Betchworth Parish Council Biographies

Chairman and Councillor Ed Winter has lived in Betchworth since 1987 and joined the Parish Council at the beginning of 2018. Having spent his career in aviation, he has a special interest in protecting the village from aircraft noise. Councillor Winter’s responsibilities cover Community resilience and Data Protection. Ed also oversees the upkeep of the village’s footpaths, helped by a team of volunteer designated footpath walkers.

Having grown up nearby, Alice moved to Betchworth in 2022 with her husband and two small children, Leo and Grace. Alice is a qualified lawyer with a background in finance, which brings valuable support to the Parish when considering opportunities and projects on behalf of the parish.
Alice is part of the finance and footpaths teams, and also acts as the representative for schools and education. Building on all the hard work already undertaken by the Parish Council, Alice is committed to making Betchworth an even more welcoming village for children and new families.

Councillor Ian Wilson joined the Parish Council in 1987. Ian is Chair of the Finance Committee and has special responsibilities for the Parish Burial Ground and the adjacent allotments. Ian also has a keen interest in aviation and reports to the Parish Council on matters concerning flight paths and noise from local airports. Ian sits on the committee for the Village War Memorial Hall and is also one of the Councillors responsible for Highways and Transport.

Councillor Higgins has been involved with the Parish Council for a number of years. He is a planner and building historian and his focus area within the Parish Council is to keep an eye on the subtleties of planning applications within the parish. His other responsibilities are to represent the Parish Council on the Betchworth United Charities committee and matters relating to the Church.

Graham has lived in the Village for some 17 years. As a retired Chartered Surveyor, who was in practice for 40 years, Graham brings some technical knowledge to highway & railway issues arising in the Parish.
Graham is responsible for the highway’s portfolio involving many issues to address on behalf of Parishioners to resolve with SCC. Graham also liaises with North Downs Consultative Rail Group.

Robert moved from Reigate to Betchworth in 2018 and has three children, the youngest of which attended the village nursery. Robert has been on the Parish Council since 2022 and his contribution lies mainly in assisting with transport and highways issues.

Mark has lived in the village with his family since 2010 and has recently joined the Parish Council in 2024. Mark is looking forward to joining the experienced team and making a contribution towards maintaining a beautiful village that is an attractive and welcoming place to live for people from all walks of life.

Having lived and worked in the local area, Julie has very recently joined the Parish Council. Julie has a background in financial services project management and is looking forward to supporting the residents and Councillors in achieving their objectives of maintaining and enhancing the village.

Julie is the eleventh Parish Clerk since the Council began in 1894.