Erewash council apologised to residents after it had to halt a town hall meeting – because there was no room for all those who turned up wanting to know about the future of Ilkeston’s former Pewit golf course. The public gallery at Ilkeston Town Hall has space for only 18 spectators so officials let 40 more into the Mayor’s Parlour next door to listen in via an audio link. That still left others outside. Proceedings were eventually adjourned after 15 minutes amid repeated problems with the relay equipment. The Scrutiny Committee was meeting on Thursday 15th February over plans to turn some 17.4 acres of the defunct municipal golf course into a nature reserve while disposing of a seven-acre parcel at West End Drive that has been identified as surplus to requirements.
The committee will now reconvene at 7pm on Wednesday 21st February. The meeting will be moved to the borough’s other town hall in Long Eaton – which has space for almost 150 including in overflow areas. For residents unable to make the extra journey the council is arranging for proceedings to be live-streamed on YouTube. Erewash Borough Council leader James Dawson said: “We are committed to transparency in all we do – so could not carry on with the meeting while people were excluded or unable to follow what was happening. I know some people are saying there is some kind of ruse to hold the meeting further away from Ilkeston – but while its town hall is where we would ideally want the meeting to take place Long Eaton’s has the facilities.”
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