Dragon Interview: Mark Brett-Warburton, County Councillor for Guildford South East

Published on: 18 Sep, 2015
Updated on: 22 Sep, 2015

Architect Mark Brett-Warburton is a county councillor representing the residents of the Guildford South East division. Surrey County Council’s responsibility’s include: roads and rights of way, consumer protection, public libraries, public transport and education. Mark is chairman of the Education and skills board in addition to his general responsibilities as a councillor. It is a considerable responsibility and he received allowances of £23,259 for the year 2014-15.

Here he tells us a little about his political motivation, his views and his work as a county councillor…

County Councillor Mark Brett-Warburton at County Hall, Kingston

What motivated you to stand as a councillor and why a county councillor as opposed to a borough councillor.

I started thinking about it in 2007/2008. The roads around Guildford were in an increasingly poor state, and I felt something had to be done about it. At the time, I had the possibility of work abroad, so had the dilemma of whether to walk away for a warmer climate where I could ignore the situation, or, staying and seeing if I could make a difference. I decided that I should at least try and make a difference, so ran as a county councillor with a simple objective of changing the Highways’ maintenance contract.

You are a member of the Conservative party. When did you join the party and why the Conservatives? How much does party politics play a role at County Hall?

I joined the Conservatives about twelve years ago. I am a Conservative because I believe in freedom of the individual within society, which can only be achieved through the minimum government required to deliver a balanced, equitable society with a baseline for education, health and welfare which creates equal opportunities. It is then up to the individual to decide what they will achieve with this opportunity. I like to think that we act as councillors representing residents first and politicians second.

Certainly the Guildford Local Committee has been good at leaving aside political differences and considering issues objectively, as councillors representing Guildford residents, rather than becoming entrenched in party political jostling. I am quite proud that Guildford county councillors could work in this way, and, I think we managed to achieve far more for Guildford as a result.

How would you describe your Guildford South East division?

The division covers a diverse area, ranging from the commercial activity of the High Street and town centre, through modern estates, Victorian terraces, large Victorian town-houses, modern flats, converted flats, a hospital, two theatres, Guildford Lido, Spectrum and more, all the way to tracts of open countryside. They are all packed full of interesting people, places, charities and businesses. I feel very privileged to represent this division.

Mark inspecting SCC work repairing pavements in Boxgrove Lane

Has your experience as a councillor matched your expectations? Describe the range of activity being a county councillor requires.

Surrey County Council (SCC) is a big institution, with a £1.6 billion annual budget; gentle persistence is sometimes necessary to make sure small issues don’t get lost. But I have found that we do have good officers who are committed to their work and that helps a lot in achieving good outcomes.

I have noticed that the council systems have become more responsive over the time I have been a councillor, so some things happen slightly faster than in the past, which is one of the benefits coming from our work to find efficiencies and savings over that period.

My work takes place on many levels: dealing with residents directly, usually by bridging between residents and the system, finding the right path through the labyrinth for them; at a borough level looking at projects both strategically and the impacts they will have on residents; and, countywide through the work at County Hall.

How much of your time does the role take? How do you fit in it with your work as an architect?

It averages about three days-a-week. I find a way to fit my work and councillor role around each other.

Mark the architect, at his professional work which he has to arrange with his councillor duties.

You are chairman of the SCC Education & Skills Board what does that involve?

The board looks at all aspects of education within Surrey, for a resident’s whole life, ranging from early years through adult education to the social context of education.

In effect, we create a template of what residents need, or aspire to, and see how this fits against the services provided. If there are any divergences, we try to understand why and what can be done to resolve the issue.

The board meets quarterly in public, with other formal and informal meetings of members without public participation. We are going to be looking at various issues in smaller groups and reporting back to these meetings.

Would you send your children to state schools?

Yes. Surrey schools are very good, particularly the ones around Guildford. I don’t have children, so it hasn’t really been an issue.

What needs to be done to better equip school leavers with the skills employers are looking for?

All aspects of life change quite rapidly now, so I think flexibility is the most important thing, based on core disciplines of Maths and English, along with the creation of a rounded personality, confidence and communications skills. These are all things supporting the ability to collaborate to achieve bigger goals and remain flexible in the work place.

Not every child gets into the school they or their parents prefer. Are any changes required to the allocation process?

On the whole we seem to do quite well in allocating first choice schools. I think SCC works quite hard with the schools to try and satisfying everyone. It would be nice for everyone to receive their first choice, but this is not always possible.

However, if it is perceived that there is a wider trend of children not getting into preferred schools, rather than a localised issue around one school for instance, this is the type of issue that the Education & Skills Board can help identify through its work and put forward recommendations of how it could be addressed.

Isn’t it anomalous that County Hall is not in Surrey? Shouldn’t it come to Guildford as the county town?

There are pros and cons to having County Hall in Kingston, we have the benefit of along history there and its location keeps things neutral with regards to the influence of the districts and boroughs.

As a Guildford based county councillor I would like to see County Hall in Guildford, but we have more pressing things to consider for the moment and I focus on those.

What can be done to improve Guildford’s road infrastructure?

I don’t think there is a single scheme that will sort it out overnight. The solution is a multilevel plan, looking at short, medium and long-term projects. The key is to understand the different components that make up the total problem and address each part, maybe with only an incremental gain, but across the whole system the small benefits will add up.

One of the early pragmatic steps is to encourage people currently driving short distances to use a more sustainable method, walking, cycling or bus. Addressing this segment will free the roads up for those that have no other choice. With this objective in mind, the Guildford Local Committee instigated a couple of programmes a while ago which are coming up for consultation now. The first is to create improved cycle routes, the second to create a better environment around schools that slows traffic and encourages safe routes to walk and cycle. The objective with both is to create more attractive safer environments for walkers and cyclists that key in to bus stops, therefore offering a genuine alternative to taking the car.

How do you see Guildford looking ten years from now. What changes are most likely?

I would like to see Guildford starting to realise its potential as a town. A better town centre, with new schemes repairing the damage of the past.

I would like to see the work that we have started being well established within ten years, with a safe cycle and walking network across town, offering an established alternative to driving. Buses must be part of that offer too. The town should evolve to include work, not just as a shopping centre, so that people can live and work locally without needing to use a car to commute. It should become an enhanced way of life for Guildford.

There is a great opportunity for Guildford at the moment. There are people that care about the outcome for Guildford at both county and borough councils, amongst both officers and members, and we are at a point when it is possible to heal a good part of the past damage to the town. I encourage all residents to engage to find a collaborative way forward with Guildford’s plans now, so that we do not lose this once in 30-year opportunity to create a vibrant future for the town.

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