New Councillor

At our meeting on 10 June 2019 Richard Tupper was co-opted as Councillor to represent Mayfield Ward. Two candidates applied to be considered to represent Mayfield Ward and it was a difficult choice. Richard is a senior manager with a long and wide range of experience within the Financial Services and Investment Banking.Living in Mayfield has made him realise the importance of respecting and taking care of our Parish.Welcome on board Councillor Tupper!

 

Councillor Vacancies

At the time of writing this article there had been no applicants to fill the two vacancies on the Parish Council to represent the ward of Five Ashes. If you would like to be considered for co-option please send your CV and a letter outlining why you would be a valued member of the Council. To be eligible to apply for co-option 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.

Keys found

A set of keys have been handed into the Parish Council office. If you have lost your door keys please do come along to determine whether they are yours.

 

Please help us and respect the children’s play area

This is a very unpleasant matter to have to write about. Unfortunately, human excrement has been found for three weeks in a row near the new den in the Mayfield children’s play area and a nappy has also been left there. It seems to have occurred on Fridays. Although it has nothing to do with Pre-School they thankfully cleared it up which we are extremely appreciative of. Obviously, the play area cannot be constantly policed so please do be extra vigilant if you are in there taking care of little ones and it would be prudent to check around the den before they are allowed to play there. If you know anything about the incidents or have seen anything suspicious please do let us know to enable us to report this very antisocial and unhygienic behaviour.

 

Gardener war memorial

The War Memorial flowerbeds have been planted up by volunteers in preparation for the Parishes in Bloom judging and they are looking very bright and cheery despite the heavy rainfall. We would be interested in hearing from anyone who would like to volunteer to help to maintain the War Memorial flowerbeds on a regular basis on behalf of the community. Please contact the Parish Council office to discuss this further.

 

Community book swap

We are delighted that the Community Book Swaps are working so well. Thank you to St Dunstan’s Church, The Shopping Basket and Truffles in Mayfield and to Five Ashes Village Hall. Please however be reminded that the idea is to bring a book and to swap it – not to leave large bags of donated books at the different venues. The stock should naturally build up as a result of its use.

 

£2.4 million water main project progress

South East Water has informed that work is ahead of schedule both in the private land and highway sections of their route to install a new water main. The work in old Tunbridge Wells Road was completed and the road re-opened on 13 June. The next part of the project is to move to the High Cross Road section under a road closure from 21 June 2019.

Meanwhile they will be laying a new section of pipe across Bassetts Lane and another new section with a road closure in force at Little Trodgers Lane from 24 June 2019. They are also seeking consent from East Sussex Highways to install technical equipment in the ground at the Bicycle Arms Road / Argos Hill junction from 26 June to 9 July 2019 under three way traffic light control. This equipment is necessary forthe operation of the new pipeline once completed.

 

 

Fly Tipping Prevention Campaign

Wealden’s Street Scene Team have a new fly tipping prevention campaign to raise awareness on the householder’s duty of care when disposing of waste. They hope it will help to prevent fly tipping at source.

• Always ensure that a waste carrier removing rubbish from your home is properly registered.
• Don’t fall foul of the law and pick up a criminal record. It’s your responsibility to legally dispose of your rubbish.
• DO check a waste carrier is registered. DO retain a receipt or record of their details. DON’T use cold callers.
• Check here to keep your #Wealden countryside free of flytipping: http://ow.ly/1z4250ur9X1

 

Consultation on Meals in the Community subsidy

East Sussex County Council is consulting residents about a proposal to stop paying a subsidy towards its Meals in the Community Service. Meals services enable people to have hot, chilled or frozen meals delivered to their home on a daily or weekly basis. At the moment, the subsidy is £4.10 per meal and it is not means tested. The full cost of a meal is between £4 and £8. It will continue to deliver the service but at a full cost to users if they wish to carry on receiving them. The move is part of plans to save £730,000 on Adult Social Care next year. To take part:

• Fill in the online survey at https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/adult-social-care/mealsubsidy/consultation/intro/
• Email your feedback: consultationASC@eastsussex.gov.uk
• Post us your feedback: ASC Meals Subsidy Consultation, North A Floor, County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, BN7 1UE

If you need information in another format or you need help to take part please contact the Community Relations Team 01273 481 242 (9am-12pm Mon-Thurs). The consultation closed on 06 August 2019.

 

HMRC Alert

Please be careful with any automated phone calls purporting to be from the Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC). I have had three such calls myself within two days

• Fraudsters are spoofing genuine HMRC telephone numbers to deceive their victims over the phone. They state that as a result of the victim’s non-payment of tax or other duty, they are liable for prosecution or other legal proceedings to settle the balance. They suggest this can be avoided by arranging payment to be made immediately by bank transfer or by purchasing iTunes gift cards.
• If the victim is hesitant or refuses to comply, the suspect makes a threat such as immediate arrest, sending bailiffs to their address or, in some cases, deportation.
• Often, the period for which the tax is allegedly due is distant enough to guarantee the victim will have little, if any, paperwork or ability to verify the claims. Once the money is paid the suspects sever all contact with the victim.
• In genuine cases, HMRC will initially make direct contact with you via post/letter and potentially follow up that letter with a phone call at a later date.
• If HMRC contacts you via telephone they will quote the reference number on the initial letter you should have received. HMRC will not discuss something you are not already aware of, like a tax investigation, and will NOT demand immediate payment.

 

Parish Council Grants:

Please note that the application deadline for Parish Council grants each year is 30 September for the following financial year. Information on how to apply and the application form can be found in the “Key Documents / Finance” section on the Parish Council website at https://mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/