Parish Council News – February 2018

Mayfield Library

January is usually a fairly quiet month as there is no full Council meeting, however the Parish Council is continuing to look at different options to enable the community to retain its library facilities. East Sussex County Council’s consultation finished on 14 December 2017 and we are not optimistic about them changing their minds about closing our library. What we really need to do is determine whether the majority of our residents think that the library should be kept open before we commit any further.

 

There is already a post from Shirley Holland of MAYFACS on the Mayfield village Facebook page requesting residents to “Like” the post if they are in favour of maintaining a library. The Parish Council would like to hear from those residents who may not wish to use Facebook and request that you please contact us with your views on whether the library should be maintained. You can either email the office at: clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk, telephone 01435 873784 leaving a message if necessary, or drop us a line – the office is located in Old Manor House, High Street, Mayfield, TN20 6AL which is at the end of the High Street opposite the junction with West Street.

 

Mayfield Graveyard

Complaints have been received that some dog owners have been allowing their animals to defecate in the graveyard and are not cleaning up after their animals which is terribly disrespectful. So please clean up after your dog and bag it up! Once you’ve picked up after your animal please walk to a dog or litter bin or carry the bag home to dispose of it.

 

2018/19 Council Tax

The Parish Council has approved its 2018/19 budget and voted for no increase in precept for the next financial year. Wealden District Council’s Cabinet has recommended a council tax increase of £5 a year for Band D properties, with proportional increases for other bands. Leader of Wealden District Council Bob Standley said the Council faces challenging times ahead. “With central government grants disappearing, the Council’s budget will be under pressure and it will have to use some of its reserves to balance the books over the next 12 months.” The Council continues to make savings but is also having to factor in additional costs in readiness for the new waste and recycling contract and increased inflation risks. Results from its consultation about the 2018/19 Wealden council tax proposal are expected on 21 February 2018.

 

New Senior Officers for Sussex Police

Emma Brice has been temporarily promoted to Superintendent, Divisional Command for East Sussex and will have responsibility for policing across East Sussex.

Chief Inspector Anita Turner will replace Emma as District Commander for the Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden districts. She will be responsible for all local policing and ensuring the new local prevention policing model is working well for our local communities.

Also supporting our area the recently appointed Prevention Inspector for Wealden, Jon Gross is taking over from Tony Wakefield and has a background in public protection and investigations. He has a broad range of policing skills combined with excellent knowledge of our local areas

 

Advice from Action Fraud: Improve your internet security for free in two minutes

Domain Name Systems (DNS) are like public phone books for the web. They’re the reason you only need to remember a website’s name and not its IP address (think of these as phone numbers for computers). When you type “www.youtube.com” into a browser, a DNS service translates that into the associated IP address (199.223.232.0) for you.

Imagine a phone book that automatically filters and removes phone numbers known to be used for fraud. That’s what Quad9 does for websites. Quad9 provides an automated way to protect yourself and your business by blocking access to known malicious websites, like phishing sites designed to steal personal or banking details. It checks the website to determine if it is malicious. Visit Quad9.net for a step-by-step guide on how to improve your online security in two minutes.

 

Universal Credit is here

Universal Credit (UC) is a new benefit for people of working age on a low income and is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is a single monthly payment which will eventually replace:

  • Income Support.
  • Income Related Job Seeker’s Allowance.
  • Income Related Employment Support Allowance.
  • Housing Benefit.
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Child Tax Credit.

Any help you get with your rent will be included in your UC payment and you will be responsible for paying your landlord. In some circumstances payments can be made direct to the landlord, for example, when there are rent arrears or threat of eviction or you find it difficult to manage payments. If you’re already claiming any benefits you don’t need to do anything. You’ll be told when UC will affect you. However if your situation changes and this results in your benefits changing you may need to claim Universal credit if it has started in your area.

 

As Wealden District covers a large area Universal Credit starts on different dates depending on your postcode and the individual Job Centre roll out. UC was rolled out to Hailsham, Polegate and Heathfield this January as part of its introduction to benefits claimants of working age across Wealden. It will come into effect in Crowborough and Forest Row in March, and finally Uckfield in June 2018. It may take five weeks before people receive their first payment which can cause hardship and cash flow problems. It can also affect public and private sector landlords whose tenants receive benefits.

Wealden District Council is able to provide advice to people affected and assist people who are having difficulty applying online. The Wealden website is also a useful source of information, visit www.wealdem.gov.uk/universalcredit. East Sussex Credit Union provides a free and friendly drop-in service for money advice at Wealden District Council’s Vicarage Lane offices every Monday from 13.30 to 15.30 hours. No appointment is necessary- see www.eastsussexcu.org.uk or call 0300 303 3188 for further details.

Temporary Road Closure

East Sussex County Council has informed that there will be a road closure for Meres Lane in Five Ashes from the junction with the A267 to its junction with Frog Hole Lane from 27 February 2018 to 5 March 2018 to allow BT Openreach to carry out new service connection works.