Possible solution to antisocial parking

At the February Parish Council meeting a possible solution to antisocial parking was discussed and approved but it will only be successful if volunteers assist with reporting offending vehicles. The procedure will be for willing members of the public and councillors to take a photograph or dashcam footage of vehicles that are parked antisocially if it is safe to do so. This evidence would need to be reported online as antisocial driving to Operation Crackdown. Internet access is therefore an essential requirement. It takes around seven minutes to file a report. If a sufficient number of volunteers put themselves forward the Council will provide flyers to leave on windscreens to inform the driver that the vehicle has been reported.

Antisocial parking includes:

• Parking across more than 50% of the pavement
• Parking on zigzag lines
• Parking on double yellow lines
• Obstructing sight lines art a junction
• Parking within 10m of a junction
• Breaching the two-hour High Street parking restriction
• Parking on the pavement so as to obstruct and inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.

Operation Crackdown – http://www.operationcrackdown.org  

To log a report you will need:

• the location of the vehicle
• why you think it is causing a hazard
• the licence plate number
• The make, model and colour of the vehicle.
• Any additional information that may help identify the driver
• Any photos, videos or dash cam footage

Taking a photograph of the incident from the rear of the vehicle is therefore helpful to note the details of the vehicle.

Once a case has been reviewed by Operation Crackdown, it can be dealt with in a number of ways:

• A visit to the driver in question from the police
• An advisory letter sent to the driver
• The incident being kept on record for 12 months (in case of repeat offending)

Feedback from other Parishes who do this suggests that this has deterred inconsiderate parking and re-offending is reducing. If parking is your biggest bugbear and you would like to volunteer to take part, please contact the office on 01435 873784 or email clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk

A267 Carriageway repairs

East Sussex Highways is scheduled to be carrying out carriageway patching works on the A267 Mayfield Road/ Tunbridge Wells Road, Mark Cross from Monday 20 February for three weeks. Mayfield Road/ Tunbridge Wells Road will be closed to through traffic from B2100 at Argos Hill to B2101 at Mark Cross between 7pm and 6am each night. Traffic will be diverted via A267, A272, London Road, A26, Bunny Lane, A267 and vice versa.

Parish Council elections on 4^th May 2023

The election timetable has been uploaded to the community website and it details the deadlines leading up to the elections.

As mentioned in last month’s article, the Notice of Election is due to be published by Wealden District on Monday 20 March 2023. We have been informed that the nomination packs will be ready from the beginning of March to issue to candidates. Nominations may be submitted to Wealden District Council from Tuesday 21 March, the final date and time for their receipt in their Elections Office is 4pm on Tuesday 4 April 2023. It is strongly advised to submit them by hand at their offices in Hailsham. It is possible to post them, but it is inadvisable as they will not be accepted if the post is delayed. The deadline is absolute and no nominations will be accepted after that time. Also, although nominations may be received up to the deadline, it is in everyone’s interests if papers are submitted at least a couple of days before the final time so that candidates will have the opportunity to resolve any problems which may arise with the paperwork.

More information and the nomination pack can be found on the Electoral Commissions website: 

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/local-elections-england

Photographic ID now required to vote in elections

For the first time, residents will need to show photographic ID to vote at this year’s local election on Thursday 4 May 2023. The requirement to show photo ID at the polling station, is a new requirement, introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act which was passed last year and comes into effect for the first time this May. The legislation requires voters at polling stations to show an accepted form of photo ID before they receive their ballot paper before voting in local council elections in England, parliamentary by-elections, and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales. From October 2023, photo ID will be needed at UK parliamentary general elections. It will not be a requirement at local elections in Scotland or Wales, or elections to Scottish Parliament or Senedd. The requirement already exists in Northern Ireland.

Residents are being urged to make sure they are ready to vote in May by checking they have an accepted form of ID. Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK, EEA or Commonwealth drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Residents who do not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free ID either online at https://voter-authority-certificate.service.gov.uk/ or by completing a paper form and sending this to Wealden’s Electoral Services team. To apply for the Voter Authority Certificate, voters will need to provide a photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance number. If you need any help with applying for the free ID or want to request an application form, contact Wealden’s electoral services team on 01892 602407 or via email: elections@wealden.gov.uk

Wealden Community Lottery launched

Wealden District Council is pleased to launch Wealden’s first Community Lottery! The Community Lottery offers an additional method of raising much needed funding for important local organisations that give so much to the community in a wide variety of ways. The Wealden Community Lottery is designed to assist fundraising and support the people living and working in Wealden. A generous 50% of the ticket proceeds from the Wealden lottery will go to charities, voluntary organisations and other not-for-profit groups with the remainder being put towards a central fund, prizes, operating costs and VAT. Tickets will cost £1. Visit https://www.wealdencommunitylottery.co.uk/

Claiming compensation for loss of water supply

The lack of compensation to residents from South East Water for the interrupted water supply before Christmas was raised at the February Council meeting. Information on their website states that you need to complete a South East Water Insurance pack for them to consider a claim. To obtain this, you are requested to contact them. The number for water supply and general enquiries is 0333 000 0002  or you can do this online at: southeastwater.co.uk/contact. If you are dissatisfied with their response, you can contact Ofwat for their assistance.

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