A Community Council is a voluntary organisation set up by statute by the local authority and run by local residents to act as a voice for their area. As the most local tier of elected representation in Scotland, Community Councils bridge the gap between local authorities and communities and play an important role in local democracy. 

The Birse & Ballogie (B2C2) committee membership consists of up to 9 local members, however at the moment three positions are vacant.  Membership is for a period of three years, with nominations for membership sought annually and elections held when there are more qualifying candidates than places.

Community councils are comprised of people who care about their community and want to make it a better place to live. Community councils must represent all people in the area without prejudice.

Therefore they should:

•       be non-party political and non-sectarian

•       represent a full cross-section of the community and encourage the involvement of people regardless of gender, race, age, disability, nationality or sexual orientation

Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend B2C2 Community Council meetings which are currently held bi-monthly in the Birse Church hall.

 The Birse & Ballogie Community Council Constitution was updated in June 2018 (see here for full constitution)

Birse and Ballogie Community Council (B2C2) seeks to represent and promote the interests of all those in the community. Our aim is to improve the quality of life of all those living and working in the community. Central to achieving our objective is our ability to communicate effectively with all members of the community. In order to meet our requirements to protect personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 (also known as the UK GDPR) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we have developed a Data Protection policy (see here).

See below for the current Birse & Ballogie Community Council members


Jayne Reader (Chair)

Jayne joined B2C2 in June 2021, becoming Chair a year later. She took early retirement from the oil and gas industry in 2018 where she latterly worked as a Commercial Advisor for a major oil and gas producer. Since retiring, "I've never been so busy! I love travelling (65 countries so far), am an avid golf spectator and take full advantage of the many fantastic walks around Deeside." She can be contacted on  b2c2chair@outlook.com .

Sarah Wright (Secretary)

Sarah Wright has been secretary of B2C2 for about fifteen years. During that time, she has worked to improve community and quality of life for all residents.  Would we have any other wish? She enjoys the countryside and related occupations though she is not so keen on sharing her garden with the deer.

David Winton (Treasurer)

David joined B2C2 in 2015 and became Treasurer in May 2016. He has lived in Birse all his life and is married with 2 grown up children. 
When he is not working on the farm or fencing, he enjoys golf, fishing and shooting.

Dave Bracegirdle

Dave has lived in Birse and Ballogie for 10 years and continues to teach and perform Classical Guitar. Dave and his wife  have a small farm near Shooting Greens. He likes the outdoors and takes a keen interest in the ecology of the area. He has been a member of the Community Council for a number of years and continues "to represent folk in this area to carry forward their concerns and inform them of any plans and changes".

 

Duncan Caird

 Duncan Joined B2C2 in 2022. He is raising a young family in the area and is keen to get involved in the local community. His passions are health and fitness along with anything outdoor related. 


David Williamson (Vice Chair)

David joined B2C2 in June 2022 to find out what was happening in this community. He is not a native but has lived in Aberdeenshire 40 years and 22years in this community. He retired in 2016, is married with 3 grown up grown up children and five grandchildren. He enjoys travel, sports, outdoor life, doing "projects" but now spends quite a lot of time enjoying the local countryside with his dog Ruby. He is currently very interested in using technology to improve lives, trying to improve communications with B2C2 and also in trying to secure high speed internet services for the whole community ie the 40% of the community who don't have access to fibre. If you wish to raise any issues with David please contact him on dmwmson@icloud.com.

Committee Vacancies

There are currently three vacancies on the community council. Don't be shy in putting yourself forward for this. If you want more information please follow the link the Aberdeenshire Council website.