It is now about six months since nine DPC Councillors failed in their attempt to hijack the assets of the DRCCT. I submitted the following report – on paper – to all attending Datchet Parish Councillors (DPC) at their meeting on 13th October 2025.
Report from the DRCCT Chair to Datchet Parish Councillors.
I can report that the Trustees of the DRCCT (Charity No 252303) continue to manage the Hall without interruption – including the employee, payroll, bookings, access, income/expenditure and the bank accounts – as they have done since 2019.
We Trustees we are legally obliged and have an overriding duty to protect and serve the best interests of the charity. Furthermore it is important for us to resist attempts to assert control over charity assets or operations in ways that may not align with the charity’s original purposes or best interests.
The DRCCT and the DPC are two separate bodies. DRCCT income is derived from rentals and Hall bookings – in contrast to DPC income from the parish precept and rentals.
Changes that were mistakenly voted for (see DPC website statement) and then improperly made to the Charity Commission website in April 2025 have been reversed. The website is now secure. The correct DRCCT Trustees names are now recorded on the Charity Commission website here.
The correct DRCCT address and contact details are recorded on the Charity Commission website here.
The previous Annual Reports can be downloaded from here. (It should be noted that the 2020 report was late due to Covid).
The 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts have been delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. The documents are now being prepared and will be revealed to DPC when complete, as they have been in previous years. The Annual Report and Accounts will then be submitted to the Charity Commission for publication. I expect the 2024/25 report notes on the 2024/25 post-year end events to make really interesting reading.
I can confirm that the DRCCT owns the land and the buildings on the Sabatini Land. A previous agreement between DRCCT and DPC in accordance with the ‘Division of Responsibilities’ document will need to be reviewed. In particular it will now be necessary to renegotiate (or create) leases for the various DRCCT buildings.
Ewan Larcombe (DRCCT Chair) 13th October 2025
More to follow