Town Council Holds Online Meeting

Hailsham Town Council held its latest virtual Town Council meeting on Wednesday [17 June), the Council’s second official meeting since the start of the nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19.

Members of the Town Council and staff took part in the remote session as coronavirus social distancing measures still mean that a traditional gathering of the elected members could not take place.

At the meeting, the Town Council’s end of year accounts were noted and approved, and it was agreed by members present that the Council will soon introduce electronic payments for services via an online banking system, instead of using cheques. The move to transfer to internet banking has been welcomed by the Town Council’s Internal Auditor.

An update was provided on the Marshfoot Lane development and the options available to the Town Council, following the recent request for the Secretary of State to ‘call-in’ the proposed development. Members agreed to write to the Secretary of State in support of the request.

Also discussed was the proposal by Hailsham Youth Service to expand its operations into Hellingly, with the opening of a satellite youth group/centre with weekly sessions operating at the village hall in Hellingly. Members supported the proposal and discussions will take place with Hellingly Parish Council soon.

Council members and staff used the Zoom video conferencing application to conduct the meeting.

“Congratulations to members and the staff team for arranging what turned out to be another very successful online meeting of the Town Council,” said Cllr Paul Holbrook, Town Mayor and Chairman.

“It’s crucial that the democratic process is upheld amid the pandemic and associated social distancing measures, and that our Councillors can safely continue to make decisions and represent their communities during this challenging time.  This way, we can keep delivering the best possible services to our residents, businesses and local community.”

The decision to hold ‘virtual’ meetings until further notice came about as a result of emergency legislation by the Government which came into force on 4th April, allowing councils to hold virtual meetings online, also allowing the public to ‘sign in’ and participate in the public consultation section of meetings as normal.