Meet Your Poundbury Councillors
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 16
This article is part of our ongoing Love Local series helping the Poundbury community connect with the people, organisations, and businesses that shape life here.
Poundbury is represented by four ward councillors on Dorchester Town Council — who give their time, expertise, and energy to the community, often behind the scenes. Whether you have a question about policy or planning, a concern about local transport, or simply want to know who to contact about something affecting your street or neighbourhood, your councillors are your first port of call.
Here's who they are:
Richard Biggs
Richard is one of Dorchester's most experienced public servants, first elected to the Town Council in 1993 and a proud resident of the county town for most of his life. He has served as Town Mayor four times, including during the Covid-19 pandemic, and also represents the area on Dorset Council, where he is Deputy Leader with Cabinet responsibility for Property Assets, Economic Growth and Regeneration — including major work in Weymouth — as well as Arts and Culture (with its links to tourism and the local economy) and leisure centre infrastructure.
His areas of expertise include property, regeneration, the environment, and the transition to green energy. Beyond the council chamber, Richard is a retired civil servant from the Ministry of Defence and a keen walker, with a passion for making Dorchester more accessible for active travel. He has a strong interest in local history and is committed to reducing the council's environmental impact.
Frances Hogwood
Frances is a retired GP who has made Dorchester her home since 2012. She organises the Poundbury Litter Pickers and is involved in Transition Town Dorchester and the Dorset Climate Action Network, bringing an environmental commitment to her voluntary work. Frances is also a member of the Dorchester Transport Action Group, working to reduce car dependency and improve active transport across the town. She serves as a trustee of the acclaimed performance group Opus Anglicanum and is a keen musician and supporter of Dorchester Arts.
On the council, Frances brings her expertise to environmental and public health matters.
Contact: f.hogwood978@btinternet.com
David Leaper
David has represented the Poundbury Ward since 2019, with an incredible breadth of experience accumulated over two decades in Dorchester. A retired professor of surgery and consultant surgeon, he has deep knowledge of hospital management, academic research, and both national and international professional networks — and remains actively involved in teaching and research. His areas of expertise on the council are housing, public spaces, and health services.
David chairs the Town Council's Management Committee, which oversees Dorchester's recreational facilities, parks, cemeteries, events programme, and the Corn Exchange — a wide-ranging brief that keeps him at the heart of town life. He is also a Vice President of Dorchester Rugby Club and the Society of Dorset Men, and chairs the Brownsword Village Hall Trust. He previously chaired the Poundbury Residents Association.
Contact:profdavidleaper@doctors.org.uk
William Gibbons
William was elected to represent Poundbury in May 2024, bringing a distinguished record of public service and a genuine love of this community to Dorchester Town Council. He moved to Poundbury in 2011 and lives by the Great Field, which he explores daily with his dogs.
William's career was spent in the cruise and ferry sector, where he served as Director of the Passenger Shipping Association for nearly twenty years. Alongside that, he served as a magistrate in London and Dorset for 28 years, as a Poole Harbour Commissioner, as Chair of the Out of Court Disposal Scrutiny Panel for the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, and as a volunteer for Age UK. He previously chaired the Poundbury Residents Association. A member of Thomas Hardy Society Executive Committee, his areas of expertise at the council are transportation (buses), tourism, and responsible dog ownership.
Contact:wedgibbons@gmail.com
How the council works — and how to engage
The full Dorchester Town Council meets around six times a year, with three main committees handling the day-to-day work: the Management Committee (recreational facilities, parks, events), the Planning and Environment Committee (planning applications and environmental matters), and the Policy Committee (resources, staffing, and strategic direction).
All meetings are open to the public. Agendas are published at least three days in advance on the DTC website, and minutes are available shortly after each meeting, both at the council offices at 19 North Square and online at dorchester-tc.gov.uk.
If you have a question or concern, the simplest step is to contact the councillor whose interests most closely match your issue, or just the one you feel most comfortable approaching. All four are here to serve the whole of Poundbury, and all four welcome hearing from residents.
Thank you to the councillors who provided this information, supplemented by publicly available details on the Dorchester Town Council website.