Cllr. Buzz Bishop was co-opted to the Town Council in January 2024.
Town Council Committee Membership
Cllr. Bishop is a member of the Planning and Environment Committee, the Scrutiny Committee and the Finance, Personnel and General Purposes Committee. As a Town Councillor, she is also a member of Kington Recreation Ground Trust and a member of the Recreation Ground Trust Management Committee.
Personal Statement
I am fully immersed in the local community and have been an active member of St. Mary’s Church congregation (including learning the traditional skill of bellringing and practicing this all over the Herefordshire Diocese) since relocating here. I am a member of various local community groups, I participate in and support local events, and now wish to add value and benefit to the Parish Council’s proceedings by offering the Council Committee Members, and also members of the public, my time, professional skills and comprehensive working experience, in order to support the Council with its decision-making responsibilities.
I currently work for Central Government within the department which regulates MPs’ business costs and salaries. As such, I have an in-depth understanding of the role of government and have a professional objective that focusses me on protecting the taxpaying public from the misuse of funds by our elected representatives. Ensuring that MPs and their staff comply with legislation and rules is not only fundamental to my professional role, but that ensuring that the public purse is not exploited, funds are not misused and value for money is considered, will always be important to me. I believe that openness and transparency is key to gaining the trust of the public.
My role within the Strategy and Change Directorate gives me responsibility for managing Change Improvement Programmes and also for monitoring the risks, impacts and benefits associated with change initiatives.
In addition, I am proud to have created the business case to set-up the ‘Pride Group’ and also the ‘Inclusion and Diversity Network’ which I continue to Chair, giving me responsibility to lead the department on all matters related to inclusion and diversity. This has allowed me to hone my skills and passion for ensuring the provision of a safe and inclusive working environment for all people; with a specific focus on people from under-represented groups i.e. people from ethnic backgrounds, people of all faiths and religions, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community, or people who face age or sex discrimination – I am simply passionate about representing all people from any minority background, whatever that minority group may be.
I am confident that my skills, experience and knowledge of the working of Central Government can be put to good use through the Council’s Committees and will add value as they make decisions on the social, environmental, technological and economic challenges that impact on our community and people. I believe that my professional skills and personal character will add benefit to the Council, and more importantly, to the local community and citizens who I wish to represent.