Crawley Borough Council will hold annual meeting at The Hawth

Crawley Borough Council will have to hold its annual council meeting at The Hawth after a High Court ruling signalled the end of online meetings from May 7.
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When the pandemic hit, the government introduced temporary legislation to allow local authority meetings to be held online, in line with social distancing regulations.

But the decision not to keep those rules in place until the pandemic ends, means councils all over the country will have to find ways to continue their meetings in public while also keeping councillors, staff and the public safe.

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A spokesman said the council was already making preparations to be able to hold in-person meetings – and attendees will have to adhere to safety rules.

The first of those meetings will be annual council, which will be held at The Hawth theatre on May 28.

Other meetings will be held at The Charis Centre, in West Green Drive, until the new town hall – and the new council chamber – are complete.

The spokesman said: “The venue will be set up in line with government and Public Health England guidance with attendee safety being of paramount importance.

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“We expect all attendees at meetings to wear masks, as appropriate, to maintain social distancing and to observe the instructions in place at that time.”

He added that the council had found the ability to hold virtual meetings ‘extremely helpful’ and had hoped they would have been able to continue for longer.