Our thanks to Councillor Ian Parker

At the September meeting we were sad to accept the resignation of Cllr Ian Parker. We thank him for his years of dedicated service to the Parish Council on behalf of the residents of Mayfield. Lots of readers will be aware of how many events he has helped to arrange and for the work to improve the skate park working with our young residents and fundraising. He will be missed. Wealden District Council has been informed of the resignation and at the time of writing this article the Notice of Casual Vacancy was awaited from them for publication.

 

Councillor Vacancies for Five Ashes

The Parish Council would very much like to fill the two vacancies that there still are on the Parish Council to represent the ward of Five Ashes. Five Ashes is currently poorly represented with only one of three Councillor positions filled. 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),
• for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish boundary.

Electric blanket testing

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service have arranged Electric Blanket Testing sessions this Autumn. Bring your electric blanket along for a free safety check at any of the below events:

Tuesday 15th October 2019

• 00am – 12.00pm – Eastbourne Fire Station
• 00pm – 4.00pm – St Johns Church Hall – Polegate

Wednesday 16th October 2019

• 00am – 12.00pm – Hailsham Fire Station
• 00pm – 4.00pm – Heathfield Fire Station

Thursday 17th October 2019

• 00am – 12.00pm – Uckfield Fire Station
• 00pm – 4.00pm – Crowborough Fire Station

 

Glass recycling

At the last Community Safety and Traffic meeting a request was made to enquire about what happens to the glass collected at the kerbside and mixed with other recyclables. Wealden District Council has informed that the glass is still recycled at the material recovery facility at Crayford run by Viridor, where the material is sorted and sent to various companies following the glass recovery. Therefore, the glass is still recycled separately from other materials like that collected in the bottle banks.

 

Reporting crime and other incidents to the Police
Sussex Police are in the process of reviewing and improving the way in which the 101 non-emergency service is delivered. To help achieve this an Independent Advisory Group has been established to work with the Police and offer advice on improvements and the actions that emerge.
Good progress is being made and call waiting times have reduced over recent weeks and with the introduction of technological improvements it is hoped these call response times will be maintained.
One aspect that has become apparent is the confusion that people have in whether they should call 101 or 999 and it might be helpful to follow the guidance below :

• Call 101 for incidents that do not require an immediate response such as vehicle theft, damage to property or anti -social behaviour.
• Call 999 for an immediate response where life is in danger, violence is being used or threatened, or a crime is in progress.
• Non- emergency reports can also be made on line by accessing the websitesussex.police.uk

 

Wealden District Council – Contingency Planning for ‘No Deal’ Brexit

Sorry! I know many cannot stand that word being mentioned another time at the moment!

Although there continues to be uncertainty over what a post-Brexit UK will look like, officers responsible for business continuity have been conducting an audit of all Wealden District Council’s services to assess their levels of preparedness for the UK leaving the European Union. The homepage of the Wealden website has also been updated to include a banner which links through to a page called “Brexit preparations”. The links on this page direct the user to key information on the gov.uk website regarding Brexit. On the Wealden website page, there is also access to the Contingency Planning Report that was presented to Audit, Finance & Governance Committee on 21 January 2019. They will also be using their social media channels (Facebook and Twitter) to sign-post their followers to the Brexit website and share with them any relevant information from central government as the need arises.

 

It is recommended if any residents or local businesses have enquiries to firstly visit the Government’s Brexit website: www.gov.uk/brexitif you have online access. This is to help minimise the impact on the Wealden contact centre, freeing up resources to take phone calls from more vulnerable residents or those without access to the internet at home. If further information is required following use of the Brexit/ Wealden websites, please direct enquiries to info@wealden.gov.uk

 

Wealden Grants Programme

The Wealden Grants Programme is open for applications until 30th November 2019. The Small Grant Scheme is for grants between £500 – £3000 and the Capital Scheme is for grants between £1000 – £15,000. Match funding is required, but it can be entirely “in-kind” such as volunteer time, member contributions etc.

A limited number of 40 minute pre-application advice sessions, for groups/individuals who have not had one before, will take place during office hours in Hailsham, Crowborough and Uckfield. Sessions must be booked in advance and are to directly discuss a drafted application for your organisation. Please contact Michelle Gray on (01323) 443520 or by email: Michelle.Gray@wealden.gov.ukIf you are unable to attend one of the sessions and can submit your application so that it reaches Michelle by 15^th November at the latest, she will then do her best to give you some feedback before the closing date so that you can strengthen your application (although please note that this will not guarantee success).

 

Celebrate Older peoples Day

October 1^stis Older People’s Day. East Sussex County Council has a range of events taking place across the county throughout October. You can find out what is happening by picking up their ‘Let’s Celebrate!’ booklet available from various locations across the county including libraries, council offices and leisure centres , or you can download a copy by visiting their homepage : https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk(Look for the cheerful balloons at the top of the page!) This year’s events include afternoon tea, day trips, tea dances, film screenings and more. You are not restricted to the local area: all events are open to people from across the county, older and younger.

 

New service for private housing tenants

Wealden District Council now offers a free service to private tenants, landlords and agents to prevent failed tenancies. They can help with communication breakdown, rights and responsibilities, rent arrears and more. If this affects you, contact: housingoptions@wealden.gov.uk or 01323 443380.