Parish Council News – July 2022
Annual Parish Assembly
The meeting at Five Ashes Village Hall on 23 May 2022 was extremely well attended with an estimated 230 residents. The meeting received verbal reports and questions were taken by our PCSO Andy Ratcliffe, Lucy Jervis from MAYFACS, Graham Holland from Mayfield Trust, Geoff Gregory from Five Ashes Village Hall, our County and District Councillors: Cllr Simmons, Cllr Redman and Cllr Standley.
Topics raised included helping the Ukrainian refugees settle into the Parish, highways issues and refuse collection. The majority of attendees however were present to receive information and discuss the Community Centre development at Court Meadow which became quite heated at times! If you would like to know more information about what was discussed, the minutes are available for viewing online and information can also be found in this month’s Mayfield Community Centre Newsletter update. The Annual Report which summarises the Parish Coucil’s activities and achievements for 2021/2022 can also be found online in the minutes section of the Parish Council and community website.
Instagram – mayfieldvillagelife
This new Instagram site is available to all to highlight events in Mayfield and Five Ashes. It is not political and anyone can download the Instagram app if they do not have it for free. The site can be messaged with details of an event or simply contact Councillor Sally Ann Tibbles (sally-ann.tibbles@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk) who is the administrator, she will put it up for you. The site is called ‘mayfieldvillagelife’ and is a picture book showcase of activities in this Parish. (If you press ‘follow’ at the top of the page when you have the site up you will be notified of posts as they appear. We already are up to nearly 200 followers.
Footpath etiquette
We have had reports of footpath users not closing gates behind them which has caused distress to the farmer with regards to their livestock – some of the self-closing gates were even propped open. A farmer will normally close gates to keep farm animals in, but may sometimes leave them open so the animals can reach food and water. Footpath etiquette is to leave gates as you find them or follow instructions on signs. When in a group, please make sure the last person knows how to leave the gates.
Temporary road closures
Stone Cross in Mayfield is scheduled to be closed from the junction with West Street to the junction with Station Road (this starts at the junction of Love Lane and Fir Toll Close) from 18th July 2022 to 22nd July 2022 to allow UK Power Networks to carry out apparatus repair works. The diversion is worryingly via West Street to the High Street and vice versa. Both our Ward Member, Cllr Brian Redman, and I have flagged up how unsuitable West Street is for the diversion due to its narrowness at the top but no alternative has been forthcoming – larger vehicles and buses for example will not be able to access the top of West Street and will have considerable trouble turning into the High Street.
East Sussex highways we will be carrying out drainage investigation and jetting works in Coggins Mill Road to investigate a report of flooding to the highway. Work will take place on Wednesday 6 July between 9am and 4pm and during this time, Coggins Mill Road will be closed from Fletching Street to Pennybridge Lane. Traffic will be diverted via Fletching Street, Tunbridge Well Road, Little Trodgers Lane, Lake Street, Tidebrook Road and vice versa.
Waste & Street Cleansing Industrial Action
Thankfully, at the time of writing this article the bin strike had finished the previous day and hopefully collections will be up to date by the beginning of July. A missed bin must be reported to the Council at the latest by 5pm the day after the scheduled collection day. If the missed bin is not reported before this deadline, they are unable to arrange collection. You will need to wait until your next scheduled collection or take the waste and/or recycling to a household waste recycling site. More information can be found at: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/
Safe Space Sussex app
A new app called ‘Safe Space Sussex’ aimed at helping people if they find themselves feeling unsafe, feeling vulnerable, whilst out and about during the day, evening or night time is now available to download free from the Apple App and Google Play stores. Once downloaded and logged in, users will see a map showing their location and a number of red pins indicating all Safe Spaces near them, such as local shops, pharmacies, supermarkets, pubs and clubs. Tapping on a red pin will show opening times and directions from their current location to all venues who are signed up to the app.
On arrival at the Safe Space users can identify themselves to staff who will be able to offer them somewhere safe to wait until the Police or a trusted contact can reach them.
Businesses Sign Up
If you are a business or service in Sussex that is willing to offer a safe space for people to go to if they feel threatened or at risk of harm? You can sign up for the Safe Space Sussex app, which directs those at risk to available safe spaces nearby. To access:
Environmentally-friendly fuel trial
A trial to run waste collection lorries on environmentally friendly fuel has been underway across Wealden. Thirteen lorries, trucks and other vehicles operating out of the Bellbrook Depot in Uckfield have been running on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil – as opposed to diesel – as part of the trial. This includes lorries collecting waste and recycling from homes in Wealden. The pilot is a collaboration between the East Sussex Waste Partnership, Biffa Municipal Ltd – the contractor responsible for waste and recycling collections – and Green Biofuels – GBF.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil – HVO – is stable, renewable, sustainable and high-quality and offers better combustion and filterability. The fuel is created by collecting cooking oil waste and putting it through a hydrotreatment process before reusing it in conventional diesel vehicles, rather than disposing of it in landfill or as hazardous waste. It significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and is cheaper.
Wealden District Council has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner and this is just the start of moving towards sustainable methods and their commitment to using renewable and sustainable energy in the future.
Parish Council Grants:
Please note that the application deadline for Parish Council grants each year is 30 September for payment in 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/
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