You can get that detail from the West Berkshire council site here https://www.westberks.gov.uk/article/35776/Find-Your-Next-Collection-Day

At the moment no. When I look at the current political landscape, I find that most parties either have policies that are a red line for me, or their policies and aims are so extreme that they end up producing an unfair society. I am very interested in what Resident Associations can do for local communities

Career

• Started at GEC industrial controls (robotics)
• Senior Engineer at Apricot Computers (created the world's first i486 server with colleague Paul Whatcot)
• Running EMEA for Chips and Technologies (silicon industry) Founder of the PC on as chip
• Intel reporting to Earl Whetstone (who ran Europe) and responsible for the integration of C&T EMEA whilst helping search for technical distribution channels across EMEA (Middle East experience)
• Running EMEA for Silicon Image and helping them IPO after establishing a sales network and helping establish the DVI standard which became HDMI
• Switched to software with KickFire – the world's first communication collaboration platform that was SAAS at the time and established sales and pipeline for them in European Marketing circles
• After the DotCom bubble the first time around I decided to set up my own company up
• TEEC operates in the IT Space and has the world's first platform for Voice competitions

Greenham Parish Council - I was chairman of planning

West Berkshire Council - I was

• Chairman of Western Area Planning
• Portfolio holder for the Environment and EV Strategy
  
• Opposition Spokesperson for the Environment
  
• Member of Licensing
  
• Member of Governance and Ethics
  
• Member of Scrutiny
  

West Berkshire Council - As an independent I am now a member of the Western Area Planning Committee

• A move away from faux democracy to democracy both locally and nationally. Where every vote counts
• A system which fosters cooperation not opposition. I would remove the word opposition from political vocabulary. Maybe replace it with minority
• I would like to some connection between cabinet or portfolio position and expertise.

Yes - Although I initially intended to run as an independent candidate when I decided to become a District Councillor in January 2019,  a friend who had been a councillor before, explained how difficult it is for an unknown candidate to reach enough people and win the election. My ward has around 7,000 residents. Since I am a centrist in my beliefs and a fair few Parish councillors I knew were Lib Dems, I was encouraged to join them. I read their constitution and looked at what they wanted to do as a group. It seemed that as it was local and I was 95% aligned with their stated aims, it made sense to join the party. I did and was first elected in May 2019

The primary aims of becoming a district councillor were

• To do something about the football fiasco at Faraday Road in Newbury 
• To ensure some due diligence was done on the massive development being proposed for Sandleford.
  
• To get involved in environmental issues across the district (I became the opposition environment spokesperson at the council). In May 2023 as the Lib Dems took control of West Berks council I became the executive portfolio holder.
• To become a member of the planning committee and ensure some proper due diligence was being carried out. I first became a member of WAP in 2019 and chairman of WAP in May 2023. I was forced out of that role by the Lib Dems once I resigned from the party in November 2023.

Having achieved my objectives at West Berkshire Council, but also because I was becoming ever more upset with what was happening in Westminster. I put my name forward to run as a Lib Dem for Parliament at the next general election. I took part in the selection process in August 2023. The Lib Dem members of Reading West and Mid Berkshire selected me as their candidate. Despite winning, Lib Dem HQ found a way to have my name excluded and instead claimed Helen Belcher was the winner. I went to appeal and tried to have Lib Dem HQ look at the invalid reasons used to exclude me (the reason given was that I used endorsements, I did not, I used references like you do when applying for any job). That left me no choice but to resign as a Lib Dem given it had become clear that some senior people at HQ were not willing to follow their own rules.

I’m still deeply concerned about the current political situation in Westminster. I always believed that we need more local, non-career politicians who are committed to representing community values. After discussing this with friends, family, and people in the constituency, I’ve decided to run as an independent candidate. I have the time and energy to offer my services and I’m excited to make a positive impact in our community.

Like most people it’s been a dinner conversation thing for maybe 25 years plus. Although I became a Greenham Parish Cllr in 2018, I really don’t think of that as politics. I was independent and other Cllrs never made of thing about being a member of a party.

When I told my colleagues in late 2018 that having enjoyed doing some good at the Parish level I was going to take a stab at getting elected to West Berkshire Council.  It was pointed out to me just how difficult that would be without a support network. The people persuading me happened to be Lib Dems. There were two major issues driving me to stand. Sandleford and the Football ground at Faraday Road. Having looked at the Lib Dems and what they were trying to do locally I found myself 90% aligned so joined as a member. This was my first and only political membership. I was what is called a floating voter before then.

I have returned to being an Independent which is proving very interesting and I really believe Independent councillors can work with whoever is in charge instead of just opposing. The public that I speak to seems to echo this especially when Resident Associations are formed.

An independent Councillor can change things by:

• Ensuring they work locally and run surgeries across the area

• Not being bound by a party and whip

• Propose or amend motions as well ask ask questions of the administration

• Join committees to shape policy – Planning especially because of AONB and infrastructure

• Representing local interests first above party.

I would exert influence by focusing on specific issues, potentially swaying key votes and debates in Parliament.

Integrity for me is saying what you mean and doing what you say. It also means being willing to change your mind should new data leads you that way. It's not about dogma but it is about truth.

West Berkshire is a great place to live, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive for it to be even better. I want to work with business and the community to build for the future. We can do this by

• Moving to community-led building
  1. Working in planning to change the narrative towards what communities need not what developers want..
• Securing our local energy where we can
  1. Although much of the needed effort is in parliament, we do have the opportunity locally as micro hydro, solar and ground wind solutions open new options for us.
• Supporting schools, further education and skills development
  1. Striving for a fair start and quality education for all.
• Supporting the rural economy
  1. Working with residents to determine what your village needs in order to keep schools, shops, pubs and local businesses open, making plans accordingly in collaboration with residents.
  2. Supporting communities in developing their own Neighbourhood Development Plans.
  3. Supporting local farmers to get produce into local markets.

• I believe that we need community-led homes, for those that need them, where we need them.
• By enabling councils to build homes again.
• By tackling land value reform.
• By fixing the major issues associated with senior living developments i.e. the leasehold and maintenance traps set by developers.

• I have lived and worked locally for 25 years.
• I am MD of a local business that provides services worldwide.
• My formal education finished as I graduated with a 2:1 honours degree in Applied Physics.
• My career has covered small startups as well as large corporates like Intel.
• The same career has seen me work around the world including USA, Middle East, Europe and ASIA.
• I have two world firsts associated with my name.
• The world's first .486 server that Paul Whatcott and myself did when I was a senior engineer at Apricot computers.
• The world's first voice assistant campaign platform that my team and I created called Brandigniter
• Check out my career history on LinkedIn

As one of the Wash Common Ward District Councillors use adrian.abbs1@westberks.gov.uk

As a Greenham Parish Councillor use aabbs@greenham.gov.uk

You can also call me on 07796 476979 

There are 3 Wash Common Ward Councillors

Myself - Adrian Abbs - Independent but part of the Minority group

David Marsh - From the Green Party

Patrick Clark - From The Liberal Democrats

Please see the relevant part of the Greenham Parish Website

https://greenham.gov.uk/councillors