East Grinstead Mayor rejects Scientology event invites, breaking 3-year tradition

For the first time in three years, the Mayor of East Grinstead will not be attending winter events hosted by the Church of Scientology, we can report.

During an East Grinstead Town Council meeting yesterday, Deputy Mayor Craig Pond told local residents he had not been invited to the controversial church’s upcoming annual gathering and, breaking with tradition, the Mayor herself had declined an invitation to turn on the Christmas lights at their UK headquarters which is located in the town.

Saint Hill, a sprawling 60-acre estate in the rural Sussex countryside, once served as Scientology’s worldwide headquarters and is now a major management hub for the organisation. Thousands of faithful parishioners flock to the site every October for the annual gathering of the International Association of Scientologists (IAS), where reclusive leader David Miscavige delivers a lengthy speech and awards trophies to the church’s biggest donors. Last year, locals complained of the “chaos” and “disruption” the event brings to the town, with one resident telling The Sun “It’s an endless stream of people and so much noise — the infrastructure isn’t built for it so it ends up being chaos. Then you’ve got Tom [Cruise] flying over in his chopper and it causes a right old racket. To top things off, a minibus packed with Scientologists ended up having an accident with another driver, which meant one of the roads ended up being closed.”

Records show that since 2019, eleven sitting or former East Grinstead Town Councillors have accepted gifts or hospitality from the Church and since 2023, three consecutive Mayors have attended events at Saint Hill to receive £50,000 charity cheques and/or turn on their Christmas lights. Now, after four years of campaigning by local residents and survivors of abuse within the organisation, things appear to have changed with the Mayor formally declining the invitation to attend this year’s celebrations.

A 2024 investigation by The Daily Mail raised concerns about what it described as the “cosy relationship” between Scientology and local politicians, revealing the then-Mayor Councillor Frazer Visser had attended the red carpet premiere of Tom Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible film along with several former Mayors and sitting Councillors. Questions were also raised about the nature of the church’s ties to local government, with the report noting how Mid-Sussex District Councillor Dick Sweatman features in “slick Scientology PR videos” describing how “the town is extremely grateful to the church”. Meanwhile, as a former chair of the District Planning Committee, he “has been involved in decisions when Saint Hill was granted permission for major building work, including in one case a 2017 retrospective application that angered locals, who claimed it had brought noise and light pollution and what they said was the destruction of wildlife habitats.”

“Others including former mayor Julie Mockford and two other councillors”, the report continues, “were happy to feature in the same video. Another former mayor, Rex Whittaker, is in it too, standing next to Mr Miscavige at a Saint Hill event. ‘Saint Hill has given us nothing but support,’ enthuses one Mid Sussex councillor who thanks the church in the video for its friendship and warmth, saying it is ‘greatly appreciated’.”

Local council representatives have attended a number of Scientology events over the years, Daily Mail journalist Sam Merriman writes. “The church’s controversial leader David Miscavige has been given a guided tour of council offices; the local fire service has been using the Scientologists’ headquarters for training and was offered £50,000 by the church; and the Scientologists were involved in running East Grinstead’s Christmas lights switch-on ceremony as well as a celebration for the Coronation of King Charles.”

However, things appear to have changed with Deputy Town Mayor Craig Pond yesterday confirming neither he or the Mayor will be attending Scientology’s events this year. In a statement at a Town Council meeting, Pond said

“I have not received an invitation to the Christmas lights switch-on or to the IAS event and so therefore obviously at the moment I am not attending. The Mayor, who cannot be here today, Councillor Reeves, received an invitation for the Christmas lights but declined given she is currently on maternity leave. So that’s the current situation. We’re not attending any events at the moment.“

Deputy Mayor of East Grinstead, Councillor Craig Pond

A local resident present at the meeting described it as “shocking” that several consecutive Mayors had attended events at Saint Hill while refusing to meet with survivors, and told Scientology Business it was “important to speak up.”

Typically, the Deputy Mayor would be expected to step in when the Mayor is unable to attend a community event. Although Reeves’ maternity leave was given as the reason for declining Scientology’s invitation – rather than mounting public pressure or hearing concerns from local residents – the Deputy Mayor’s decision not to attend on her behalf could be seen as a sign the Council are finally reconsidering their close ties to the Church.

Only two years ago, East Grinstead Town Council removed a section of a recorded meeting in which members of the public raised concerns about their relationship with Scientology, banned journalist Tony Ortega from asking questions and branded one former member a “vexatious bully” – a decision that was later overturned by the Information Commissioners Office.

Now, for the first time since it was resurrected post-COVID, the Mayor will not be attending the IAS event or turning on the Saint Hill Christmas lights. One question still remains, however: will the Council finally agree to meet with survivors to hear their concerns?