A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all residents of Mayfield and Five Ashes!

2023/24 Precept

At its meeting on 14 November 2022 the Parish Council approved the 2023/24 budgets and voted for the precept to remain unchanged with no increase in the next financial year. It was felt that this was necessary due to the increase in living costs that we are all experiencing. The following grants payable in 2023/24 have also been approved:

Mayfield Bonfire Society	£500
Five Ashes Village Hall:	£500
Mayfield Band:	£500
Mayfield Local History Society	£286
Wealden Citizen Advice	£300

It was agreed to increase the annual grants towards school prizes to £150 for each of the primary schools. The approval of the budget also maintains the annual contribution of £5,000 to MAYFACS, £1,000 for the Bonfire Society towards next year’s Bonfire Festival and £1,250 to the Parochial Church Council towards graveyard maintenance. It has also been agreed to not raise any rent or hire charges next year.

Christmas waste collections

Wealden District Council has informed that, as the same as last year, they are not sending out Waste and Recycling Collection Calendars to residents again this year and will not be producing bin hangers with the Christmas Collection Dates on. Christmas collections day will be one day later than your usual collection day. Garden Waste collections are suspended from Monday 26 December 2022 and resume on Monday 9 January 2023

Your usual collection day would have been:	Your revised collection day will be:
Monday 26 December 2022	Tuesday 27 December 2022
Tuesday 27 December 2022	Wednesday 28 December 2022
Wednesday 28 December 2022	Thursday 29 December 2022
Thursday 29 December 2022	Friday 30 December 2022
Friday 30 December 2022	Saturday 31 December 2022
Normal collections resume from Monday 2 January 2023

• Extra recycling can be put out in non-black plastic bags next to your recycling bin.
• Place your Christmas cards and wrapping paper in your recycling bin (except foil and glitter).
• If you do not have a garden waste collection service, you can recycle your real Christmas tree at your local Household Recycling Site.

2023 Local elections

The Parish Council elections are scheduled to be held on 4^th May next year. Are you passionate about your community? Do you want to help make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovative ideas for the council? Do you have concerns about a specific issue and want to do something about it? If this is you, then the parish council needs you. We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect their community to put themselves forward for election.

If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor you must:

• be a UK or commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union (yes, this still will apply;
• be a least 18 years old.

• be an elector of the parish, or;
• for the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or;
• during the previous 12 months have worked in the parish (as your principal or only place of work), or;
• for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish boundary.
• You do not have to be connected to a political party.

More information can be found on the National Association of Local Council’s (NALC) website using the following link: https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work in the section named Elections- Make a Change

Handyman

As mentioned in the last newsletter article we are looking for someone who would be happy to be engaged for odd jobs around the Parish. This might include sweeping up bark chips in the play area, weeding and tidying up the flowerbeds etc. If you are interested and would like to find out more, please contact the office. 

Temporary road closures and upcoming works

East Sussex Highways will be carrying out footway resurfacing and other associated works on Alexandra Road, Mayfield from 24 November 2022 to 02 December 2022. The road will remain open with parking restrictions in place. 

Meres Lane, Five Ashes will be closed on 19^th December 2022 to allow BT Openreach to carry out apparatus repair works.

Fir Toll Road, Mayfield will be closed from the junction with the A267 to the junction with Horleigh Green Road, a distance of approximately 1748 metres from 16^th January 2023 to 20^th January 2023 to allow South East Water to carry out apparatus repair works.

Local Knowledge wanted

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is redrawing constituency boundaries in order to rebalance the number of electors represented by each MP, and a final consultation on proposed new constituencies is now open. A new revised map of constituency proposals, which takes into account feedback sent in by the public on the initial proposals, has been published on the consultation website www.bcereviews.org.uk Send in your views before the closing date of 5 December to have your say on new parliamentary constituency boundaries.

Advice on keeping safe in rural areas

Sussex Police has shared suggestions to help keep rural homes, businesses and belongings safe:

• lock equipment away in a secure building or part of a building when not in use
• install a burglar alarm on buildings where equipment is kept
• keep expensive items and vehicles out of sight when not in use
• mark your tools and equipment and register them
• consider fitting outside security lights
• install a visible burglar alarm
• make sure windows and door frames are secure and in good repair
• fit strong locks to sheds, garages and outbuildings
• consider security bars and grilles for vulnerable windows and openings
• make sure gates cannot be lifted off or have their fixing bolts removed
• check security equipment regularly to ensure it works properly
• use locking posts or temporary obstructions to control wide access points to yards

 For additional security you could also: 

• install automatic security lights that come on at dusk and turn off at dawn
• install CCTV cameras to watch over the most vulnerable areas of the property
• install a monitored intruder alarm system
• install an entry control system infrared, intercom or keypad
• use a single gated entrance/exit, removing all private access points not in use

Office opening times over Christmas

The Parish Council office will be closed over the Christmas period from 23^rd December 2022 and will reopen as usual on Wednesday 4^th January 2023. Please note that the office will also be closed on Friday 09 December 2022.

Instagram – mayfieldvillagelife 

Available to for Mayfield and Five Ashes, this site can be messaged with details of a local event or alternatively, contact Cllr Sally Ann Tibbles: sally-ann.tibbles@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk

and she will put it information up for you. The site ‘mayfieldvillagelife’ is a picture book of activities in this Parish. (Press ‘follow’ at the top of the page and you will be notified of posts as they appear.)

Parish Council Meetings

The meeting schedule on the website: http://www.mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/ shows this month’s Council and Committee meetings as well as agendas, minutes of meetings and other meeting documentation

Janna Todd, Parish Clerk 
Old Manor House, High Street, Mayfield TN20 6AL 

Telephone 01435 873784          E-mail: clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk