The Parish Council met on Monday 9 March which turned out to be yet another very wet and wild evening, the sort that keeps most people at home. Nevertheless, there was as always a good crowd of Newdigate residents in attendance to hear the proceedings and ask questions about items on the agenda. The police report for the 4 weeks since the last meeting was very short, with no serious incidents reported. However, a councillor said there had been a break-in at a property in Mill Lane a few days earlier which was serious enough to merit the attention of the police and a forensic investigation team.
The Chairman said he was still in negotiation with the Surrey Wildlife Trust about the Brickworks Nature Reserve and was expecting to receive the Trust’s 5-year plan, following which it would be possible to sign the joint management agreement. A resident complained about the dangerous state of the boardwalk. It was pointed out that the fishing club has an agreement to use the area where the damage is most apparent and although the general public are permitted to use it, it is not a designated public right of way. The Trust has been doing work on other areas of the Nature Reserve together with local volunteers and I have been asked to follow up our earlier request for urgent repairs to the damaged boardwalk. Residents using the boardwalk should be extra careful and if unsteady on their feet should avoid it altogether until repairs are carried out.
It was decided to postpone the New Residents Evening until September/October because of the possible dangers of contamination from the coronavirus, the eventual spread of which is currently unknown. I’m getting dizzy with all the things that “those who know best” insist we should be frightened about, climate change, climate emergencies, leaving the EU, winter flu. Surrey County Council have issued a 3-page leaflet which says the risk of contracting the virus in Surrey is very low. If you would like a copy of the leaflet, please let me know.
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[mks_one_half]Lesley Bignell, Clerk to the Council[/mks_one_half]
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10 March 2020[/mks_one_half]
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[mks_one_half]clerk@newdigateparishcouncil.gov.uk[/mks_one_half]
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www.newdigateparishcouncil.gov.uk[/mks_one_half]
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