Parish Council News – November 2021

War Memorial flowerbed 

I am pleased to be able to inform that the funding required to redesign the flowerbed has been raised thanks to the very generous donations received from residents. We are hoping that the planting will start towards the end of October in readiness for Remembrance Day.

Jubilee Wood

A very big thank to all the volunteers who having been working hard at Jubilee Wood’s Nature Trail. It is exciting to be able to announce that there is now a bug hotel that has been built there. Our thanks go to those who have kindly contributed including Ken Audsley and Ros Hetreed who have been managing the project, Nigel Styles for building the roof, Karen Dines for donating the roof tiles and to Ghyll Park Equestrian and Linsey Hodge for the pallets. The Five Star accommodation is now ready to receive its hibernating visitors!

Resignation of Councillor

We are very sad to have to announce that Jerry Watkiss resigned from the Council at the end of September. Jerry joined the Parish Council in 2007 taking on a very active roll and his contribution to the council will be sorely missed. He has been the Chairman of the Rights of Ways and Trees Committee since 2010 and a member of the very valued Volunteer Maintenance Team who help to maintain our Parish footpaths. Jerry took on the position of Council Chairman from 2013 to 2016 and has more recently chaired the Mayfield Community Centre Committee. He has worked tirelessly maintaining the Council Website and our sincere thanks go to him for all his hard work and commitment for the Parish.

Wealden District Council has informed that the position to represent Mayfield Ward can be filled by co-option. If you would like to be considered, please send your CV and a letter outlining why you would be a valued member of the Council to the Parish Clerk: clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk

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), 
  • for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish boundary.

Applications for co-option need to be received a minimum of one week before the scheduled date of a Parish Council meeting. The next meeting is on the 8th November 2021.

Bike trail ramp

It is so disappointing to have to report that the newly installed ramp in the bike trail adjacent to the skate park has already been dug into, presumably by youths. Several tools had to be removed from site that can be returned to the owners if they are claimed. The ramp was installed to make the area fun to use but to keep bikers safe in case there is an accident. If the ramp becomes dangerous to use again a difficult decision will need to be made on how to improve safety in the area. It was hoped that other ramps might be installed in the area if the design was not interfered with.

Vandalism in Five Ashes playground

Once again, I have had to report vandalism in the Five Ashes play area to Sussex Police. This time the fence has been broken in several places leaving sharp splinters of wood that would be dangerous to users and had to be removed. If you come across antisocial activity please report it to Sussex Police as soon as possible on 101.

Guide to Highways

In October, we had a meeting with representatives from East Sussex County Council to discuss highways and safety issues. They recommended reading their Guide to Highways on their website to understand how their policies and processes work with regards to road maintenance and management. This can be viewed at: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/our-services/guide-to-highways

Temporary road closures

An advance notice for a long period of future work in Piccadilly Lane has been received. The road will be closed to through traffic from 02 December 2021 to 25 February 2022, a period of 87 days to allow South East Water to carry out new mains connection works. 

Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Consultation

Gatwick Airport is now consulting on proposals to bring the existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside their Main Runway. Departures would be shared between both runways. The Northern Runway would be used for smaller aircraft. All arrivals would continue to use their Main Runway. They are inviting comments from anyone with an interest in their proposals. Your feedback will play an important part in the development of their plans. The consultation began on 9 September 2021 and runs for 12 weeks until 11:59pm on 1 December 2021 at:

https://www.gatwickairport.com/business-community/future-plans/northern-runway/


Sussex Police’s Streetsafe online tool

The murder of Sarah Everard and the conviction Wayne Couzens has sent shock waves through policing across the UK, Sussex included, and the case will have a profound impact on public trust and confidence in the police, particularly that of women. The new Streetsafe is an online tool where you can anonymously inform of locations in our neighbourhood that make you feel or have made you feel unsafe. This could be due to environmental issues such as street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism or because of behaviours you’ve experienced that could include being followed or verbally abused. The information will be shared with local authorities and other partner agencies to gain a better understanding of how people feel in an area and what measures, activities or initiatives can be put in place to help people feel safer. Visit the website: https://www.sussex.police.uk/notices/street-safe/street-safe/  to plot on the map where you have felt or feel unsafe. You will be given the option to answer additional questions on your personal characteristics (gender, age, sex) but will you will not be asked for your name or date of birth.  

Warning to dog owners

Police are urging residents to be vigilant after receiving two reports of scams relating to lost dogs in East Sussex. The owners of a dog that went missing in September received a call from a man saying he had their dog and demanded £500 for its return. He asked if the dog was spayed and that if it was, it was no good to him. The owners suspected something was wrong and refused to pay the money. Their dog returned home a few hours later after getting lost in the woods. A similar phone call was reported by a woman helping a dog owner find their dog in Hastings. The man with a Liverpudlian accent again demanded £500 but no money was handed over. In both cases, an appeal to find the dogs had been posted on Facebook with a phone number. The caller unable to produce any evidence that he had the dogs. 

Sussex Countrywatch Rural Crime Partnership

If you are farmer in Sussex, you are invited you to join the Sussex Countrywatch Rural Crime Partnership system on DISC. This is available online and as an app to download. The service provides you with alerts and updates from the team about suspicious vehicles, people and criminality that will be of interest to you. It enables you to report incidents and intelligence to the team, as well as provide comments and feedback about articles and alerts. To join DISC, please speak with one of the team or email ruralcrime.team@sussex.pnn.police.uk providing your contact details. DISC is a free service available exclusively to farmers and requires signing up to an information sharing agreement.