Councillors and Contact details

Contacting the Council

To contact the Hermitage Parish Council in the first instance please email the Parish Clerk: hermitagepc@outlook.com

Parish Councillors

If you are interested in becoming a parish councillor or finding out a little more about the role, please contact the Clerk.

Ms Ruth Cottingham – Chairperson

Ruth Cottingham
Ruth Cottingham

My family and I came to Hermitage in 1990 because it was in the right location and we found a property with a large enough garden. We are still growing our own vegetables, as those of you who suffer from our gluts will know, but I do not manage to find the time to do my share. I still walk with a group I joined in 1972. I have been a member of Hermitage parish council since 2007, including as chair from 2008 to 2021.

Contact: ruth.cottingham@hermitage.org.uk

Ms Ann Goldsmith – Vice Chair

Ann moved to the village in 2013 to be closer to her work at Tadley as a Technical Consultant, having lived in Wantage for over 20 years.  Her main interest is her animals: she has a dog, cats and pond fish, and keeps llamas, horses and ducks, whose eggs and offspring she sells, at Chieveley.

Contact: ann.goldsmith@hermitage.org.uk

Mr David Brown

David Brown
David Brown

Married with four children who have all attended local schools, I have been a Hermitage resident since 1971.

My interests include walking, music and photography and I have served on the parish council twice, from 2007-2008 and from 2011 to the present.

Contact: david.brown@hermitage.org.uk

Mr Roy Marr

Roy Marr
Roy Marr

I’ve been on the council for around 15 years and prior to that I attended as a member of the public for many years. In fact I’ve seen 11 chairpersons come and go.

I have been a village hall trustee for 30 years+ and am chairman of Hermitage horticultural society. I’m a retired design engineer and have lived in Hermitage for 35 years.

Contact: roy.marr@hermitage.org.uk

Mr Ian Govier

Ian Govier

I moved to the village in 2003 from Thatcham. I owned and operated Newbury Mazda from 1994 to 2004 and after selling the business have spent my life running other people’s motor trade businesses. Believe it or not, cars don’t do it for me, but I do love the cut and thrust of running a company with all the dynamics of the people.

Before becoming a parish Councillor, I was involved as a trustee on the Hermitage village hall committee. I got involved with another person from the village with the sole purpose of getting the second hall finished, progress seemed to have stalled, and I felt it needed an injection of energy to complete the project. I am pleased to say that within a year and with a lot of help from local people the second hall was open for business.

I go out cycling at the weekends with my wife (I have an electric bike) but my true passion is that I am an audiophile. I am into hifi and listening to music.

I joined the Parish Council with a mission to make it become a very important, beneficial and inclusive part of the community.

Contact : ian.govier@hermitage.org.uk