IT was a long night at the monthly Derwent Valley Council meeting yesterday, with debate over Willow Court security and development extending over two hours. One member of the public walked out in apparent disgust over the Willow Court debates, and all but two members of the gallery left once the agenda moved on to other matters.
Councillors passed four of the nine Willow Court motions put forward by Councillor Damian Bester but his proposals for permanent security fencing were defeated, as was his move for the council to apologise for its handling of the historic site over the last decade.
The council also approved a recommendation that the public in future be excluded from council workshops after the first 30 minutes. The only concession is that the workshops will once again be advertised publicly. This was proposed by Cr Judy Bromfield, who said her objection to the presence of the public at last week’s Willow Court workshop was that not all members of the public knew about it because the workshop was not advertised.
The evening wrapped up at 11pm after a closed meeting. Debate may have gone on for longer, but for two “gag motions” moved by Cr Tony Nicholson during the night.
Cr Bester’s comments about the meeting have been posted on his website at damianbester.com
Other comments related to the council meeting can be read at the Save Willow Court Facebook page
Any person (councillors included) wishing to submit their own comments about any aspect of the meeting for publication here is welcome to email newnorfolknews@gmail.com
