the Conservatives lost a long-held majority at Buckinghamshire Council and fell one seat short of the 49 needed This website uses 'cookies' to give you the best Using this website means you are Ok with this You can change which cookies are set at any time - and find out more about them - by following this link<\/a> motors and property from the Maidenhead Advertiser Voters have had their say in local council elections across Buckinghamshire The voters have spoken and the results are in for the Buckinghamshire Council elections 2025 The following results show how voting unfolded across the county’s southern wards covered by the Maidenhead Advertiser and Slough & South Bucks Express Conservative councillors Paul Kelly and Kirsten Ashman have been elected to represent the new Burnham ward having both represented the former Cliveden ward Reform UK claimed the third spot up for grabs through the newly elected Councillor Cole Caesar Cllr Caesar stood as an independent candidate in the Beaconsfield MP general election race last year That race was won by Conservative MP Joy Morrissey Paul James Kelly – Conservative – 1289 - Elected Kirsten Ashman – Conservative – 1120 - Elected Santokh Singh Chhokar – Conservative - 952 Carol Lesley Linton - Liberal Democrats - 760 Three Conservative councillors have been elected to serve the new Farnhams & Stoke Poges ward all having served as councillors in the area previously These are: Cllrs Dev Dhillon and David Moore formerly of Farnham Common & Burnham Beeches ward; and Cllr Thomas Hogg Dev Dhillon – Conservative – 1628 – Elected David William Moore – Conservative – 1622 - Elected Thomas Neil Hogg – Conservative – 1482 - Elected Voters in Iver were given choice of voting for two councillors in this year’s election having had three to pick in the last local election Conservative councillor Wendy Matthews retained her seat as did Independent councillor Paul Griffin Cllr Griffin’s fellow independent Luisa Sullivan Wendy Allison Matthews – Conservative – 743 - Elected Paul James Griffin – Independent – 721 - Elected Luisa Katherine Sullivan – Independent - 544 Alison Elizabeth Mueller - Reform UK - 515 Martin Bol Deng Aleu - Liberal Democrats – 161 Bourne End was dropped from the title of the new Flackwell Heath and The Wooburns ward Bourne End & Hedsor ward representatives have been re-elected.   Three independents will now represent the ward: Cllr Penny Drayton Cllr Stuart Wilson and newly elected Cllr Larisa Townsend Penny Drayton – Independent – 2523 – Elected Larisa Townsend – Independent – 2456 – Elected Stuart Wilson – Independent – 2442 – Elected Christopher Nigel Tolmie - Liberal Democrats - 271 Two Conservatives have been re-elected to represent Marlow in Cllr Alex Collingwood and Cllr Carol Heap Though the Liberal Democrats have a lot to celebrate here with newly elected councillor Anna Crabtree topping the ballot with a more than 200 vote lead over her closest Tory rival Anna Victoria Crabtree - Liberal Democrats - 1937 - Elected Alex Collingwood – Conservative – 1733 - Elected Carol Heap – Conservative – 1593 - Elected James Robert Currie - Liberal Democrats - 1357 More information on Buckinghamshire Council's election results can be found on the council's website.  Council and politics Construction workers did make a mistake when building a new £1.3million roundabout the RBWM cabinet member for highways has said The Conservatives lost a long-held majority at Buckinghamshire Council and fell one seat short of the 49 needed - but how did the votes fall in the county's south A murder investigation has been launched in Slough after a 46-year-old man was killed in an attack © Copyright 2024 Baylis Community Media CIC All right reserved Loose horses who had strayed from their stables amid busy morning traffic were rounded up at Bourne End home this morning (April 29).  The loose horses pictured were found at a home in Bourne End Loose horses who had strayed from their stables amid busy morning traffic were rounded up at a Bourne End home this morning (April 29) A spooked brown and grey pair were spotted corralled behind gates at a home in Cores End Road with police officers and equestrian riders marshalling at the scene Thames Valley Police officers were called to the Dorney Wood Road area of Burnham where the missing horses were first reported as being seen Having wandered almost five miles from where they were first reported missing the pair were eventually located in Bourne End and were taken away by horsebox at around 8.30am A police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to Dorney Wood Road area of Burnham this morning at around 7.40am to reports of a number of loose horses “Officers located the owners and the horses were rounded up.” Traffic and Travel Passengers are being reminded to check before travelling this Easter holiday as Network Rail works to deliver vital upgrades and track renewals.  Network Rail will be renewing the track between Maidenhead and Bourne End/Marlow from Saturday 12 April to Sunday 20 April no trains will run and a rail replacement service will be operating instead While the line is closed to upgrade the track engineers will also improve signalling equipment making the railway in the area more resilient From Friday 18 April to Monday 21 April engineers will be carrying out upgrades to the switches and crossings in the Acton East area – rail equipment that enables trains to move between tracks These upgrades will enhance the safety and reliability of the line Network Rail will also be continuing work that’s needed to bring trains in the future to HS2’s Old Oak Common station in west London and the overhead line equipment that power trains trains will be running to a reduced timetable between Reading and London Paddington – affecting GWR All trains to and from Frome will be affected by engineering work taking place from 10pm on Saturday 19 to 10pm on Monday 21 April as Network Rail carries out vital track maintenance to enhance safety and reliability will not stop at Frome and will instead use an alternative route A rail replacement service will operate between Frome and Westbury said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these vital upgrades over the Easter break “While most of our network will be up and running there will be bus replacement services operating in some areas “We know that there’s never a good time to close the railway and this engineering work has been planned for a time when fewer people are travelling by train to reduce disruption These upgrades will mean that passengers can continue to experience a safe and reliable railway into the future.” GWR station manager for Slough & Maidenhead said: “This improvement work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance helping to ensure we continue to provide consistent and reliable services “GWR will provide replacement bus services between Maidenhead Bourne End and Marlow from Saturday 12 to Sunday 20 April season tickets will also be valid for journeys on the line between Henley-on-Thames and Twyford for onward connections “Season tickets will also be valid with Chiltern Railways between High Wycombe and London Marylebone as well as London Underground services between Marylebone and Paddington “It’s important that customers are aware that these alternative travel arrangements will make journey times much longer said: “These essential engineering and maintenance works along the western route of the Elizabeth line will enhance the safety and reliability of the track so that we can continue to operate the best service possible Elizabeth line services in the west will be running on a reduced timetable and check before they travel using our website or the TfL Go app.”  to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years Crews tackled a fire which left a boat destroyed in Bourne End on Thursday evening Follow me on Twitter One appliance and a crew from High Wycombe another from Beaconsfield and three officers were at the scene of the boat fire at Ferry Lane by Cookham Bridge in Bourne End A moored boat was ‘well alight’ when firefighters arrived Crews used four sets of breathing apparatus one hose reel jet and two main jets to extinguish the fire Appeals and information Developer ‘tricks’ are behind a new consultation launched over the Christmas period on plans for more than 400 homes in Bourne End More than 400 homes are planned at Jacksons Field and Hollands Farm in Bourne End Developer ‘tricks’ are behind a new consultation launched over the Christmas period on plans for more than 400 homes in Bourne End A 30-day public consultation was triggered after Catesby Strategic Land Limited and Capreon (UK) Ltd submitted amended plans for homes at Hollands Farm and Jacksons Field this month Bourne End & Hedsor ward have decried the timing of the consultation – fearing it means less opportunity to give an informed response Councillor Penny Drayton described the consultation as ‘a Christmas present that no one wants to receive’ “For us to be able to speak to professionals and get our heads round the plans – it's just a really awful time to do it,” Cllr Drayton said Catesby and Capreon have provided further traffic impact assessments and made landscaping changes to their plans Development would see 432 homes built across the sites; split by 360 at Hollands Farm and 72 at Jacksons Field Cllr Drayton said the development would have a ‘huge impact’ on Bourne End She said: “It [the consultation] feels underhanded because it’s disrespectful and if they [developers] feel themselves it's just and good they could do these consultations at a different time and let people respond in a fair manner.” “It’s just a tactic,” added fellow independent ward councillor Stuart Wilson planning is hard enough without people using these tricks to ensure that the timing is disadvantageous to people who may have a point of view.” Hollands Farm and Jacksons Field were removed from Green Belt and allocated for development by Bucks council’s Conservative administration as part of the Wycombe Local Plan in 2019 Nearby Slate Meadow was also allocated for homes in the plan Part of Hollands Farm in Bourne End where 360 homes are planned Cllrs Wilson and Drayton have been part of Keep Bourne End Green – a campaign group fighting development in the village since before the Wycombe Local Plan was adopted Councillors have invited residents to a meeting to discuss the plans at The Hedsor Club in Hedsor Lane at 7.30pm on January 15 Plans can be viewed on Buckinghamshire Council’s planning portal under references 21/06215/OUTEA Responses to the consultation should be submitted to the portal by January 19 Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for planning Cllr Peter Strachan (Con “The Council has acted in accordance with the relevant regulations to give 30 days for the public to comment on the new details that have been received.” A Catesby spokesperson told the Advertiser its December submissions were part of ongoing work with Buckinghamshire Council ‘to address additional requests for information’ The spokesperson added: “We will continue to work with the council as this planning application for development on this allocated site progresses to planning committee.” Capreon did not respond to a request for comment on the timing of submitting its plans Planning A wealthy businessman has won a legal battle over rights to his £2.2million country home in Bourne End after an ‘especially acrimonious’ dispute with his son A wealthy businessman has won a High Court battle over rights to his £2.2million country home in Bourne End after an ‘especially acrimonious’ dispute with his son Michael Parker owns a seven-bedroom home – known as The House – on 10 acres of land three staff residences and an office building He contended that despite having signed The House over to his son the true nature of this agreement was that it was being held in trust for him that he was the rightful owner and that Mr Parker was not abiding by that agreement Mr Parker-Bowyer put forward a counterclaim for an injunction to restrain Mr Parker from entering The House Mr Parker considered transferring ownership of The House to one of his sons and remainder of the property to the other deciding to move into another area of the property Mr Parker said he and his son Thomas agreed he would transfer The House but would retain control and use of the whole property and could develop it as he saw fit for his lifetime Mr Parker-Bowyer believed that the transfer was a ‘gift’ and that it was now his house under his control Mr Parker-Bowyer and his wife sold their home in Ascot and went to live there in July 2022 Things started to go south between the father and son that December ‘Strong words’ were exchanged and the couple moved to live elsewhere after this Conflict continued – Mr Parker-Bowyer said his father forced entry into The House in February 2023 because Mr Parker claimed that the pair had agreed to a Life Trust an arrangement that allows someone to use assets for their lifetime without owning them.  Mr Parker-Bowyer perceived that he had bought the property and it was now his – and his father simply ‘changed his mind due to his own personal grievances.’ He claimed that from May to September that year his father continually trespassed on his land blocked access and then dug a trench across his land for new cabling for solar panels and a new water supply his understanding of the agreement stood in stark opposition to that of family and close friends who were sure that Mr Parker had always intended to keep The House said he found Mr Parker-Bowyer to be ‘an unsatisfactory witness.’  His grasp of the facts was ‘shown to be wanting’ at times Some of his answers ‘beggared belief’; some were ‘contradictory’ ‘evasive’ and ‘untrue.’ They also ‘defied commercial logic’ The judge said he found it ‘unlikely verging on the impossible’ that Mr Parker would have handed over The House without a reservation of his continuing rights “Mike made his plans known [to several people] contrary to what Tom says,” concluded Deputy Master Linwood “Those plans included Mike retaining control over each property during his lifetime for him to do as he saw fit; whether renting the judge declared that Mr Parker-Bowyer does indeed hold The House in trust for Mr Parker – and his father is therefore entitled to carry out works there There was another claim in this case regarding goods in The House Mr Parker claimed against his son and his son's wife for 'valuable goods' left by him there He asserted that The House contents that belonged to him were worth about £250,000 But the trial duration was ‘insufficient’ to deal with this matter and he suggested dealing with this in another court Crime, courts and inquests Battery-powered trains could be appearing on the Marlow branch line in the early 2030s a Great Western Railway (GWR) representative told Maidenhead Town Forum last week signed a deal with Vivarail to trial new battery-charging technology designed to support the introduction of battery-powered trains When Vivarail went into administration in December 2022 GWR agreed contracts to purchase the rolling stock intellectual property and equipment relating to the fast-charging technology.  the company started the trial for rapid-charging battery trains on the Greenford branch line regional development manager (East) at GWR really well’ and the company recognises improvements need to be made to trains including the line from Maidenhead to Marlow and Bourne End are still running from diesel stock Class 165s that have been around probably since before I was born [from] around the time of the Soviet Union and particularly to have such a prosperous part of the country running on ageing trains is that customers will be seeing on a day-to-day basis performance issues and the general challenges that comes with looking after and maintaining a much older fleet “We knew that our trains need to be replaced in the future.” Ms Wills said one of the key challenges faced is passengers need to change trains at Bourne End to travel from Maidenhead to Marlow.  “That’s probably one of the key challenges that we need to be fixing “We really understand that we need to be improving the train service for the community and also for those businesses in the Marlow and Bourne End area.” The FastCharge battery sees a charging pack built into the track which is alongside a rudimentary shipping container and this then provides a ‘two-pronged approach’ to charging the train driver training and user testing is being undertaken.  Ms Wills said a firm date for when battery-powered trains will be brought into service is yet to be announced Ms Wills said plans include working with Network Rail to see how they can reconfigure the track at Bourne End to allow them to create a through service to Marlow She explained that the current length of the platform at Bourne End does not accommodate the length of new battery-powered trains we want to make rail a really attractive way to get between Marlow and Maidenhead,” she added She explained that the team ‘would like to’ have longer trains on the Bourne End branch line work is currently being undertaken to see what is possible “I think what we want to do is just keep progressing that work and not raise expectations because we know Bourne End is going to be a really tricky problem to solve,” Ms Wills added “But we will absolutely make sure that as soon as we get further updates that we can share that new battery train coming forward in Bourne End with an improved service and we will just keep working on that as an industry as we have been doing.” said: “If we can have these lines electrified really help because Maidenhead is a key station on the Elizabeth line network “We have a lot of people coming in from Marlow [and] Bourne End – the station’s completely packed in the morning Traffic and Travel Tree felling in Bourne End described as a ‘chainsaw massacre’ has come under the spotlight again after the developer behind rejected plans launched an appeal Free Weekly Newspaper of the Year 2018 motors and property from the Windsor Express Tree felling in Bourne End described as a ‘chainsaw massacre’ has come under the spotlight again after the developer behind rejected plans launched an appeal MMDM Developments applied to Buckinghamshire Council for permission to build three bungalows on a protected woodland site at Fieldhead Gardens with some under the impression that major tree-clearing works – by contractors on behalf of the developer – were a prelude to development Bucks council launched an enforcement investigation into the felling and refused planning permission for the project MMDM has now appealed this decision to the Planning Inspectorate In a 108-page document on behalf of the developer Barrie Stanley from Heritage & Architecture accused council planning officers of initiating ‘yet another wild goose chase’ He said the council had undertaken ‘a completely flawed assessment of the application’ which had caused ‘much further unnecessary complication and waste’ aims to provide the Planning Inspector with a ‘clear and simple solution’ amid the council’s ‘fog of obfuscation and confusion’ council planning officers cited loss and ‘fragmentation of a protected woodland’ in addition to ‘increased pressure’ on protected trees already at the site They added: “Such development would likely result in the continued erosion of the woodland character of the site to the detriment of local amenity.” Comments submitted against the application echoed similar concerns One resident slammed the developer for a ‘lack of respect for Tree Preservation Orders and disregard for the impact on the woodland.’ Another compared the clearance works to a ‘chainsaw massacre’ when speaking to the Advertiser last year All three Bourne End ward councillors wrote objections to the council Councillor Stuart Wilson warned the felling work had caused a ‘material bearing on the woodland character and appearance’ and urged officers to consider this in their decision that the extent of tree felling in accordance with the TPO consents has significantly altered the character of the site.” But the statement counters replacement trees can be planted and alleged Bucks council had managed 'to dupe two of the inspectors into the false belief that an immense amount of trees would need to be removed’ He also argues that a previous appeal by MMDM was dismissed by the Planning Inspector who ‘completely ignored’ and ‘belittled’ supporting evidence There have been three planning appeals for developments on the woodland – all rejected by the Planning Inspector MMDM’s 2022 appeal was dismissed over the impact on ‘the character and appearance of the area’ and ‘biodiversity and protected species’ the Planning Inspector did award MMDM costs and advised the council had failed to act ‘proactively with the applicant’ on biodiversity issues in the application enter reference 23/07458/OUT into the Buckinghamshire Council planning portal August 26 to register objections to the Planning Inspectorate using reference APP/K0425/W/24/3345099 on its website.  The Riverside Group is transferring 319 homes to Red Kite A Royal Borough councillor representing Datchet Horton and Wraysbury has defected to Reform UK Plans for a new designated country park with new features and car parks in Little Marlow have been approved by Buckinghamshire Council cabinet members.   Plans for a new designated country park with new features and car parks in Little Marlow have been approved by Buckinghamshire Council cabinet members.  The decision to approve the the creation of a 24-hectare Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) means the land at Spade Oak Lake – which was already used as outdoor and recreation space - will be designated as a new country park and will include a new 2.8km circular walking route with new footpaths enhancement to the vegetation and two new car parks.  The Little Marlow Lakes Country Park has been a term used to describe the land between Bourne End and Little Marlow since the 1960s but it had never formally been designated as a country park The approved plans also include the restoration of the former Gravel Yard at the site The new country park will be funded by the developer as part of bringing forward a major housing development at Hollands Farm Hollands Farm was allocated for development in the Wycombe District Local Plan Two applications – by Catesby Strategic Land Limited and Capreon (UK) Ltd – for a total of up to 432 new homes at the Hollands Farm site (up to 72 homes on Jacksons Field and 360 on Hollands Farm) have been submitted A SANG is required for the development to mitigate the recreational impact on the Burnham Beeches Special Area of Conservation Addressing some concerns over the plans at Thursday’s cabinet meeting Buckinghamshire Council leader Martin Tett, said: “I understand entirely why some of the comments made by some people are actually really to do with their opposition to the development of housing that was in the Wycombe District Plan.  I would probably be equally as opposed.  “But this is an inheritance we have from the former Wycombe District Council and their local plan This is a done deal in terms of the housing development.  He added: “The pressure from the new Government is absolutely extensive and unrelenting in terms of allocating yet more land for housing development and indeed reviewing the Greenbelt further to release even more Greenbelt land “So this is probably not going to be the end of discussions of a very similar nature where very contentious Greenbelt sites are forced to be released by this new Government and its pressure upon local authorities I completely understand and empathise with the local residents on this.”  Cllr Tett also outlined some key concerns raised in a letter by Cllr Stuart Wilson (Ind who stated the SANG option was not a true circular walk and has narrow pinch points said that while that is correct and there are some pinch points and narrow elements we’re satisfied that what’s proposed here passes the test effectively from Natural England,” Mr Bambrick added Mr Bambrick also addressed issue pertaining to Marlow Film Studios stating that because part of the footpath goes across land owned by the applicant of the proposed film studios a legal agreement was being sought to ensure the council could ‘properly manage the footpath’.  But Mr Bambrick said because the council would manage footpaths under its powers as a highways authority there is no need for a legal agreement for the council to specifically manage the footpath if the controversial Marlow Film Studios application is successful at appeal there may be a separate legal agreement attached to the permission for other aspects of the development “But this particular aspect around the footpath there isn’t one necessarily,” Mr Bambrick added Maidenhead to Marlow trains will be cancelled for eight days over the Easter period while track repair and replacement work is carried out by Network Rail Trains between Maidenhead and Marlow will be cancelled for eight days over the Easter period while track repair and replacement work is carried out by Network Rail From Saturday 12 April until Sunday 20 April (Easter Sunday) Cookham and Furze Platt - will see replacement bus services in operation while work is underway.  Network Rail lead portfolio manager Mark Parker said: “We're replacing track that's reached the end of its working life to help keep trains running for decades to come some extra noise and traffic in the area is unavoidable and we're sorry for any inconvenience which means less disruption to trains and people living near the railway.” GWR season tickets will be valid for use on the Henley-on-Thames to Twyford line which connects with the main Reading to London Paddington route Tickets will also be valid for use on Chiltern Railways and London Underground services between High Wycombe and London Marylebone and Paddington GWR station manager for Slough and Maidenhead Mian Sarwar said: “This improvement work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance “GWR will be providing replacement bus services between Maidenhead “It’s important that customers are aware these alternative travel arrangements could make journey times much longer For the latest travel information visit the GWR website Amber Environment Agency warnings issued over the weekend - advising a risk of flooding for low-lying land – are still in effect despite water levels receding in most areas The River Thames pictured at Bourne End Marina on Saturday (photo: Simon Bailey) Flood alerts remain in place along the Thames from Cookham to Hurley as the river swells from the aftermath of heavy rainfall from Storm Bert and Storm Connal Amber Environment Agency alerts issued over the weekend - advising a risk of flooding for low-lying land – are still in effect Red caution alerts have also been issued by the agency for the length of the Thames warning people against using the river due to ‘difficult and dangerous’ currents The Environment Agency said it expects water levels to continue falling over the coming days and it is managing weirs along the river to reduce flood risk Flooding at Cookham Moor over the weekend  The Moor B4447 through Cookham closed over the weekend due to flooding and upstream the Thames at Bourne End Marina also burst its banks A peak river height of 1.09 metres over the past five days was recorded at an Environment Agency monitoring station upstream of Cookham Lock on Saturday The station is now showing water has receded to 0.84m as of today though the agency is warning people to avoid low-lying land and roads because of flood risk The highest recorded measurement here was 1.46m in 2003 Flooding at Bourne End Marina between Saturday and Monday.  river height was recorded at 0.69m on Monday - a fall from a peak of 0.86m recorded in the early hours of Saturday morning Riverside pathways at Higginson Park were spotted underwater over the weekend A river monitoring station at Hurley Lock recorded a river height of 0.28m on Monday down from the peak over the last five days of 0.39m recorded on Friday Monday’s recording remains above the 0.2m level the Environment Agency warns could mean low-lying land is flooded in this area.  River Thames at Boulters Lock in Maidenhead has remained steady over this period with the water level recorded at 0.12m on today – below the 0.3m level the Environment Agency warns could lead to flooding of low-lying land Environment Agency water level data is recorded using a fixed point in the River Thames which rises and falls are measured against For the latest information on flood alerts and water levels visit the Environment Agency website Environment Calls have been made for an improved maintenance plan to be put in place to deal with the ‘depressing’ litter along the A404 between Marlow and the M4 Calls have been made for an improved maintenance plan to be put in place to deal with the ‘depressing’ litter along the A404 between Marlow and the M4 Marlow resident Geoff Proffitt said the problem with litter both small and large on the the verges and central reservation has been on-going for the last 10 to 15 years “I drive to Slough every day from Marlow and the state of the A404 it [has] just deteriorated in respect of litter Geoff said he drives past in the mornings and evenings and sees ‘thousands’ of pieces of debris spanning miles along the A404 and Bisham roundabout area Some of the rubbish includes items like beds Geoff believes the litter is a mixture of wind-driven rubbish fly-tipping and people throwing things out of their vehicles “You can walk continuously between Maidenhead and Bisham and every foot has got some form of rubbish Geoff said he contacted the Royal Borough via Fix My Street and was told National Highways was responsible for the issue The 60-year-old said he has written to National Highways about this “There are one or two areas where it is clean and then there’s other areas where it’s more heavily built up,” Geoff added “As you’re approaching Maidenhead or Marlow well this is a great advert for the town of Maidenhead or the town of Marlow He added: “I don’t know what their maintenance plan is I know it probably costs quite a lot of time and effort to close a lane to clean but they must be doing it two or three times a year “I’d be quite certain that some of the rubbish has been there a lot longer than that.” Geoff called for an improved plan to be put in place to deal with the rubbish put a plan in order and let people know that they know of the problem and that they’re doing something about it,” he added and we are working hard to tackle it on our roads “We comply with our duties under the Environmental and our people are litter-picking almost every day “To keep them safe we have to close motorway and A-road lanes delaying drivers and costing millions of pounds “But if people don’t drop litter in the first place it wouldn’t need to be picked up – so we urge road users to take their litter home.” For more information about reporting litter on the National Highways network, visit: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/environment/communities/litter-on-motorways-and-major-a-roads/reporting-litter-on-our-network/ Marlow & Bourne End Handy Cross Roundabout and part of A404 from Marlow are set to close this weekend – beginning a period of disruption and delays for drivers Handy Cross Roundabout is set to close from this weekend (photo: Google) Handy Cross Roundabout and part of A404 from Marlow are set to close this weekend – beginning a period of disruption and delays for drivers The Roundabout - a key link connecting A404 to M40 and High Wycombe – will close from 5am on Saturday to allow National Highways to do repair and upgrade works It will reopen again on Monday (September 16) from 6am but will see further overnight closures that week till Friday The closure will also affect A404 from the Westhorpe Interchange at Marlow A404 sliproads at the interchange - heading towards Handy Cross – will be closed A National Highways update advised: “Our proactive work which is to prevent unsafe road surface conditions developing includes refreshing the road markings around the roundabout plus upgrading traffic signals and technology at the location “Several diversions will be in place so that this work can be carried out safely “We understand that this will add to journey times and local residents and road users are thanked for their understanding.” National Highways has advised drivers will be diverted during the closures: A public notice advertising the closures said disruption would last till October 5 but National Highways says it expects work to be completed by September 19.  the agency says it will update through its website and social media channels.  For the latest travel information search @HighwaysSEAST on X (formerly Twitter) and on nationalhighways.co.uk A404 sliproads towards Handy Cross from Westhorpe Interchange at Marlow will also close The Department of Education recognises E-ACT Bourne End Academy as the top comprehensive secondary school in Buckinghamshire By Paul Atkins · 25 June 2024 A popular academy in Buckinghamshire is committed to providing all students with the knowledge and skills needed to become successful leaders E-ACT Bourne End Academy in Bourne End takes pride in fostering a supportive and collaborative environment that inspires both students and staff the academy's commitment to providing a nurturing atmosphere goes beyond traditional education cultivating a sense of community where every individual is valued it creates a dynamic learning space that encourages students to explore their passions The aim is to inspire a love for learning and empower each student to reach their fullest potential enabling them to make positive contributions to society Rated 'Good' with an 'Outstanding' for Leadership & Management by Ofsted inspectors recognised the academy's commitment to safeguarding and the care it provides to each individual student They noted: 'Leaders share a clear vision for all pupils to access an ambitious curriculum They have carefully identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn 'The provision for the wider development of pupils is a strength of the school These include activities such as engineering Pupils relish taking part in these during the school day 'Staff work tirelessly to support pupils who need help to modify their behaviour Pupils are confident they have adults in the school they can talk to if they have worries or concerns Leaders have a robust and restorative approach to dealing with bullying.' the latest national performance data from the Department of Education recognises E-ACT Bourne End Academy as the top comprehensive secondary school in Buckinghamshire with 58% of students achieving a Grade 5 or higher in English and Maths There is a high standard of teaching across the curriculum E-ACT Bourne End Academy also offers a broad and stimulating range of extracurricular activities to support wider learning these have included two fully funded trips for Year 13 students to Vietnam focusing on politics and history; a cultural experience in Thailand for Year 10 students; and a trip for dance students to Miami to perform with the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders The academy is proud to serve the local community and provide students with opportunities to succeed and achieve their ambitions E-ACT Bourne End Academy opens minds and doors for its pupils and staff Headteacher Kerri-Anne Leavy said: "It is a privilege to lead this exceptional school community we continue our mission to develop future leaders "Our vision is ambitious yet deeply rooted in a commitment to providing a world-class education for all students "We aspire to develop a generation of dynamic and compassionate leaders who possess exceptional knowledge and the skills and mindset necessary to lead with impact in an ever-evolving world They underpin our highly ambitious vision towards a world-class education for all and ensuring every individual has the right to reach their full potential." Discover more about E-ACT Bourne End Academy at an open evening on September 12 For further information and to book your place, call 01628 819022, email beaoffice@e-act.org.uk or see bourneendacademy.e-act.org.uk LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}}