UNDER CONSTRUCTION
As DRCCT Chair I am now preparing my report for insertion into the DRCCT Annual Report & Accounts 2025/26. This year will make very interesting reading and record a failed attempt by some Parish Councillors to hijack the assets of the charity.
At a meeting in Windsor in April 2025, a cabal consisting primarily of co-opted (i.e. unelected) Parish Councillors, organised and guided by the Chair and supported by a Clerk, decided to oust the existing Trustees and take control of the DRCCT.
These are the Councillors that voted in April 2025 for this action – Chairman David Buckley, Darren Sanders, Caroline Wise, Andrew Clemins, Cllr Glover [resigned December 2025], Cllr Young, Cllr Bacon, Cllr Loveridge and Cllr Whelan.
An early morning raid the next day (under false pretences) gained access to the Village Hall – and a locksmith was instructed to change the locks.
The Clerk accessed the Charity Commission web site in order to change the Trustees, contact and address details.
The Clerk wrote the following letter to the Trustees
DRCCT- Letter to outgoing committee 15.05.2025
A public statement was issued as follows: DPC & DRRCT Statement 15.04.25
In November 2025 – and in the hope of making some progress I offered the following draft document for consideration
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING draft v3
The position today is that these Councillors have failed in their attempt to hijack the assets of the local charity (DRCCT) and any debate on the subject is being deliberately suppressed. My question is – will anybody be held accountable for this debacle?
In conclusion – the position is actually crystal clear.
- Datchet Parish Council derives its income from the DPC assets and the precept (a portion of the Council Tax)
- The DRCCT derives its income from DRCCT assets.
- Ownership of the assets requires clarification.
- The governance rules for DPC and the DRCCT are different.
- Datchet Parish Council cannot continue to use DRCCT assets without a lease (or alternative) agreement.
- Datchet Parish Council has no right to offer DRCCT assets to a private organisation (and without a lease).