FAQs
This FAQ page is intended to answer questions relevant to my roles as a District and Parish Councillor.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can get that detail from the West Berkshire council site here https://www.westberks.gov.uk/article/35776/Find-Your-Next-Collection-Day
I have now helped create, and have joined, the West Berkshire Residents Party. We are an independent, non‑political organisation representing the people of West Berkshire. I am currently serving as our elected member on West Berkshire Council. We have no outside ties, no hidden agenda — just your community, working for you.”
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 see 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 previously been a councillor explained how difficult it is for an unknown independent to reach enough people and win. My ward has around 7,000 residents. Since I hold centrist views and several Parish councillors I knew were Liberal Democrats, I was encouraged to join them. I read their constitution and reviewed their aims. As I was broadly aligned — around 95% — it made sense to join. I did, and I was first elected in May 2019.
My primary aims in becoming a district councillor were:
To address the football fiasco at Faraday Road in Newbury.
To ensure proper due diligence on the major Sandleford development proposal.
To work on environmental issues across the district (I became the opposition environment spokesperson, and in May 2023, when the Lib Dems took control of West Berkshire Council, I became the Executive Portfolio Holder).
To serve on the planning committee and ensure robust scrutiny. I joined WAP in 2019 and became its chairman in May 2023. I was removed from that role by the Lib Dems after I resigned from the party in November 2023.
Having achieved my objectives at West Berkshire Council — and increasingly disillusioned with what was happening in Westminster — I put my name forward to run as a Lib Dem parliamentary candidate 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 exclude me and instead claimed Helen Belcher was the winner. I appealed and challenged the invalid reasons used to remove me (they alleged I used endorsements; I did not — I used references, as you would for any job). It became clear that some senior figures at HQ were unwilling to follow their own rules, leaving me no choice but to resign from the party.
I remain deeply concerned about the current political situation in Westminster. I have always believed we need more local, non‑career politicians who are committed to representing community values. After discussing this with friends, family, and people across the constituency, I decided to run as an independent candidate. I have the time, energy, and commitment to serve — and I’m ready 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 council.
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
- Working in planning to change the narrative towards what communities need not what developers want..
- Securing our local energy where we can
- 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
- Striving for a fair start and quality education for all.
- Supporting the rural economy
- 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.
- Supporting communities in developing their own Neighbourhood Development Plans.
- 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 adrian.abbs@greenham.gov.uk
You can also call me on 07796 476979
There are 3 Wash Common Ward Councillors
Myself - Adrian Abbs - West Berkshire Residents ( 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 for a full list of current Greenham Parish Councillors