Executive Committee nd Associates

Andrew Horton (Chairman) Andrew Horton has been resident in Berkhamsted for twenty-five years. He is the senior partner of a firm of Chartered Patent Attorneys whose headquarters are in Berkhamsted High Street. He is a former member of Berkhamsted Town Council and has also served as the County Councillor for Berkhamsted. He is a trustee of Berkhamsted Youth Centre. His sons Remy and Damian attended Greenway School and Berkhamsted Collegiate School. During his term as County Councillor he was a leading participant in the modern layout of the High Street, Berkhamsted, and also successfully negotiated for the construction of the recycling facility in Northbridge Road. Andrew has a keen interest in the European Union, as his wife Sharon is a member of the European Parliament and holds the chair of the Economic and Monetary Committee.

Ian Gent He is a life long resident of Berkhamsted; born at home in Dellfield Close in 1955, Ian has lived and worked in the town all his life. Married with two children, he now lives in South Park Gardens. He was educated at Park View, Westfield and Ashlyns Schools, and had further education at West Herts College. He is employed by local firm C.D. Wright (Electrical) Ltd in Northchurch. He has previously served on the Parochial Church Council at St. Mary’s Church Northchurch and has been a governor and clerk to the governors at St. Mary’s School Northchurch. He is a activist and campaigner who has always had an active interest in local issues. He recently organised a petition of his neighbours which resulted in the installation of yellow lines in the road. Ian is the current Club Chairman of the Royal British Legion Berkhamsted and is also the secretary of the Berkhamsted Dart League.

Freda Earl I have spent my working life as an Adult Education tutor in ceramics and graphic design. I have been a Town Mayor of Berkhamsted. I am now Chairman of The Sunnyside Allotment Society and a member of the Transition Town Berkhamsted group. As a councillor I worked on the River Bulbourne Restoration Project which rescued the river from being an overgrown ditch. I also negotiated with Network Rail to plant suitable trees along the railway in Ellesmere Road and provide heritage green railings. I am one of the volunteer team of three looking after the Millennium Garden in Canal Fields.

Christopher Talbot-Ponsonby Elected as a Town Councillor from 1999 to 2007, he served as Chairman of Planning where he defended Berkhamsted’s conservation area. Amongst many commitments, Christopher is Membership Secretary of the Citizens Association , a Trustee of the Berkhamsted Town Hall Trust, and Treasurer of Fairtrade Berkhamsted, carrying on his family’s tradition of community service. He works for English Heritage, which brings knowledge, interest and commitment to sustaining our rich rural environment.

Sally Symington I have lived in the Borough and had my children at school in Berkhamsted for the last 14 years. I have been a parish councillor in Great Gaddesden since 2007 and am currently Chair of the Parish Council. I believe strongly in community engagement and have taken active parts in the production of the Berkhamsted School Travel Plan and Great Gaddesden Parish Plan. I am a member of the Watling Ward Neighbourhood Action Group and have worked closely with Dacorum Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council on many diverse issues, including highways, planning and fly-tipping. I believe in the integrity and professionalism of local government and have attended a number of courses to this end at the Hertfordshire Association of Town and Parish Councils (HATPC). I am committed to the ‘politics of the common good’ and seek equity and justice in decision making. Prior to moving to my home in Water End, I lived and worked in London as an Investment Manager. I have a degree in Physics and am married with four children.

Hugo Hardy He is a chartered architect now living in Berkhamsted; he graduated in Canada, and from 1999 onwards worked there, and in Holland and UK, before recently setting up an architectural partnership in Berkhamsted. He has worked on several projects in London and the Home Counties, and is familiar with the problems of planning and housing in this area.

Geraldine Corry I have been a resident of Berkhamsted for 36 years, and live in Berkhamsted West Ward. I was a Town Councillor from 2003 to 2007 and served as Town Mayor for 2005 and 2006. I have chaired the Crime Prevention Panel for Berkhamsted, and am currently a member of the St Peter’s Parochial Charity. I have also worked with the Housing Advice Panel.

John Lythgoe I have lived in Berkhamsted for the last 30 years. I was a Borough Councillor from 1995 to 2007, and during this time acted as Vice-Chair of a Scrutiny Committee. Since 1999 up to now I have also been a Town Councillor for East Ward. I am a Chartered Electronics Engineer and have held university and college lectureship posts. I went on to become Dean of Faculty at SW Herts College in Watford.