Minutes of the Dorney Parish VIRTUAL Meeting of the Council
held at the Dorney Village Hall on Tuesday 12thMay 2020 at 8 pm
Present:- Councillors K Harris (Chairman), A Purdie , A Foxley, J Dax, R Ormond, P Smith and
C Stoughton.
In Attendance:- Buckinghamshire Council Cllr Dev Dhillon, Buckinghamshire Council Cllr D Pepler, Mr
Bowman (Dorney Village Pump), John Maynard and Martin Westcott ( MoPs) and Sue Moffat ( Clerk).
1) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
M4 Smartmotorway:- Martin Westcott raised concern that from previous meetings he understood the
entire Village Road was to be resurfaced, so, are the potholes that are being repaired at present just an
interim measure? Cllr Dhillon responded that he was disappointed with the repair work and had emailed
his concerns to the head of Highways a week ago and was still waiting for a reply.
John Maynard raised concern that Dorney was turning in to a scale electric set with all the orange and
yellow plastic cones and barriers popping up which made the Village look unsightly. Cllr Harris
responded that there is nothing we can do about this at present as it caused by the Smartmotorway works
with Marsh Lane bridge being closed and ensuring there is access to Dorney Reach. Cllr Foxley added
that red and yellow bollards at the corner of Village Rd and Court Lane have been discussed several times
at Council meetings but, to recap, the road layout is similar to the one used when the 2012 Olympics took
place to improve access to Court Lane. Initially it was hoped for a roundabout to be installed at the
junction but this could not happen due to safety reasons but still hoping it may be installed in the future.
Cllr Dev Dhillon reported:- (i) He has reported the activity at Orchard Herbs Farm to the senior
Principle Enforcement officer and waiting for a response; (ii) Regards the complaints he has received
about speeding along Lake End Road, the Local Community Manager will carry out a Public
Consultation once normal work resumes after Covid 19; (iii) He has asked Head of Highways that as soon
as the Smartmotorway works have finished the road surfaces are then improved along Marsh Lane, Court
Lane to Lake End Bridge; (iv) Cllr Foxley raised concern that although 5 recycling centres have reopened since the beginning of Covid 19, the closest on to Dorney is Beaconsfield. What is the timetable
for opening Burnham one as there is a lot of flytipping around Dorney including round the Village Hall
area. Cllr Dev Dhillon said he will raise this issue with the Leader of the Council when he meets with him
next week. He did not believe that liaising with Berkshire to use their tips would be possible; (v) Cllr
Purdie pointed out that when searching maps on the South Bucks Planning portal, the search stops at the
M4 and does not include Dorney Reach; (vi) Martin Westcott pointed out that the road surface from the
Garden Centre to the Rowing Lake was dangerous to cyclists but did thank South Bucks Council for
starting the collection of green bins again.
Cllr Pepler reported:- (i) The problem with opening the Burnham tip was Covid 19 social distancing as
the road was very narrow so parked cars using the tip would make it impassable; (ii) The pothole repairs
over the Jubilee River section of Lake End Rd were well done so moving in the right direction; (iii)
Regards planning applications, he receives the weekly planning list and there have been none recently in
Dorney.
The Clerk informed the Council that when she asked the Locality Officers as to which Councillors from
the new Buckinghamshire Council were representing Dorney, the response was Cllrs Dhillon and Pepler
remained until the elections next May 2021.
2) Apologies- None.
3) Disclosure of interest in items on the agenda – Cllr Foxley being a member of Dorney Village Hall
Management Committee (DVHMC).
4) Resolved to receive and approve the minutes of the previous meeting Council held on the 16
th March 2020.
5) Clerk’s Report – To ratify the updates made on 14th April 2020:-
Under the new legislation of The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility
of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020
• Dorney Parish Council to hold remote meetings until circumstances change or up 7
th May 2021 and
these include video and telephone conferencing.
• To postpone the Parish Meeting of Electors until next year.
• Not to hold the Annual Meeting and the current Chairman can remain in place until, and if, the next
Annual Meeting is in May 2021.
• To agree that ZOOM will be the platform for our Council meetings and DPC to sign up to Zoom Pro.
• Voting will take place i.e. by show of hands or by speech.
• The remote platform used must allow members of the public to be present if requested.
• Notice of the meeting will be advertised on the web site.
6) Chairman’s Report – Cllr Harris presented the draft Parishioners Statement that would have been presented
at the Annual Meeting of the Council this year which was cancelled due to Covid 19. This was agreed and is
as follows:-
Dear Parishioners of Dorney, Dorney Reach and Boveney,
Thank you for your efforts over the past few weeks to follow the government guidelines on social distancing
due to Covid-19. Our local community has pulled together to help our neighbours and those more vulnerable;
something we should all be proud of, and another example of why our small parish is unique. The Parish
Council would like to recognise the efforts of those individuals who have and are continuing to help. As well
as tireless local businesses, such as the local Nisa and The Village Pharmacy in Eton Wick, The Palmer
Arms; with their takeaways and introduction of Friday and Saturday night Tuck Trucks, which have all
helped many in the Parish. Neighbours and WhatsApp groups have strove to help many in our community
by assisting with shopping and collection of prescriptions, plus checking in on their general health and mental
wellbeing.
The older and less able have been particularly affected, especially as we do not have a local shop in the
Parish. The situation for many in our community has also been made more difficult by the removal of the
Marsh lane bridge, the effects of visitors trying to visit Dorney Lake and the Jubilee River, and some have
suffered a breakdown in their internet access.
We expect that the recent government announcement will likely create greater traffic to Dorney Lake and
Jubilee River, but the Parish will continue to work with the Lake, Eton College, Police, Environment agency
and others to try and reduce the effects to Residents. Likewise, our discussions on Smart Motorway Bridges,
Roads and planning have all been continuing despite lockdown. I’d like to thank my fellow Parish
Councillors for their vigilance in following up on correspondence in these challenging times, as their roles
are voluntary and unpaid.
In the next year, we will also have to contend with the amalgamation of our District and County Councillors,
which will undoubtably throw up a whole new series of challenges to go along with continued Covid-19
difficulties. Let’s hope we are through the worst of the storm, and by working together we can have a
successful rest of the year.
Cllr Keith Harris, Chairman of Dorney Parish Council
Cllr Harris went on to report:- (i) The Manager of the Rowing Lake has reported that the Lake will be
closed due to the threat of a planned Rave taking place; (ii) The Groundsman will return to work once a H&S
RA is in place; (iii) There was a car accident last Friday on Boveney Common caused by 2 car racers. No
one was hurt; (iii) The agenda for next month should include ‘To consider installing double yellow lines
along the LHS of Court Lane going toward the Rowing Lake; (iv) To make a decision about installing a
roundabout at the junction of Village Rd/Lake End Rd/Court Lane..
7) Updates on the defibrillators – Cllr Foxley reported the defibrillator is installed and can now be removed
from the agenda. The Code to access it has been circulated and online training is available
8) Update on M4Smartmotorway works – Cllr Purdie reported that Matt Orchard, Balfour Beatty, had
organised for the straightening of the post at the entrance to the Village Hall and a padlock has been installed
to kept he gate locked during the Covid 19 crisis.
9) To respond to the Emergency Plan – Cllr Smith reported that Buckinghamshire Council has now published
a new Emergency Plan. Now need to look at a much simpler one for Dorney to cover the practicalities of
having a plan in place for the small community of Dorney. He will take the principles of the Bucks Plan and
apply them to a Dorney community plan to present to the next meeting
10) Planning
(a) Planning issues, decisions and appeals recently notified by South Bucks District Council were noted.
(b) No comments required as no applications received.
11) Finance
a) Resolved to authorise payment of Accounts for May 2020 (as circulated) – Agreed.
b) Resolved to receive list of income for May 2020 (as circulated).
c) The bank statement for March 2020 – Noted.
d) Resolved to receive the budget for 2020/21 Noted.
e) DVHMC PAYMENTS – A response has been received from DVHMC that they have taken legal advice
regards payment to DPC as recompense for the expense incurred by Dorney ratepayers in taking out
the loan for the hall refurbishment and the answer was no. The lawyer considers that DPC obtained
the approval of parish residents to the increase in the precept required to fund the loan, and that
DVHMC’s reserves are correctly intended to avoid the need to ask DPC for financial help in the
future. DVHMC have also concluded they should not pay more than £250 for ground maintenance
during this current year and will seek quotes for contracting out the grounds maintenance work in
the future. Lastly, DVHMC will consider the proposal to waive the room hire fee charged to DPC
as part of a wider review at a meeting (date not known).
Dorney Parish Council has never asked DVHMC to do anything illegal or unconstitutional and we
are disappointed with this response as it is factually incorrect. The contribution DVHMC made
towards the upkeep of the village was not to do with the loan but a contribution towards the Village
maintenance work after devolved highways funding was cut. Also, it is disappointing that DVHMC
no longer wish to use DPC’s Village maintenance staff. It is sad that DVHMC no longer want to
collaborate with DPC after the support DPC gave the Village Hall during it’s major refurbishment
works and there now appears to be a lack of willingness to help the community. This will mean that
the precept will need to be increased significantly next year to compensate for this.
DPC will wait for further communication once DVHMC have convened their next meeting.
12) Member’s Reports – None.
13) Correspondence – SmartMotorway Updates.
14) Resolve any complaints/comments received from residents – (i) Local resident was unhappy about
contacting the Clerk to the Council as a means of contacting councillors. In response, this is the normal point
of contact for parish councils and the Clerk then passes on any correspondence accordingly to ensure it is
actioned; (ii) Complaint about cyclists not following the rules when it says “No cycling” in various
locations around the village and not following the 2 metre rule. Cllr Foxley suggested this may now
be the right time to ask the Highways Department at Buckinghamshire Council again for pedestrian
barriers outside the Rowing Lake; (iii) Complaint about the use of Trumpers Field. However now
the gate is locked to prevent vehicular access this should resolve the situation; (iv) Cllr Purdie has
been talking to the Maintenance worker painting the red telephone box in Taplow who said could
do the same for the one in Harcourt Rd for £120 which includes rub down and painting. It was
agreed that this telephone box needs repainting and will add this item to the next agenda.
15) Grounds maintenance Work will commence again next week.
