Meet The
Councillors

Nikki Barton

With experience as your County Councillor, I have a proven track record in putting Haslemere first. I moved to Haslemere South with my family a decade ago and have engaged with the local community through: school governorship; Haslemere Hockey Club; Fringe Festival; Haslemere Vision; Chair – Haslemere Community Rail Partnership.

I will continue prioritising community engagement with openness and transparency.  Never afraid to speak up and my record as Haslemere’s first Independent SCC can be seen via the pages of this blog.  With a wealth of experience and understanding of local government, I will champion good traffic management and child/pedestrian safety as a priority.

Isabelle Cole

Having moved to Surrey in the 1970s seeking a country upbringing for their family, Isabelle, together with some other mothers, started a local playgroup and ran it for 7 years. In 1986 Isabelle and her husband took on the challenge of restoring an old farmhouse in its large and derelict garden in Grayswood. At that time she volunteered for the CAB in Haslemere and regularly drove the Age Concern bus. She was able to support local causes by opening her re-invented and dedicatedly organic garden as it evolved.

Nowadays Isabelle serves on the committee of the Arts Society Haslemere (formerly NADFAS), she is also the representative for Young Arts as well as for Arts in the Community. Isabelle is involved with the Haslemere Community Rail Partnership and as well as the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England. Isabelle supports Amnesty International and also collects door to door for the British Legion Remembrance in November.
Isabelle has always been a nature-lover and is deeply concerned with environmental issues, which includes the provision of public transport to mitigate the effects of car pollution and which provides such vital service linking our community. She also believes in the great importance of affordable and social housing in the interest of maintaining a fair and essential balance in our community – and in the necessity of an effective infrastructure for its successful support.

Isabelle was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections. ​

Jerome Davidson

Jerome moved to central Haslemere from Manchester over thirty years ago and soon after to Hindhead.  Jerome worked initially in the health service and subsequently in the petrochemical industry both at home and abroad.  Retiring in 2013, Jerome was then able to be actively involved in Haslemere community as a governor of Woolmer Hill and local charity organisations.​

Jerome was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Simon Dear

Qualified as a Surveyor, Simon has a background in law, planning, finance and building construction and has worked for himself in the ownership and management of property for nearly 30 years.  After years of commuting, he now works in Haslemere too.

As well as being a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Simon is a member of the Haslemere Society, the National Trust and the RNLI as well as supporting Canine Partners in the work they do.​

He is also a Founder Member of the Hunter Trust, recently formed to take over the running of the Marjorie Gray Hall Alzheimer’s Centre.

Simon was elected to Haslemere Town Council as a councillor in the 2017 by-election and was re-elected in May 2019.

Simon was elected as the Mayor of Haslemere in May 2021.

David Dullaway

David was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Kirsten Ellis

Kirsten Ellis is a long-time Haslemere resident and looks forward to representing her ward of Haslemere South and the wider township as a Town Councillor. She has a strong interest in protecting the environment and preserving the charm and character of Haslemere’s Arts and Crafts and National Trust heritage and as the Gateway to the South Downs and hopes to help encourage community-led sustainability initiatives and partnerships that reflect a ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ ethos. She believes it is possible to combine pragmatic, necessary development and housing expansion with planning that does not sacrifice AONB in the town centre.  She is keen to work with fellow Councillors to ensure the wishes and needs of the community are served and welcomes hearing from local residents.

Kirsten is the author of a biography Star of the Morning, The Extraordinary Life of Lady Hester Stanhope. She has a PhD in creative writing from Goldsmiths, University of London. ​

Kirsten was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Brigitte Hewett

Brigitte has been resident in the area since 1974 when she and her husband and three sons moved firstly to Churt and then to Hindhead. She was elected as Town Councillor for Hindhead ward in 2003 and has served on the planning, amenities, grant panel and Finance & Audit Committee. She represents the Town Council on Haslemere & District Twinning Association where she is currently treasurer.​

Brigitte was re-elected to serve Hindhead in the 2019 local elections.

Jacquie Keen MBE

Jacquie was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Gary Lloyd

Gary is an engineer and management consultant with 15 years of professional experience in industries including aerospace, retail and social care. Since moving to Haslemere Shottermill in early 2015 and starting a family he has grown to love our town for its beautiful rural surroundings and quiet friendly atmosphere. Gary cares deeply about protecting our natural environment by conserving green spaces, minimising unnecessary pollution, respecting wildlife and taking responsibility for our own global environmental impacts. He believes in openly and transparently engaging with the healthy diversity of beliefs and needs that exist among residents, promoting community-led initiatives and improving public services.

​Gary was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Claire Matthes

Claire has worked with children, teenagers and young families in a variety of both voluntary and paid roles since 2000. She co-founded and facilitated Haslemere Young Parents (a free group for teenage and young parents) from The Wey Youth Centre from 2008 to 2012 and currently works at Tennyson’s Sure Start Children’s Centre. All these roles have given her vital insight into the reality of the needs and concerns of local families and she welcomes the opportunity to work with the town council to ensure support services for families and young people continue and grow, particularly where there is identified and specific need. Haslemere is a great place to live and raise a family and she wants every local family to have the opportunity to experience it as so. Claire is committed to promoting and supporting a cleaner, greener, fairer and more sustainable way of living and carrying out business in Haslemere, ensuring that the town is as good a place to live in the future as it is now.​

Claire was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

Peter Nicholson

Peter was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections

Melanie Odell MBE

Melanie has lived in Haslemere since she was a baby, and after training as a nurse at Guys Hospital, moved back to marry and bring up her children. She worked as a district nurse and then established two computer businesses in town, Grayswood Computer Services and Church Micros. Joining the Haslemere Chamber of Trade she became President in 2001 and three years later moved on to chair the Haslemere Initiative, the local community partnership group. Now Chairman of the Haslemere Educational Museum, she all serves as a Governor at Woolmer Hill School and is President of Sport Haslemere. In 2007 Melanie joined the Town Council and served as Mayor of Haslemere for two years between 2009 and 2011 and again during 2015-16. She is well supported by her four children who have all enjoyed their childhood in the Haslemere area. Melanie is honoured to have been awarded an MBE for Services to the Community of Haslemere in the 2012 Birthday Honours list.

​Melanie was re-elected to serve Haslemere North & Grayswood in the 2019 local elections.

John Robini

John was born in Woking, Surrey. On leaving school he was apprenticed at the RAE at Farnborough and studied at Farnborough Technical College. After the aircraft industry declined he joined Surrey Police in 1972 retiring in 2002 but working as a staff member until 2016. After moving to Witley in the early 1970s he became interested in the local community, eventually becoming chairman of Witley parish council. In 2003 he was elected to Waverley and was on the Executive for four years, holding the portfolio was community safety, young people, elderly and car parks.

John was married to Linda in 1971, and they had two daughters. When Linda died in 2000 John moved to Haslemere. In 2007 he married Jacquie Keen. In 2019 John was elected to Haslemere Town Council and Waverley Borough. He enjoys gardening, photography, walking and supports Woking Football club, as did his Grandfather.

John was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.

John is also a County Councillor for Surrey.

David Round

David has lived in Haslemere for almost all his adult life, moving here in 1972 with his Swedish wife Karin to start a family – Rufus, Susanna and William. He has lived in the Bunch Lane area for over 40 years. He has 4 grandchildren, one of whom is autistic. David was brought up in Worcestershire, attending the local grammar school and going on to Cambridge to read Mathematics. Sadly Karin died in early 2011 and in 2012 David met Melanie Odell. They married in 2015. David is a volunteer for a number of other local activities, including the Haslemere Health Group and Sport Haslemere, and for many years with the Haslemere Camera Club. His hobbies are photography, classical music, occasional bridge and travelling, and recently the ever-absorbing subject of parking in Haslemere. David was elected to serve Haslemere North and Grayswood in the 2015 local elections and served as Town Mayor for 2018-19.

David was re-elected in the 2019 local elections.

Conrad Waters

Born in Yorkshire and brought up in Staffordshire, Conrad moved to Haslemere after marrying his wife Susan in 1989. A resident of Hindhead for nearly thirty years, he helped raise three children in the village whilst working in the City for first a British and, subsequently, a Japanese Bank. Qualified as a barrister, Conrad also passed exams in banking and corporate treasury during this time. After leaving the world of banking shortly before his fiftieth birthday, he has now developed a longstanding interest in naval history and current affairs into a second career, being author and editor of several books.

Previously a town and borough councillor for Hindhead and Beacon Hill in the late 1990s, Conrad believes the role is about listening to local residents and making sure their interests are properly heard. He is particularly keen on protecting the local environment and addressing the challenges created by climate change. He is looking forward to talking to the electorate and addressing their priorities in the months ahead.

Conrad  Waters was elected to Hindhead ward in June 2022.

Terry Weldon

Terry was elected to Haslemere Town Council on the 2019 local elections.

Geoffrey Whitby

For over 30 years, Beacon Hill and Hindhead have been my home, during which time my enjoyment of road and mountain biking has enabled me to explore the area at length, which has also given me a good insight into the state of the roads and natural environment.

By day I work as an audiologist in the NHS, with a specific interest in the welfare of people with intellectual disabilities, hearing loss and cognitive decline. In my role as a councillor, I’m committed to re-engaging with the electorate of Beacon Hill and Hindhead.  I am involved with the Beacon Hill Focus and Haslemere Active travel Group.  Also I am on the board of trustees for Whitmore Vale Housing Assocation.

Geoffrey was elected to Haslemere Town Council in the 2019 local elections.