Mims Davies MP supports Conservative Council motion on Copthorne Hotel

Wednesday evening, a vital motion led by the Conservatives to ensure Copthorne Hotel returns to its former glory and the wants of the Copthorne community are supported, was passed at Mid Sussex District Council.

The motion received 41 Yes votes with 2 Councillors abstaining and was a huge win for the local Conservative Councillors and residents of Copthorne.

Mims recently visited the hotel at the end of August following ongoing emails from concerned residents. Mims has heard from residents and local Cllrs since taking over this part of Mid Sussex after the boundary changes in the General Election. Access had finally been arranged following various ongoing requests.

Mims spoke with the Home Office directly at the hotel and raised issues and questions ranging from public safety, especially of women and girls to illegal working, financial costs to the local authority, housing, schools, access to health services and extra social and sporting activities. She has been in contact with the Ministers on this matter reflecting community concerns and concerns engaging on the residents and businesses behalf.

Mims' full statement can be found here:

https://www.mimsdavies.org.uk/news/mims-davies-mp-statement-copthorne-hotel

Mims Davies MP said:

“I've received much correspondence from the residents of Copthorne expressing their great concern on the current use of Copthorne Hotel.

The local Conservative group, residents, and I want to return this lovely hotel back to the community, boost our economy, and ensure residents feel safe in their own village. They feel the hotel has done its bit after several years and it’s time for a return to its original use.

I greatly recognise the ongoing strong feeling, worries and upset around this matter and this site. I have worked with all the parties involved to make sure a good partnership remains, and all issues rectified and resolved.

Nobody should live in fear in any part of our community, and we should expect peace and harmony on all our streets and in our communities.

Residents can be rest assured I will continue to listen to the worries and act on concerns and act on this so this problem can be dealt with finally and the hotel can be returned to the community, boost our economy, and finally have this issue solved.”

This motion was led by the Conservatives group and was agreed and supported by the ruling party of Mid Sussex District Council run currently by the Lib Dems, with support of the Independents. This includes the other Parliamentarian for the district Councillor Alison Bennett MP who was present in the room.

The Mid Sussex District Council currently comprises of 20 Lib Dems, 18 Conservatives, 4 Greens, 5 Independents, and 1 Labour Councillor.

It was important this motion went through, and the Conservatives have worked hard to ensure it lands as the community wants with the support of Mims Davies MP, the Member of Parliament for East Grinstead, Uckfield, and the villages.

The local businesses have been reaching out for support from Cllrs and their MP, as they have been greatly affected by the complete lack of visitors to our area due to the hotel no longer being available for tourists and have asked for change.

Furthermore, in light of the recent news of the Gatwick expansion being confirmed, additional concerns have been raised regarding the current long standing use of the hotel because staff, Gatwick users, and those bringing forward the new runaway as construction contractors will mean needs to book local accommodation such as Copthorne Hotel for accommodation to bring vital custom to the area as well as boosting our wider local economy.

With the hotel being used as it currently is, this does not help the economy, local businesses, or reflect the views of the community and how they wish the hotel to be used. They roundly want the venue back in use for events, accommodation, and leisure facilities.

You can find the full meeting and what was said and the motion, led by Conservatives reflecting community needs below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eku4IPi8R3E&list=PLR0D-xywxM6rl2rAFb7y_mYvnRm6NYDJA&index=1

Mims will be holding one of her regular ‘Meet Mims’ Q&A events in Copthorne shortly as she continues to engage with her constituents on local and national issues that matter to them.

Cllr Graham Casella who proposed the motion said:

“Copthorne residents feel the prolonged use of the hotel for asylum seekers/refugees/immigrants is having a negative impact on the village for the following reasons.

The loss of tourism to the area is impacting the local shops, pubs, and restaurants. The hotel was a major employer, especially for younger people seeking local and first-time jobs. Protests have drawn people from out of the area to attend, and some of these people have been aggressive and caused local unrest. There is a lack of social cohesion caused by the lack of integration.

It seems there is a disproportionate number of hotels in the area, and many people are in the hotels in comparison to the population of Copthorne. This leads to an extra strain on local resources.

For the last 31/2 years we have lived in an information vacuum, with repeated requests for information being ignored. Sadly, when there is a gap, people fill it with information that supports their own agendas, which is causing unease and division.

We request you investigate ways to help bring our community back together.”

Cllr John Belsey who seconded the motion said:

“By bringing this motion forward it has helped us understand the impact that the change of use of the hotel has had on the Copthorne community, through briefings from officers and working with officers we know how to raise issues in an appropriate way we need to push this out to the wider community and from my perspective it has given me a much better understanding of the type of support available.

I believe a way in which we might support everyone in and around Copthorne can be through a community tension assessment – these are assessments undertaken by public bodies that help document heightened tensions or disputes that may arise.

It strikes me this would be a very suitable way for the public bodies in our community to work together to help support the wider community.

Personally, I wish all residents of Copthorne all the best in the months ahead and I hope that this debate can encourage all relevant organisations to come together to ensure our communities feel supported.

It will also allow us to ensure that as a District Council we are aware of the current position in the Copthorne community identifying what support is available so that as a Council we continue to act appropriately and responsibly on behalf of all our Mid Sussex residents.”