On Thursday April 21st Lewes Town Council held its Annual Town Meeting for the electors of the town. The Council was delighted with the enthusiastic dialogue the meeting created between residents, councillors and local groups.
The Mayor, Cllr Stephen Catlin, shared a report of the past year’s activities during his mayoralty. These included the re-opening of Malling Community Centre in June 2021, the recruitment of a new Town Clerk and Communications Officer, and two new events for the Town Council, a celebration of Black History Month and a symposium for allotment tenants at February’s Seedy Saturday.
The Mayor also commended the “community spirit and resilience” of the Lewes community during an unusual year, both in its continuing strong response to the Covid crisis, for which Covid Awards were held in September and the response to the Ukrainian war which has seen offers of help and support spring up around the town, including from the Council itself.
The main purpose of the meeting is for electors of the town to be able to ask questions to the town council. Five questions were asked in advance about topics from allotment waiting lists, a recent art installation, bus services in Lewes and community projects. These were answered by the Mayor and the Town Clerk.
There were also presentations from Eva Collins, a PCSO from Sussex Police who works across the Lewes District. She shared information on the ways the public can report minor incidents, to help build a picture of what is going on and distribute resources. Several recipients of Town Council Community grants during the past year also shared details their projects, including the CTLA, Battle of Lewes, Wellbeing Tree and Lewes Library of Things.