Annual Parish Assembly

This year’s meeting was held on 22 May which is after the submission deadline for the June Newsletter article. For those residents who did not attend below is a summary of the welcome address from the new Parish Council Chairman, Councillor Ian Parker.

I would like to thank Deveda Redman on record and recognise her considerable efforts as Chair of this council during a difficult time. I would also like to thank James Lench, Gill Weavers, Rosemary Neal, Richard Tupper, Jane Driscoll, Julie Upton, Monica Aitken and Patricia Balfour for the efforts and contributions over the years they served as councillors.

Whilst the election was dominated by the on-going doctors surgery/ Community Centre project there are many other issues we as a council need to address. Speeding is a problem primarily in Five Ashes but also in Mayfield. This has been looked at before in some detail but hopefully with fresh eyes we can identify ways in which we can address it. Parking is another issue affecting the Parish and again this will be on our agenda.

If you have any issues or even ideas on how we can make things better than please contact me or any of the councillors.

Bike trail in woodland at Court Meadow

Some new jumps/ ramps have been installed without permission from the Parish Council again and this was discussed at the June 2023 Council meeting. We will be investigating how they have been made, whether they are safe and trying to open a dialogue to establish how youths would like to use the area which is currently not maintained such use and therefore not regularly inspected. Anyone who would like to talk to the Council about this would be very welcome. Our thanks go to our litter picker who has been clearing up the area as much as possible. Maybe parents would consider reminding their children to remember to put their litter in the bins provided?

Fly tipping at Court Meadow car park

It seems that every week there is something else that has been fly tipped in the recycling area. Last week an old oven and some patio furniture was left in the car park to be cleared up at taxpayers expense rather than a short trip being taken to one of our local recycling sites in Heathfield or Jarvis Brook. The only items that should currently be taken up to the recycling bins if absolutely necessary are mixed dry recyclables such as those collected from your kerbside. There is also a clothing bin that can be used if there is room in it. Bags of recyclables should not be left next to any of the bins if they are full as this is also classified as fly tipping.

Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste including general household rubbish, larger household items (e.g. fridges, washing machines and beds), garden waste or commercial waste (e.g. builders’ rubble, tyres, asbestos and clinical waste). It can be dangerous to people and wildlife, it pollutes land and waterways and costs the tax payer significant amounts of money to clear away. We all have a legal ‘duty of care’ to ensure that we dispose of our household or business waste correctly.

Fly tipping is a criminal offence and it carries an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to 5 years. It is always reported and always investigated. If it is your waste, it is your responsibility. We have been informed that the recycling bins in the Court Meadow car park will be removed at some point in the near future, as they are being across the district from other car parks. 

Waste Collection disruptions

Fortunately, North Wealden has not seen much disruption to the waste collections following a dispute at Biffa’s southern depot. This may have been resolved when by the time this is published.

The GMB union withdrew from planned talks due to take place with Biffa and ACAS. WDC sincerely hopes the GMB and Biffa will reschedule the talks at the earliest available opportunity so that a resolution can be agreed to bring the industrial action to an end. In the meantime, their members will continue working to rule. 

As a result, the majority of collections are expected to take place, but there may still be some limited disruption to services. If you have had a missed bin collection, please leave it out and available for collection as they will be working to catch up as quickly as possible. 

If you have had a missed rubbish or recycling collection and have extra waste that cannot fit into your bin, please place it in suitable bags beside the bin for removal. For extra recycling that cannot fit into the bin it can be placed in non-black plastic bags beside the bin. For safety reasons, where possible please ensure any glass bottles and jars are placed into the bin.

Potholes

Wealden District Council has passed a motion calling on East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to address problems with potholes across the district. The county council has responsibility for the roads and has its own contractor to deal with issues such as potholes. 

ESCC will be asked to confirm it has undertaken an immediate and comprehensive condition survey of the district’s road network, confirm the extent of work to be carried out and set a timetable to rectify the present state of disrepair; invite relevant officers to attend an early meeting of Wealden council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee to explain the position or ongoing maintenance of the roads; and finally to urge the them to make greater representation to the government for increased funding for road repairs.

Uckfield Leisure Centre

It is welcomed news that Wealden District Council passed a motion to explore the possibility of keeping Uckfield Leisure Centre open. The motion called on the council leader and chief executive to explore every possibility to keep the Uckfield Leisure Centre, including swimming pool open and to explore every option to save the provision of leisure centre and pool services as a priority.

A new flexible way to travel around East Sussex

ESCC has recently launched FlexiBus – a new flexible, on demand rideshare service operating across the county. This is available in more rural areas of the county where traditional bus services don’t quite reach, FlexiBus can take you to meet a friend, to the shops, your nearest town or to a medical appointment. 

The cost is equivalent to a standard bus fare, capped at £2 for a single journey until the end of October 2023 or you can buy an adult day pass for £5. As FlexiBus is a ride share service you may pick up or drop of others on your way. If you have questions or want to book a ride you can call 01273 078203 (6.30am to 7.30pm, Monday to Saturday). If you’re happy using the app dowload RidePingo and start planning your journey!

Temporary road closure

East Street is scheduled to be closed for the day on 17^th August 2023 from the junction with Piccadilly  to the junction with Coggins mill Lane to allow BT Openreach to carry out works.

Parish Council office opening

The Parish Council office will be closed for the summer recess from 18 July 2023 to 07 August 2023. If there any emergencies during the closure, Councillor contact details can be found at: https://mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk/latestparishcouncilnews/councillors/

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