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Buxted Parish Council

Buxted Parish Council came into being in 1894 when the present system of Parish Councils was instituted to give rural communities a voice. Buxted Parish covers some 7,000 acres with an electorate of about 2,500 out of a population of 3,200. It encompasses the villages of Buxted, High Hurstwood and Five Ash Down.

The parish is divided into two wards – Buxted/Five Ash Down (10 councillors) and High Hurstwood (5 councillors). Councils are elected for a term of 4 years. Council meetings are held on the second Tuesday in every month (except August), alternating between Buxted Reading Room, High Hurstwood Village Hall and Five Ash Down Village Hall, at 19.30. Meetings agendas are displayed one week in advance on the Parish notice boards in Buxted (on the Ionides Trust site), High Hurstwood (near The Hurstwood pub) and in Five Ash Down (outside the Village Hall) and on the website. The agenda includes a list of any planning applications received from Wealden District Council for consultation. All meetings of the Council and its committees are open to the public, who are welcome to ask questions or raise issues with the Council before the meetings formally begin.

An early requirement was to provide allotments, which we do. Councils can also support arts and crafts; contribute to maintenance of churchyards; protect commons, provide buildings for public meetings, functions and entertainment, maintain public footpaths and bridleways (jointly with ESCC), provide footway lighting (we don’t), provide and maintain public open spaces, and comment on planning applications.

We also take an active interest in highways matters, policy and our environment (e.g. trees and hedgerows). More and more we have to comment on government policies for local government and voice our electors’ concerns.

Parish assets include Buxted Reading Room, two recreation grounds (Buxted and High Hurstwood), two allotment areas in Buxted (recently re-generated) and High Hurstwood, children’s play areas in Buxted and High Hurstwood, and two bus shelters. The budget is set annually over the period October to December. Planned expenditure less income forms the ‘Parish Precept’ which is levied as part of annual Council Tax. Apart from meeting general running expenses of the council – specifically employing our Parish Clerk – the council makes grants to local organisations and contributes to local projects e.g. Buxted Traffic calming.

The Parish Council recognises the burden of Council Tax but is also conscious of local needs for improvements in the Parish that increasingly are not being covered by either County or District as they seek to keep within national government budgets. Before increasing Precept to cover costs of local improvements such as the recent traffic calming, the Parish Council ensures that such improvements are what our electorate want and are prepared to pay for.

Councillors sit on various committees (e.g. Finance, Planning, Communications) and outside bodies (e.g. Ionides Trust, Buxted Community Hall Trust). Each keeps an eye on different parts of the Parish, e.g. for planning purposes and trees.

Our Parish Clerks, Beccy Macklen & Claudine Feltham (01435 515219) clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk, who act as the Council’s ‘proper officers’ on the Council’s behalf and under its direction. 

Latest Parish News

WEALDLINK - Your friendly, assisted, door-to-door shopping bus service

21

October 2024
WEALDLINK - Your friendly, assisted, door-to-door shopping bus service

Wealdlink, a Registered Charity, operates a reasonably priced weekly door-to-door shopping service to Crowborough every Wednesday from Buxted. There is also a monthly service to Tunbridge Wells on the first Monday of the month and to Eastbourne on the third Monday (summer months only). The services are for anyone who has difficulty accessing normal service buses (not just the elderly) and are driven by friendly, fully-trained volunteers.

Passengers need to register in order to use our services. Registration is free, just phone 01892 771332 and we will register your name and address and discuss your travel requirements.

The next stage is to book your journey. Bookings may be made up to 24 hours before you travel and you will get a phone call on the morning of travel to confirm an estimated pick-up time. You will be picked up from your front door, dropped off in the town centre, collected at a pre-arranged time, returned to your home and if needed a passenger assistant will carry your shopping into your house.

As Wealdlink is a door-to-door service, pick-up and return times vary, according to the number of passengers and their location. The first pick-up is usually between 09:30 and 10:00 and you will normally be home by around 13:00. (later from Tunbridge Wells and Eastbourne). This allows you at least 90 minutes to do your shopping and also give you ample time for a coffee in one of the many cafes in Crowborough. Socialising with fellow passengers is very much one of the benefits of using Wealdlink!

Services are part-funded by Parish Councils, including Buxted and by a grant from Wealden District Council.

We are always on the lookout for more volunteer drivers!

For more information, to register and to book, call 01892 771332, or visit our website: www.wealdlink.co.uk

WDC Cllr Graham Shaw monthly update

21

October 2024
WDC Cllr Graham Shaw monthly update

A further October Update

I just wanted to remind you about the Community Forum next Thursday, 24th October, 6.030-8.00pm, at St. Marys Church Hall, Church Road, Buxted. I look forward to seeing you there.

Letter to Angela Rayner

In response to the various planning and housing consultations issued recently by government (see my previous updates) Rachel Millward, Leader of Wealden District Council, and James Partridge, Deputy Leader, have written to Angela Rayner

(Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government).

I thought I would share that with you, and it is attached. It expresses our frustration about the constraints that are placed on councils like Wealden to properly respond to increasing the supply of the kind of homes the evidence suggests we need in Wealden, balanced with ensuring environmental concerns are taken seriously.

Rachel was also interviewed yesterday on Ashdown Radio. You can hear that here:

https://www.ashdownradio.com/player/on-demand/items/rachel-millward2/

As ever if you have any comments or questions, please email me, or come and raise that next Thursday!

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