Author Archives: Simon Walker
Notes from Mar ’26 Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council met on Thursday 12th March 2026 in the Village Hall. Five members of the public were present, together with Dorset Councillor Laura Beddow. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Neighbourhood Plan Review Consultation
19 people attended the drop-in session on Saturday 7th March 2026 in the Village Hall. All responses received have been sent to the consultant for review. Any amendments necessary will be made and the Review document returned to the Parish Council for confirmation before being passed to Dorset Council for the statutory regulation 15 review. In the meantime, the habitat risk assessment will be carried out by Dorset Council and the results fed into the final review document. This could take up to three months to complete.
Parking
We would like to thank everyone for not using the EV charging bays for parking. We do appreciate parking is limited, so keeping the charging bays clear is appreciated. However, over the last few months, it has become increasingly obvious that there a number of vehicles parked in the car park that have no tax or MOT. Please be warned that vehicles are checked and any that do not have tax or MOTs will be reported and, after due notice, will be removed. Any fees incurred will be the responsibility of the vehicle’s owner.
Calendars
We were very pleased to receive a further £125 from the sale of calendars through NISA. This brings the total available to be paid to charity to £325. We are very grateful to Jagtar and the team at NISA for their continuing support with the calendar sales. We are also starting to collect photographic contributions for the 2027 calendar. So remember to take your cameras with you when you are out and about in the parish.
Sewage Overflow
Wessex Water have confirmed that the lorries attending Court Farm are emptying the pumping station. As at 24th February, the sewers were at hydraulic capacity, being full of ground water and sewage. Daily level checks are being carried out and the lorries will continue to attend the site until the pumping station is able to catch up. In the meantime, the works to reline the sewer that began at the top of Rye Hill on the 5th January had to be postponed half way through due to the weather. This work will recommence on the 27th April for three weeks, operating a rolling system of 2-way and multi-way traffic lights rather than a road closure. This work will extend to Southbrook, after which, another work order will be submitted to extend the lining although the dates and locations for this are not yet available. A letter drop to all households that may be affected by the work will take place two weeks prior to the work commencing, explaining what is happening. In the meantime, a formal complaint has been lodged with Wessex Water and a series of questions raised. Both local Ward Councillors and Vikki Slade MP have been appraised of the situation.
Dorset Community Transport Grant
We are very fortunate, once again, to have been awarded a grant of £2,350 for our Communibus. This is to be used to assist with the running costs of the vehicle and will go towards servicing, repairs, and insurance for the coming year. Our thanks are extended to the team at Dorset Community Transport.
Commemorative Bench
The Parish Council is looking into the purchase of a commemorative bench for the late Tony Bates. Having discussed this with his brother, we will look to locate a bench on Souls Moor. Designs for the bench and the exact location will be brought to the April meeting for consideration.
Play Park
We have now received £760 in donations towards the new play park. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so far, it is gratefully appreciated. We continue to seek funding but will also be sending letters out to any business that supplies anything to the parish and to organisations with a presence in the parish – including Brian May. Cllr Kevin Hazell is also working with the school children who are going to replan the play area to include items they would like to have on the site and noting where seating for parents should be located.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 9th April 2026 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall.. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council. A full copy of the minutes is available on the Parish Council website.
Communibus Update Mar’26
An updated Bere Regis Community Bus schedule of trips is now available.
Please note that booking (and payment) for the Mamma Mia trip at the end of July, is required before the 4th April to ensure that the Bournemouth Pavilion tickets can be booked at the group discount rate negotiated by Kim.
Neighbourhood Plan Review Consultation
There will be a drop in session on Saturday 7th March 2026 at the Drax Hall, North Street, from 10am to 2pm.
You are welcome to come along and raise any points relating to the recent neighbourhood plan review consultation and the play park update.
Refreshments will be available.
Parish Lengthsman Feb. ’26
The Lengthsman Scheme has now been running for 14 years and has proved to be very successful. As part of the Parish Council’s due diligence, the role is now being re-advertised. A PDF copy of this page is available here.
We are looking to enter into a contract with a self-employed person, with detailed knowledge of the parish and village in order to undertake a wide range of work, to maintain a good standard of cleanliness, tidiness and safety in and around the Parish.
The duties carried out will supplement the work already being dealt with by Dorset Council and include the maintenance of the sites and equipment owned by the Parish Council.
You will need to provide your own transport and all the tools and machinery necessary to carry out the tasks. You will need to be qualified to operate a chain saw, administer weed killing chemicals safely and to hold Public Liability Insurance with a minimum of £10mill. You will also need to have a Waste Carriers Licence and Street Work Certificate. Copies of all certificates will need to be held by the Parish Council and should be replaced as each certificate is renewed. If you intend employing staff to carry out any of the tasks, the Parish Council will require a copy of your Employers Liability Certificate.
An ability to work with the minimum of supervision, to a high standard and in a flexible and adaptable way is important.
The contract will be for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
INTERESTED? Please contact the Parish Clerk, Amanda Crocker by e-mail at clerk@bereregisparishcouncil.gov.uk to register your interest and to receive a full job description. Closing date for applications will be Saturday 28th February 2026.
Communibus 2026
Also available as a PDF to print here.
Notes from Jan. ’26 Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council met on Thursday 8th January 2026 in the Village Hall. One member of the public was present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Bus Services
The latest information from Vikki Slade MP is that Dorset Council were intending to extend the CR (socially necessary) routes that include the service which calls at Bere Regis to include a Saturday during 2026. It is understood that they had the funding but there was a formal process that needed to be followed to take the decision through the Council. The intention was that this would come into effect during the next financial year. It is stressed that this was an intent do things and may have substantially changed. Updates will be passed on as soon as they are received.
In the meantime, Dorset Community Transport run a service on Tuesday, leaving the Royal Oak at 10am to Poole and returning at about 1pm and to Blandford on Thursdays, leaving at 9.30am and returning at 1245pm. You must register to use this service – telephone number 01258 287980 – and bus passes are accepted.
Neighbourhood Plan Review Consultation
The consultation is now underway and runs from the 5th January and run until the 22nd February 2026. A village meeting will then be held at the end of February/beginning of March to cover both the Neighbourhood Plan review and the future of the play park.
The Review document and supporting evidence is available here or, if you would like a hard copy, please contact the Clerk.
Play Park
We are extremely grateful to all those who have donated money towards the cost of a new play park. Needless to say, we have a long way to go. It was suggested that, rather than try and build a completely new play park all at once, we should, perhaps, be thinking of purchasing one new piece of equipment at a time. This will be discussed further at the February meeting.
Parking
Complaints continue to be received about non-electric vehicles parking in the EV bays. It is appreciated that parking is limited but we would ask residents to be considerate and not use the electric charging bays. The car park is the responsibility of the Parish Council and we have to pay business rates on it. The small amount of income taken from the EV bays is the only way some of this cost can be offset.
Lengthsman
As many of you know, we are in the very fortunate position in Bere Regis of having a Lengthsman to carry out many of the day to day jobs around the parish and pick up much of the work no longer undertaken by Dorset Council. As part of our due diligence, this role is advertised every few years. If anyone would like to apply for the job, please contact the Clerk for details of the job description.
Parish Councillor Vacancies
There are now three vacancies for councillors on the Parish Council. Bere Regis is a very active Council with a great deal going on. If you would like to be a part of this and represent the community in which you live, please contact the Clerk for further information.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 12th February 2026 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall.. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council. A full copy of the minutes is available on the Parish Council website.
Neighbourhood Plan Consultation Jan ’26
Our Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan has been reviewed and a new draft version has been produced. We have now entered the consultation period for this new version which runs until 22nd February 2026. Technically, this is known as a Regulation 14 Consultation and full details, together with links to new Plan, the online Consultation Survey and the supporting documentation are available here.
Notes from Dec. ’25 Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council met on Thursday 11th December 2025 in the Village Hall. One member of the public was present. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
Flooding
Concern was raised about flooding following the recent heavy rain. It is important that any incidents of flooding are reported via the Dorset Council website at
This will enable a record of flooding incidents to be built up and will highlight any main areas which can then be used to back up any requests for maintenance in the future.
Bus Services
Following last month’s meeting, the Wool Parish Council were contacted to see if they would be willing to include Bere Regis in their emerging community transport initiative. Unfortunately, it was felt that this would not be viable. A subsequent email had been sent to Dorset Community Transport but no response has been forthcoming. However, it was noted that there is already a service running to Poole every Tuesday and to Wareham and it is hoped that the CR9 service to Dorchester and Blandford will be expanded to cover Saturdays. Vikki Slade MP will be contacted to see if there is any further news regarding this.
Neighbourhood Plan Review Consultation
The consultation dates for the review will begin on the 5th January and run until the 22nd February 2026. A village meeting will then be held at the end of February/beginning of March to cover both the Neighbourhood Plan review and the future of the play park.
The Review document and supporting evidence will be available on the Parish Council website from the start of the consultation.
Central car park and gullies around the parish
The car park will now be monitored by a councillor, following notification that there are a number of vehicles currently parked there with no tax or MOT. Notes will be attached to the relevant vehicles and, if not acted upon, they will be reported to the Police and DVLA.
Gullies – As we go into the winter period, it is important that any blocked gullies are reported as quickly as possible to prevent possible flooding. Cllr Walker is already doing this and will take on the role on a more formal basis. Dorset Council no longer operates a system of regular maintenance of the gullies but acts upon any that are reported. Anyone can report a blocked gully or drain via the Dorset Council website on: Drainage and manhole covers – Dorset Council
The budget for the coming year was discussed. The key increases set out were:
– Postage; this is increased to £2,000 to cover the potential cost of delivery of the proposed quarterly newsletters
– Subscriptions were increased by £400 following the increase in subscriptions from DAPTC
– Software support is increased by £2,200. However, this was offset by the reduction in the computer costs budget by £1,800 and the difference of £400 represents the slight increase in the support package fees
– Neighbourhood Plan review costs have been increased by £1,000 to cover any final fees incurred as the funding for the initiative was withdrawn during the year
– Treeworks and planting has been increased by £2,500 to cover the cost of the additional tree work needed during the coming year and to cover the purchase of slightly maturer trees to replace those that have had to be removed
– All other costs have either been kept the same or been increased by 3% in line with inflation
It was agreed that the precept is set at £91,000. Following the release of the Tax Band figures by Dorset Council, this will result in a Band D property increase of £16.98 for the year; from £113.63 to £130.62.
Quarterly Newsletter
It was generally felt that this would be a good idea. However, content was discussed, together with whether or not other groups should be invited to contribute. A draft newsletter will be created and brought to the January meeting.
Facebook
It was agreed that the Parish Council will reduce the amount of information posted on the village Facebook page and concentrate on the Parish Council Facebook page. We will continue to post road traffic announcements and other urgent items on the village page. More useful links will be added to the PC Facebook page, including Neighbourhood Alerts, etc. The community police officer will be asked to provide something about the use of CCTV and this will be posted to the Facebook page.
Parking
Complaints are being received about non-electric vehicles parking in the EV bays. It is appreciated that parking is limited but we would ask residents to be considerate and not use the electric charging bays. The car park is the responsibility of the Parish Council and we have to pay business rates on it. The small amount of income taken from the EV bays is the only way some of this cost can be offset.
In addition, parking in front of the shop continues to be highlighted. Whilst it is accepted that shoppers will park on the double yellow lines, some extremely inconsiderate drivers are parking in such a way that they are preventing other drivers from exiting Snow Hill on to West Street. The village roads are narrow and it is accepted that parking, and the lack of it, is a problem but there is no need to deliberately block other road entrances and exits. Please put yourself in that position and park considerately.
Parish Councillor Vacancies
There are now three vacancies for councillors on the Parish Council. Bere Regis is a very active Council with a great deal going on. If you would like to be a part of this and represent the community in which you live, please contact the Clerk for further information.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 8th January 2026 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council. A full copy of the minutes is available on the Parish Council website.
All that remains is to wish all parishioners a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Notes from Nov ’25 Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council met on Thursday 13th November 2025 in the Village Hall. One members of the public was present, and we were pleased to welcome Dorset Cllr Laura Beddow. Members of the press and public are welcome and there is a period for public participation at the start. If you are unable to attend but wish to submit a comment or question, please contact the Clerk or any member of the Parish Council.
𝗕𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀
Cllr Slade has followed up her previous communication. She has had a series of meetings relating to the bus service in Bere Regis. More Bus have explained that it is not commercially viable to run a service between Poole or Wareham and Bere Regis and this is unlikely to change. The population is simply not large enough to ensure that a bus would be filled on each trip. Dorset Council funds a number of ‘Socially Necessary’ services for communities that would otherwise be cut off – the CR9 is one such service, running between Dorchester and Blandford via Bere Regis and currently running Monday to Friday. It is hoped that this service will be extended to include Saturdays in 2026.
The Parish Council will look at an additional service operating under S22 of the Transport Act 1985 which would allow for a planned, timetabled service to be provided by a community operator and commissioned by a Parish Council or Bus User Group and run by Dorset Community Transport (DCT). Should we wish to go down this route, it would be possible to apply for a grant from Dorset Council, alongside allocating parish funds. The S22 allows the operator to charge a fare and pay a driver with the required insurances and other regulations. The operator (probably DCT) would confirm a price for the service. Preparatory work would required to determine need before this course of action was considered.
Cllr Beddow informed the meeting the Wool Parish Council are looking into setting up a regular bus service visiting Wareham and Poole. We will be making contact with them to see if this is something Bere Regis can also assist with.
𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆
Thanks are extended to all those who helped on the day. There was a wonderful turnout and the weather was kind. The only downfall was that a car tried to go down the road as the parade was moving up it. We would ask drivers to be more mindful in future years.
𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿
Many residents still approach councillors saying they are not aware of what is happening in the parish. Not everyone is on Facebook or has the Parish Magazine. It was felt that a quarterly newsletter would go some way to alleviating this. This will be raised at the next meeting with a view to the first letter being issued in the first quarter of 2026.
𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
Discussion also took place regarding the use of Facebook for Parish Council information. At present, information is posted to the Parish Council Facebook page and also to the Village Facebook page. However, due to the quantity of information constantly being posted to the village page, any information the Parish Council is trying to get to residents is quickly lost. The Parish Council is now considering not putting anything on the Village Facebook page but encouraging residents to ‘follow’ the Parish Council Facebook page so any information will be more readily available. The pros and cons of this action will be discussed at the December meeting.
𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀
The cost of the Christmas trees has now been confirmed as £15.60 for a 4’ tree. There are still a few trees left if you would like to reserve one. Please contact the Clerk and forward payment by bank transfer – details available by emailing the Clerk.
𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
Complaints are being received about non-electric vehicles parking in the EV bays. It is appreciated that parking is limited but we would ask residents to be considerate and not use the electric charging bays. The car park is the responsibility of the Parish Council and we have to pay business rates on it. The small amount of income taken from the EV bays is the only way some of this cost can be offset.
In addition, parking during school drop off and pick up times is also causing issues. Once again, could we please ask that you park considerately, making sure you are not blocking driveways or access points.
𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀
The Bere Regis 2026 calendar is now on sale from Nisa at £5. For anyone who would like to have a photograph included in the 2027 calendar, now is the time to start thinking about it. Please forward photographs of the up and coming events and seasons to the Clerk for consideration.
𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀
There are now three vacancies for councillors on the Parish Council. Bere Regis is a very active Council with a great deal going on. If you would like to be a part of this and represent the community in which you live, please contact the Clerk for further information.
𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 11th December 2025 commencing 7pm at the Village Hall. Items for discussion will include: 2026/27 budget; Facebook; quarterly newsletter; bus service; as well as all the usual monthly items. If you wish to have an item added to the agenda for discussion, please contact the Clerk or a member of the Parish Council. A full copy of the minutes is available on the Parish Council website.