It was a great honour to be elected Chairman of the Purley & Woodcote Residents Association (PWRA) at its AGM last night, a residents’ association that has been active in our community for over 80 years.
I am grateful to the outgoing Chair, Tony Smith for all he has done for Purley and for his support and encouragement.
In my acceptance speech, I also thanked the Treasurer, Andrew Frazer and Planning Officer, Andrew Gammie for all they have done. They are both stepping back for personal reasons.
It is no secret that the PWRA almost folded as I blogged very recently. I am pleased that I and others have managed to pull together a Committee for this year, but the reality is that to secure its future we need more people to get involved and be part of it – to give it the energy it deserves. I would also like to stress that despite my chairmanship, the PWRA is apolitical.
I want our committee meetings to be open to any PWRA resident who wishes to attend. They usually take place on the third Tuesday of every month at Christ Church, Purley (although I am reviewing whether to make these once every two months). Please do send me an email at [email protected] and I can ensure you are added to our mailing list.
With planning having been a huge issue across the PWRA area, it is no surprise that this issue has dominated our meetings. With the new administration on the Council leading to more planning refusals and fewer applications, I am keen to broaden the PWRA’s focus and think about other ways we can support Purley & Woodcote – like supporting the Purley Memorial Hospital and ensuring that residents can access the GP Hub without an appointment, working closely with our Safer Neighbourhood Team and thinking about how we can feed into the exciting plans for a new Purley Pool and ensuring a vibrant and exciting district centre.
Thank you once again to the PWRA for putting their faith in me. I’m looking forward to serving over the next year.
Cllr Samir Dwesar
