Councillor Winter’s Monthly Update – December 2022
As an elected representative of our town myself, I share the disappointment of many of you that our MP took the decision to abandon his obligations for a significant period to take part in a television programme.
This appears to show a complete dereliction of duty and disregard for the people of Newmarket and beyond who were left without representation in Parliament for weeks at a time, and indeed now he has had the whip suspended – will he ever get it back? Who is going to stand up for us and continue fighting in our corner for the bus services and other local issues?
We await further developments.
The small play area in the Memorial Gardens has now been transformed into a better, more inclusive space for younger children to explore. We are grateful to the National Lottery for funding the wheelchair-accessible roundabout, and for West Suffolk Council’s Play and Open Space grant which promises to cover the rest of the project. This has also enabled us to purchase two new picnic benches that offer space for a wheelchair, which we will set out once the warmer weather returns, along with some parasols for shade on those hot, sunny days (which seem a distant memory).
The preservation and safety work on the cemetery chapel bell tower and roof has been completed. The results are stunning, and both the council and the contractor have received some very positive comments. We look forward to the next chapter.
We have at last begun the restoration project on the clocktower – no doubt you will have seen the scaffolding, as it is difficult to miss at the entrance to town. We are expecting this venture to take around 3 months and are excited to see the results. At this point, it has only been a couple of weeks but I am already eager to get the clock back to showing us the correct time – hopefully in February.
Our celebration for the Coronation of King Charles III is planned to take place on the Bank Holiday Monday 8th May. This will give everybody the opportunity to watch the event itself on television on Saturday if they wish, and we can come together as a town for another day of fun on the Severals. We are busy making arrangements and booking the entertainment now.
All that remains for me is to say on behalf of myself and Newmarket Town Council – Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.