The Parish Council wishes residents a Happy New Year!

Firstly this year we would like to acknowledge the generosity of residents who have very kindly assisted the Parish Council gratuitously in 2016. Clive Gray (CJ Gray Plant Hire Ltd) has kindly repaired the surface of the access road, overflow car park and improved the drainage adjacent to the Memorial Hall. Chris Farmer (Farmers Oak Buildings) replaced the post, repaired the figurines and re-erected the village sign that blew over earlier in the year. We thank you and appreciate all of your work and time provided to support the village.

For information, the top of the village sign is still undergoing repairs and we are hopeful that it will be installed shortly.

Councillor Vacancy

As mentioned in the December issues of the Newsletter the Parish Council needs to co-opt a councillor to represent the Ward of Five Ashes. If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor you will need to forward your CV to the office with a covering letter outlining why you think you would be a valued member of the Parish Council and any areas of expertise that you could offer by 31 January 2017. These will then be circulated to Councillors for consideration. Prospective Councillors will be invited to attend the Parish Council meeting on 13 February 2017 to speak for three minutes.

To stand for election on a Parish Council, you must:

• be a UK or commonwealth citizen, or;
• be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or;
• be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union;
• be a least 18 years old.

To be eligible to stand for an election for a particular parish, you must:

• 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.

The Parish Council meets once a month (for about 2 hours) except in January and August. The meetings take place in Mayfield Memorial Hall and Five Ashes Village Hall. Its following committees carry out the detailed work of the Parish Council:

• Planning Executive
• Finance and General Purposes Executive
• Community Development Advisory
• Rights of Way and Trees Advisory
• Community Safety and Traffic Advisory

 

You would be expected to attend the meetings of any of the Committees that you become a member of. Committees are scheduled to meet four times a year with the exception of the Planning Committee that meets every three weeks.

 

Paws on Watch

Sadly there has been another spate of dog poo left on a daily basis on the path in Court Meadow that leads to the Pre-School. There has also been a noticeable increase in Mayfield High Street. This has been reported to Wealden District Council but there is not a lot they can do unless the culprit is caught in action. Perhaps other dog walkers can help out by joining this initiative?

 

‘Paws on Watch’ is a project from the Safer Wealden Partnership that recruits responsible dog owners. Many have already joined.

There are over 20,000 dogs in the Wealden area. If only a small percentage of those owners were keeping an eye open for people up to mischief as they walked their dogs, Wealden could be a lot safer than it already is. Ask yourself:

• Do you regularly walk a dog?
• Are you a responsible dog owner and always clear up after your dog in public places?
• Would you like to help keep you area safe?

 

If the answer is ‘Yes’ all you have to do is supply a few personal details such as name and address including post code and an email address and you will have become a member of ‘Paws on Watch’ . Your email address is then stored on a secure database and can be used by Sussex Police and other partners to alert you to important and relevant issues.

 

As a ‘Paws on Watch’ member you will be asked to do these things:

• To act as an extra pair of eyes and ears in your local community
• reporting back anything that seems suspicious or unusual;
• If you feel able to and it is appropriate to promote responsible dog ownership amongst other dog walkers by challenging those that do not clear-up after their dog and offering them a bag
• To help Sussex Police and other enforcement agencies to keep an eye out for specific crimes in your area and to report any details.

If you decide to join you will receive a badge, a tag for the dog’s collar (wearing them is optional) and a membership card that lists the important contact details for Sussex Police and some personal safety advice. Membership forms are available in the Parish Council office for any residents interested in joining the scheme. An electronic form is also available upon request that you can print out at home.

Burglaries

A number of burglaries affected Mayfield residents in December.

A farm was the target of a further burglary on Thursday 8 December. The building was broken into with photographic equipment amounting to a significantly high value stolen. (Case reference 116 of 08/12)

 

There was an incident in Station Road on Friday 2 December; a gardener’s van was parked on a client’s driveway between 3pm and 5pm and was unlocked due to the need for regular access. At some point, a rucksack type bag containing a number of tools and other items was stolen. The contractor who reported the incident, believes he saw people selling Christmas trees in the area at that time and that they may have seen something. (Case reference 577 of 07/12)

 

At an address in West Street on Friday 2 December, a removal van was parked between 3pm and 5pm on the driveway and left unlocked whilst the contractors were unloading belongings into a property there. Somebody took advantage of the situation and stole a rucksack belonging to one of the removal men. (Case reference 361 of 06/12)

 

If you have any information please contact Sussex Police at: www.sussex.police.uk/contact-us or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or phone 101 quoting the case reference number.

 

Please take care to ensure the security of all your outbuildings and where practicable, consider installing noisy ‘contact’ or ‘motion-sensitive’ alarms, sensor (LED) lighting or possibly CCTV. Any deterrent like noise, light or ultimately the risk of being captured in a photograph, can only help.

 

Warning for residents to steer clear of fake call blocking services

Sussex residents are warned to be cautious of cold callers offering relief from nuisance phone calls. We’ve received reports of fraudulent sales calls encouraging householders to subscribe to costly call blocking or telephone preference services, charging a monthly fee. However, the services offered will not block any unwanted calls, and could place personal information in the hands of criminals.

For genuine call blocking and telephone preference services, residents are advised to sign up to the free Telephone Preference Service (www.tpsonline.org.uk) which offers one level of protection. Call blocking devices approved by ‘Secured by Design’, such as trueCall devices (www.truecall.co.uk), are also available.

 

Remember: banks and police will NEVER call and ask you to transfer funds to a new account, NEVER collect your cards from your home, NEVER ask you to buy high value goods and NEVER ask you to hand over cards or money.

 

UK Power Network’s Priority Services Register

If you know of anyone who may require additional assistance in the event of a power cut and has not already registered the Priority Service Register (PSR), please let UK Power Networks know through their at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/power-cuts/priority-services-during-a-power-cut/ or by calling 0800 31 63 105 or 0333 32 32 105 if calling from a mobile. You can also register to receive text updates during a power cut when the power is off.

What help should I expect to get during a power cut?

✔ A priority number that you can call 24 hours a day

✔ A dedicated team who will contact you to keep you updated during a power cut

✔ We can get in touch with expert who can offer you advice on energy bills and energy saving tips if this is important to you

✔ Tailored support if needed such as home visits, hot meals, advice and keeping your friends and relatives updated

✔ In certain scenarios they may also offer a free hotel overnight and transport to the hotel

 

Who can register to receive extra support?

• Customers who rely on medical equipment
• Customers who are chronically ill
• Customers with a disability
• Customers who have dementia
• Customers who are blind or partially sighted
• Customers who are deaf or hard of hearing
• Customers who are of pensionable age
• A nursing or residential home
• Customers with children under five in their household
• Any other case that you would like us to consider

New Library Opening Times

Following the library consultation earlier last year East Sussex County Council has made changes to library opening times across the county that came into force on 28 November 2016. All libraries will be open on a Saturday and many will stay open until 6pm on a Thursday. The reduced opening times will save around £500,000 a year from library running costs, with overall savings for the East Sussex Library and Information Service of £2 million.

 

When libraries are closed you can still access the e-library to renew and reserve books, update your details and download e-books. For those unable to visit a library due to ill-health, disability or caring responsibilities, there is a home library service, where volunteers select and deliver library books to your home. For more details visit www.eastsussex.gov.uk/libraries

Library books can also be renewed through the 24 hour automated renewals line: 0345 6080195.

Mayfield Library Opening Times:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 2pm to 5pm

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 2pm to 6pm

Friday: Closed

Saturday: 10am to 2pm