourt

  • Cheryl Briggs - Green

Abingdon Fitzharris

  • Steve Rogers - Green

Botley and Sunningwell

  • Katharine Phillips - Green

Caldecott

  • Aidan Reilly - Green

Faringdon

  • Adam Swallow - Green

Grove North

  • Kiera Bentley - Liberal Democrat

Hendreds

  • Sarah James- Green

Ridgeway

  • Paul Barrow - Liberal Democrat
  • Gordon Lundie - Conservative

Stanford

  • James Brooks - Green

Thames

  • Mark Coleman - Liberal Democrat

Wantage & Charlton

  • Andrew Crawford - Liberal Democrat

Wantage & Grove Brook

  • Thomas Gaston - Green

Watchfield & Shrivenham

  • Katherine Foxhall - Green
  • Viral Patel - Green

Wootton

  • Anna Thomas - Green

 

West Berkshire

Aldermaston

  • Matthew Lowe - Green
  • Dominic Boek - Conservative

Basildon

  • Hazel Preston-Barnes - Conservative
  • Laura Coyle - Liberal Democrat

Bradfield

  • Ross MacKinnon - Conservative

Bucklebury

  • Georgina Woods - Conservative
  • Graham Loader - Green
  • Chris Read - Liberal Democrat

Burghfield and Mortimer

  • Vicky Poole - Liberal Democrat
  • Peter Gower - Green
  • Amanda MacKinnon - Conservative
  • Graham Bridgman - Conservative
  • Nick Carter - Liberal Democrat

Chieveley and Cold Ash

  • Jill Hoblin - Green
  • Heather Codling - Liberal Democrat
  • Pip Witheridge - Conservative
  • Paul Dick - Conservative

Clay Hill

  • Nigel Foot - Liberal Democrat
  • Jeannette Clifford - Conservative

Downlands

  • Clive Hooker - Conservative

East Fields

  • Simon Butler - Green
  • Billy Drummond - Liberal Democrat

Falkland

  • Meg Thomas - Liberal Democrat

Hungerford and Kintbury

  • Trish Whitham - Green
  • Tony Vickers - Liberal Democrat
  • Julian Swift-Hook - Liberal Democrat
  • Denise Gains - Liberal Democrat
  • Peter Tompkins - Conservative

Lambourn

  • Susan Millington - Green
  • Howard Woolaston - Conservative

Newbury Central

  • Martin Colston - Liberal Democrat
  • JC Jardin - Conservative

Newbury Clay Hill

  • Stuart Gourley - Liberal Democrat

Newbury Greenham

  • Micheal Wakelyn-Green - Green
  • Joseph Clark - Conservative
  • Sarah James - Conservative
  • Billy Drummond - Liberal Democrat

Newbury Speen

  • Antony Amirtharaj
  • David Dudman - Conservative
  • Lynne Doherty - Conservative
  • Steve Masters - Green

Newbury Wash Common

  • David Marsh - Green

Pangbourne

  • Tim Hall - Green

Ridgeway

  • Carolyne Culver - Green

Speen

  • Martha Vickers - Liberal Democrat

Thatcham Central

  • Stephanie Stevenson - Liberal Democrat
  • Iain Murphy - Conservative
  • Richard Sommer - Parkhill

Thatcham Colthrop and Crookham

  • Owen Jeffery - Liberal Democrat
  • Steve Ardagh-Walter - Conservative

Thatcham North East

  • Kath Hodgson - Green
  • Lee Dillion - Liberal Democrat

Theale

  • Alan Macro - Liberal Democrat
  • Thomas Parkhill - Conservative

Tilehurst & Purley

  • Paul Kander - Conservative
  • Janine Lewis - Liberal Democrat

Tilehurst Birch Copse

  • Joanne Stewart - Conservative

Tilehurst South and Holybrook

  • John Grout - Liberal Democrat
  • Elizabeth Bell - Labour
  • Richard Somner - Conservative

Wash Common

  • James Davies - Conservative

Westfield NTC

  • Elizabeth O'Keeffe - Liberal Democrat
  • Sarah Foot (aka Slack) - Liberal Democrat

West Oxfordshire

Alvescot and Filkins

  • George Richmond - Labour

Bampton and Clanfield

  • Matthew Morton - Green

Charlbury, Finstock and Fawler

  • Andy Graham - Liberal Democrat

Chipping Norton

  • Arron Baker - Green

Ducklington, Curbridge and Lew

  • Reuben Oreffo - Labour

Eynsham and Cassington

  • Dan Levy - Liberal Democrat
  • Nicholas Goodwin - Green

Finstock Heath, Charlbury and Fawler

  • Andy Graham - Liberal Democrat

Freeland & Hanborough

  • Lidia Arciczewska - Liberal Democrat

Kingham, Rollright and Enstone

  • Andrew Beaney - Conservative
  • Barry Wheatley - Green

Standlake and Stanton Harcourt

  • Charlie Maynard - Liberal Democrat

Witney Central

  • Andrew Coles - Labour
  • Harriet Kopinska - Green

Witney East

  • Duncan Enright - Labour 
  • Ben Fleetwood - Green 

Witney North

  • Richard Langridge - Independent 
  • Sandra Simpson - Green

Witney South

  • Rachel Crouch - Labour

Witney West

  • Frances Mortimer - Green
  • Stuart McCarroll - Labour

 

Wokingham Borough Council

Evendons

  • Ian Shenton - Liberal Democrat 

Hawkdon

  • David Hare - Liberal Democrat

Hillside

  • Anne Bassett - Liberal Democrat

Lodden

  • Alex Heap - Liberal Democrat
  • Majid Nagra - Labour

Norreys

  • Rachel Burgess - Labour

Shinfield East

  • Catherine Glover - Liberal Democrat

Twyford

  • Lindsay Ferris - Liberal Democrat