Officers & Councillors
The members of the Parish Council. The Clerk and Executive Office and the Responsible Finance Office are paid roles. The councillors are all elected volunteers.
Parish Officers
Parish Councillors
Anthony Williams
Chairman
Member of the Planning Committee and Finance & Policy Panel.
Council representative for the Headley Twinning Asociation, HALC AGM and River Wey Trust.
I grew up in South West London and moved to Headley with my wife Pamela in 1976. Our children all went to local schools. Currently two often live abroad. Three years later I became a Headley Parish Councillor and have been a member ever since, serving for 20 years as Chairman of the Planning Committee and subsequently as Chairman of the Council.
I have also served Headley as a District Councillor for six years in the eighties and since 2003. I have served on the Village Hall Committee and the Headley Residents Association. I recently retired as a self-employed Chartered Accountant in Bordon.
My hobbies include walking the footpaths in Headley and surrounding Parishes, assisting in our allotment, and a lifelong interest in railways and travel – preferably both.
Mark Dickens
Vice-Chairman
Council representative on Headley Sports Association, Longmoor Community Group, Standford Land and an Arford Common Warden.
My wife and I moved to Headley 4 years ago. We consider ourselves very lucky as Headley is such a special place.
Now mostly retired, I spent most of my working life in the hospitality industry. I commenced as a restaurant owner then became a hotel manager for Trusthouse Forte, before managing their MIS Department for 7 years. When Forte were taken over I left and set up a consultancy business.
In 2008 after the recession I redeployed my skills and commercial experience to provide office and project Management services to large, high value residential estates. I pursued this until I semi-retired 8 years later.
I currently have an allotment within Headley and sit on their committee.
Deborah Chamberlain
Member of the Planning Committee.
Council representative on Headley Twinning Association, Headley Sports Association and East Hampshire Association of Parish & Town Councils.
I moved to Hampshire from Surrey in 1982, first to Lindford, then to Headley Down and for the last 28 years I have been living in Arford. Since I worked outside of the area, I joined the Parish Council in 2002 when my children needed less support, wanting to learn more about the parish I had moved to. In the last 20 years, I have acted as Chair and Vice Chair of both Full Council and Planning Committee and have also been a member of numerous other committees involved with recreational facilities and local amenities, policies, HR and finance.
I no longer work for a living and as time allows, I am involved in some of the many community activities offered in the parish. My life-long interests are equestrian based and as I tend not to sit down for very long, I am always keen to try something new. Community cohesion and communication together with maintaining the quality of our local rural positioning and amenities are important to me. I am always willing to discuss a local matter of concern with anyone in the parish.
Tony Williamson
Chairman of the Planning Committee.
Council representative on transport.
I was born and brought up near Raynes Park in South West London. I moved to in Sutton, Surrey,
with my wife, Sally, and remained there for nearly 30 years, but we both always wanted to move
further out into the countryside. We fell in love with the Headley area and moved to Arford in
January 2019.
I have had many different jobs in several different Government departments over my career in the
Civil Service, and for the past 15 years I have been in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs working on rural, equine and forestry policy. My Defra experience has informed and reinforced my interest in wildlife, environmental and rural community issues.
Outside of work, my passions include music, film and books. I am also a keen gardener and like
walking in the country.
Peter Ellens
Member of the Planning Committee.
Council representative on Headley Allotment Association, Headley Twinning Association and Standford Land.
I moved to the area nearly 30 years ago. I am married with two children both of whom went to local schools and both still live and work in the area.
I have now retired from the computer industry after nearly 40 years, in various aspects. I like classic cars and enjoy running but the latter is offset as I also enjoy cooking.
Lesley Coombes
Council representative on Headley Allotment Association.
I lived in the Guildford area until I moved to Arford in November 2016 with my partner, Anthony. I have one grown up daughter (as does Anthony), both daughters now living away from home.
I belong to the Headley Horticultural Society, the Allotment Association & the Ludshott Photographic Club. Anthony & I go to some of the live music events run by the Grayshott Folk Club. I became a Parish Councillor in December 2019.
Since 2008 I have worked for the American Telecommunications company, AT&T. Previously I worked for IBM (4 years) & prior to that DEFRA (26 years). I am an IT Project Manager, responsible for managing the installation of data & voice networks, mainly for IBM & IBM customers. This involves working with teams across Europe, the Middle East & Asia.
Since childhood I have been interested in wildlife and the natural world. My time at DEFRA added environmental and conservation interests.
I like to keep busy outside of work. I have a high maintenance garden, which takes up a lot of time. I also have an allotment which deserves more of my time. Other interests are photography, attending live music events (of many genres), art exhibitions, dance shows (ballet, contemporary & flamenco) & walking.
Paul Tansley
Member of the Planning Committee.
Moved to Headley in 2005 with my partner of 29 years Carol (now wife). I’m a professional photographer shooting weddings exclusively, after previously having shot fashion for 18 years in London. I grew up in a tiny town in Oxfordshire, which over the years has been totally spoilt by over building of housing and trading estates.
Having moved out of London to the stunning area of countryside around Headley, I am passionate about keeping that countryside as it is in our area and not allowing over urbanisation to creep in.
I love to travel, I love nature and animals – we have a cat and 7 chickens as pets, they are our children. I also love to ski, when time and money allows, especially in deep Colorado powder up to my knees.
Joined the Parish Council in 2017
Susan Bettin
I am a longstanding member of the Headley community, having lived and worked here for 33 years.
I brought up my family in the Parish. My eldest daughter did her apprenticeship at Little Badgers Pre-School and my youngest daughter helped regularly with altar service at All Saints Church during her teenage years.
As a physiotherapist, I ran my business in the Parish for 25 years which brought me into contact with a diverse cross-section of the community.
I have been involved in a variety of charity work, having been a member of the local MacMillan committee for 11 years. I have also organised charity events for local causes, raising considerable sums.
My hobbies include gardening and sports. This led me to become a member of the Headley Horticultural Society. Additionally, I am a key member of Headley Tennis Club, sitting on the committee as Social Secretary.
I drive for Headley Voluntary Care, having spotted an increase in the need for assistance during the pandemic.
Neville Merritt
I grew up in a small village in Essex, and after graduating from Nottingham University I moved to Hampshire. My wife Olwyn and I moved to Arford in 1990. Our two children were brought up in the Parish and are now pursuing their own careers elsewhere.
I have had a long career in the software industry before joining my wife’s Leadership Consultancy as a part-time director. I am also an Entrepreneur In Residence at the University of Portsmouth, where I am a business advisor for students and start-up enterprises.
I regard myself as a country boy. I have maintained a lifelong interest in conserving the natural environment and I spend as much time as possible on outdoor activities which include fishing, boating, walking with our dog and gardening.
I believe that as a community, we need connection through communication. As a Local Lead on the Nextdoor social media app, I encourage community members to get to know each other online as well as in person. We are fortunate to live in such a lovely part of the country, and I’m also a Google Guide to help more people enjoy it.
I became a Headley Parish Councillor in 2023.
Sally Laker
With the exception of seven years when I was first married, I have always lived in the Parish. I was a Headley Girl Guide, taught Sunday school in the Church Centre and married in Headley church.
For over 30 years I was an accountant working for small businesses in the local area; the motor trade, the building industry, a software house and a supplier to military aerospace clients such as Westland Helicopters and BAE Systems.
In my 50’s I volunteered to help with an Adult Literacy class which opened the door to my second career as a teacher initially at Alton College and, after my retirement, a private tutor focusing on GCSE Maths.
More recently, I have become a trustee and treasurer for two charities and I have a part time financial role with a local organisation.
I became a Headley Parish Councillor in 2023.
Stephen Thair
My wife (Lynn) and I moved to Headley Down in 2017 after spotting our “dream house”, backing onto Ludshott Common, for sale one day when out walking the dogs!
I was originally born in Perth, Western Australia but have lived in the UK since 1999 and have worked in IT for over 30 years. I sold my small IT consultancy business in 2021 and then semi-retired at the end of 2022. I started volunteering with St John Ambulance (SJA) in 2022 as a first aider, trainer, and have been the unit manager of the Alton unit since mid-2023. My wife is a trustee of a local dog charity, Helping Hounds, as well as being one of the organisers of Hidden Gardens of Grayshott. In addition to volunteering with SJA, I also volunteer as a start-up mentor via the Microsoft for StartUps programme, trying to help first-time tech entrepreneurs avoid all the same mistakes I made!
I’m passionate about the importance of building resilient communities, particularly with respect to health, first aid, provision of AED’s etc and am keen to promote the importance of first aid in the local community. I’m also passionate about preserving our local environment and find great joy in watching the changes all four seasons brings to our local woodlands.
Declaration of Interests – Click Here
stephen.thair@headleyparish.com