Please see the latest news attached.

StreetSafe is an online tool where you can anonymously tell us of locations where you feel unsafe.

You can use StreetSafe to pin areas on a map where you feel or have felt unsafe, even if a crime hasn't happened. It's an online tool that you can access via the Sussex Police website here https://orlo.uk/ruDbC

We'll use this information to assess measures, actions and initiatives to improve public safety and your feelings of security.

Please note that StreetSafe isn’t an alternative tool to report crime. If you wish to report a crime for non-emergencies either report online or call 101. In an emergency always call 999.

Wealden District Council is calling on residents to take part in a consultation that will influence how residents can participate in how planning decisions are made in the district in the future.

The council has created a new Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for consultation which outlines how residents will be engaged in planning policy, including the Local Plan, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping the future of the area. The document also highlights the ways that communities can participate in planning applications and the support available for neighbourhood planning groups and community-led initiatives.

The council would like your comments on this new draft document. The consultation runs for eight weeks from 4pm on the 4 July 2025 until 4pm on 29 August 2025, providing an opportunity for residents, businesses, and stakeholders to share their views and help shape a more transparent, accessible, and inclusive planning process.

A Wealden council spokesperson said, "Although there’s no legal requirement for this consultation, we strongly believe in empowering residents from the very beginning—ensuring they have a voice in shaping how the council communicates, consults, and collaborates on planning matters. Planning decisions affect every aspect of community life and is essential that people take part in the consultation, share their views, and help shape policies that will influence the future of planning in Wealden.”

Residents can view the draft document and submit their feedback via the Planning Policy consultation portal https://consult.wealden.gov.uk.

For more information and to view or download a copy of the draft document and response form, please visit https://letstalk.wealden.gov.uk/have-your-say-draft-statement-of-community-involvement-sci-consultation. Completed response forms can be emailed to planningpolicy@wealden.gov.uk.

The Call Centre for Flexibus is once again operating from 6.30am – 7.30pm Monday to Saturday excluding Bank Holidays.

This enables those who are unable or do not wish to use the booking app to book outside 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Significantly this will also enable passengers to get in touch if their bus is running late after 5pm or should unfortunately not be able to fulfil its schedule for the day. Call Centre staff will be able to offer help and advice.

The operating hours of Flexibus remain the same at 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday excluding Bank Holidays. Rather than give details on your own site, you may prefer to link to the Flexibus landing page Flexibus - bookable rideshare | East Sussex County Council This now includes a video explaining the service. Do share!

Queries or comments about the Flexibus service itself should be sent to Flexibus@eastsussex.gov.uk

Do note that that the Call Centre operates customer service and booking lines for a number of DRT (demand responsive transport) schemes on behalf of local authorities.

Your local East Sussex library is not just about what you borrow, it's about what you gain. Yes, you'll find that familiar sense of calm and a world of books to escape into. But it's also a place to connect – to learn something new, bring your little ones for a song, access essential resources, or simply unwind. Whatever your age, whatever your interest, your library has something for you, including:

· Study spaces: Find a quiet spot with computers, printing, scanning, and free wifi. Perfect for students, job seekers, or anyone needing to get things done, your library provides the resources to help you succeed.

· E-library 24/7: Access thousands of e-books, audiobooks, and magazines from anywhere, anytime, straight to your device. Your free digital doorway to endless stories and knowledge is always open.

· Activities for children: From joyful Story Time and Rhyme Time sessions for little ones to exciting initiatives like theSummer Reading Challenge, Lego club, and Homework club for older children, your library offers fantastic free activities designed to spark imagination, encourage reading, and support learning for all ages.

· Community connection: Your library is a welcoming space to connect. Join groups, learn new skills, explore local history, or trace your family history. Discover diverse activities and support for all ages and interests.

Begin your library adventure.

It's free to join East Sussex libraries and unlock a wealth of resources for you and your family.Join online or pop into your local library.

Learn more about your library:

• Visit: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/ExploreLibraries

• Pop into your nearest library.

• Sign up for our monthly newsletter.

See below details of drainage works taking place on Station Road, Buxted between Buxted Primary School east towards Buxted Village from Monday 28th July to Friday 8th August.

Wealden District Council is seeking Expressions of Interest to operate a Fixed Concession Site, Cuckoo Trail, Horam

See more details attached below.

Action Fraud is urging people to look out for rogue QR codes, after 784 reports of ‘quishing’ were made to Action Fraud between April 2024 and April 2025, with almost £3.5 million lost.

A new alert has been issued by Action Fraud, warning about quishing, a form of phishing where a fraudulent QR code is scanned, designed to steal personal and financial information. The warning encourages people to stay vigilant and double check QR codes to see if they are malicious, or have been tampered with, before scanning them online or in public spaces.

Claire Webb, Acting Director of Action Fraud, said:

“QR codes are becoming increasingly common in everyday life, whether it’s scanning one to pay for parking, or receiving an email asking to verify an online account. However, reporting shows cyber criminals are increasingly using quishing as a way to trick the public out of their personal and financial information.

“We’re urging people to stop and check before scanning QR codes, to avoid becoming a victim of quishing. Look out for QR codes that may have been tampered with in open spaces, or emails and texts that might include rogue codes. If you’re in doubt, contact the organisation directly. You can follow our advice on quishing, on our website at www.actionfraud.police.uk to help protect yourself.”

Action Fraud can reveal that quishing happens most frequently in car parks, with criminals using stickers to tamper with QR codes on parking machines. Quishing also occurred on online shopping platforms, where sellers received a QR code via email to either verify accounts or to receive payment for sold items.

Reports also showed phishing attacks were taking place impersonating HMRC, or other UK government schemes, targeting people with QR codes designed to steal personal and financial details.

What can you do avoid being a victim of quishing?

· QR codes used in pubs or restaurants are usually safe to scan.

· Scanning QR codes in open spaces (like stations and car parks) might pose a greater risk. Check for signs that codes may have been tampered with (usually by a sticker placed over the legitimate QR code). If in doubt, do not scan them: use a search engine to find the official website or app for the organisation you need to make a payment to.

· If you receive an email with a QR code in it, and you're asked to scan it, you should be cautious due to an increase in these types of 'quishing' attacks.

· Finally, we recommend that you use the QR-scanner that comes with your phone, rather than using an app downloaded from an app store.

If you receive a suspicious email, report it by forwarding it to phishing@report.gov.uk

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk

If you’ve been a victim of fraud, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

The Met Office Amber Heat Health Alert (HHA) has been issued from 12pm on Thursday 19/6/2025 to 9am Monday 23/6/2025

An amber alert would represent a situation in which the expected impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service, with potential for the whole population to be at risk and where other sectors apart from health may also start to observe impacts, indicating that a coordinated response is required. In addition, in some circumstances a National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) Extreme Heat warning may be issued in conjunction with and aligned to the HHA. This situation would indicate that significant impacts are expected across multiple sectors.

View details of the warning on the Weather Health Alerts site.

Hot weather can affect your health. The people most likely to be affected are the elderly, the very young, and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

If you know or look after someone that may be susceptible to the effects of this hot weather period, please help make sure that they stay cool and well, and if possible check in advance that they are prepared for this hot spell.

Please follow this advice to keep cool and comfortable and reduce health risks:

· Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. If it's safe, open them for ventilation when it is cooler.

· Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and don't go out between 11am and 3pm (the hottest part of the day).

· Keep rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows. If this isn't possible, use light-coloured curtains and keep them closed (metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter).

· Have cool baths or showers and splash yourself with cool water.

· Drink cold drinks regularly, such as water and fruit juice. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol.

· Plan ahead to make sure you have enough supplies, such as food, water and any medications you need.

· Identify the coolest room in the house so you know where to go to keep cool.

· Wear loose, cool clothing and a hat if you go outdoors.

Also, please don’t forget about the animals in your care and view the top tips for keeping pets cool in hot weather by using the RSPCA link below.

For more information go to:

· UK Health Security Agency Adverse Weather Health Plan

· UKHSA & Met Office Weather Health Alerts

· NHS Choices Heatwave: be prepared

· WSCC Dealing with extreme weather

· WSCC https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/campaigns/keeping-safe-this-summer/

· WSCC Preparing for emergencies

· Follow WSCC on Twitter for regular updates @WSCCNews @WSCCResilience @wspublichealth

· RSPCA Top tips for keeping pets cool in hot weather.

The Councils’ Workplace Health Group are holding a Wellbeing Roadshow next month in our Civic Hall, which is an open and free event to all residents of the Wealden district to attend.

There will be lots of different organisations at the roadshow alongside the Workplace Health Group , raising awareness of the health and wellbeing support that is available locally.

"I'm only popping out for 5 mins!"

As tempting as it is to leave windows open with the warmer weather, it is not worth the risk.

Each year a number of burglaries are reported during the summer months, and often it is opportunist thieves taking advantage of homes left insecure.

It’s vital to leave your home locked and secure whenever you leave it.

Remember: Close and lock doors and windows

Don't leave valuables on display.

Keep side gates/garages locked.

Find advice on all aspects of home security here:

https://orlo.uk/SzZ4N

Government has announced reforms to how local government is provided across England and this will mean significant change in East Sussex.

There are two strands to this – devolution and reorganisation – which mean different things. The government would like every area of England to have a combined authority with an elected mayor.

It has approved a proposal from East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council to go ahead with a mayoral combined county authority for Sussex. The authority would have powers over strategic issues including transport, environment and climate change, housing, economic growth, health and public safety. A mayor will be elected for Sussex in May 2026.

Then there is the reorganisation of local government. Government wants all two-tier authorities (areas where there is a county council, as well as district and boroughs) to be replaced by a single unitary authority. They believe this will bring about efficiencies and make it easier for residents, only needing to deal with one council who deliver their services. Councils in East Sussex are asking residents what they think about this plan, ahead of submitting a final proposal to government in the autumn. Have your say by visiting eastsussexcouncils.org

Please find attached a public consultation by Cala Homes regarding the development of Saxon Court, Buxted to create 30 dwellings.

OWLSBURY

Most residents will now be aware of the proposal to build 1700 houses west of the A22 between Isfield, Piltdown and Little Horsted.

There are very good reasons to oppose this-

The accumulated housing in our area from this and other developments is totally unsustainable.

The roads could not cope with the traffic even if the proposed inadequate dualling of the A22 were to go head.

The consequent water and sewage problems would be horrendous,

It would adversely affect Ashdown Forest, take good agricultural land and destroy Ancient Woodland.

If you can please object before June 22^nd on the Wealden Council planning site. Application no WD/2025/0922/MEA

CIVIC DUTIES

At the County Council meeting on May 22^nd, I was pleased to be re-elected as Chairman of the County Council for another year.

This is a purely ceremonial post similar to that of our local mayors. It is the civic head for East Sussex. It is unfortunate that the term Mayor is being used for different roles. Traditionally it has been a non-executive ceremonial role but, of course, now we are discussing electing an executive Mayor for Sussex which is an entirely different concept. This can lead to some confusion

An important part of the job is to chair the Council meetings and then to represent the County at events from Royal visits to Town and Parish events.

On June 4^th I attended the Visit England National Awards. This was quite inspirational. The visitor and tourist economy is important for us and I look forward to supporting the local partnership which is aiming to support this sector in Sussex. I will soon be going to encourage a local project in Bexhill and then attending the King’s Awards for Voluntary Service in Eastbourne.

PETITIONS

Another role of the Chairman is to accept petitions. Then I must decide if they are to be passed on for officers and lead members to consider. Usually this is straightforward, and they relate to issues like road safety within the Council’s remit. We had a recent petition asking thatEast Sussex “divest theLocal Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and end procurement contracts,with companies enabling Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian rights.”

This was difficult because the Council has no influence on foreign affairs. The County Council is distinct from the Pension Fund and then the Pension Fund itself does not directly invest. The main concern, of course, is that the pensions of some 88000 pensioners ae affected by where funds are invested and the duty is to ensure the best return for pensioners.

There are other legal constraints.

Procurement Policy issued after the Russian invasion of Ukraine restricts the summary and unilateral termination of contracts.

Generally, the Council needs to be impartial on international conflicts.

For these reasons the petition was rejected.

SURFACE DRESSING PROGRAMME.

In June a new programme of resurfacing for about 40 miles of roads will be started.

In our area, this will include the A26 at Herons Ghyll, then at Little Horsted and at Rose Hill.

This is to be welcomed but I cannot understand why the A22 near Pippingford and Roads through Fletching are not included.

Roy Galley

June 6th 2025.

Roy Galley.cllr.roy.galley@eastsussex.gov.uk

01825 713018

Report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726 (it's free of charge) 27,000 scams have been removed as a result of suspicious text messages reported by the public.

#ReportThePhish

Take one extra look

‘Take one extra look’ – that is the message to motorists as Sussex Police take part in a national campaign to improve road safety for cyclists and motorcyclists.

The vital message is part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Two-Wheel campaign running from 2 June to 15 June.

Taking an extra look at junctions and roundabouts could save the life of a rider, and the campaign asks all road users to look out for each other and take responsibility.

Research shows that motorcyclists feature disproportionately in road collisions in the UK, with the majority of these happening at junctions, with many being preventable if a little more time was taken.

Stats19 data from across Surrey/Sussex shows that motorcycle victims are most commonly men under the age of 30, with deaths mostly happening on our urban roads.

National data from the Department for Transport and the National Road Traffic Census also reveals that the most common factor in fatal or serious collisions is drivers or riders not looking properly.

Throughout the year, Surrey Police/Sussex Police, run operations to address the number of those who are killed or seriously injured.

This June officers will carry out additional patrols to help prevent motorcyclist collisions and help to keep our roads safe for all road users.

As part of Surrey/Sussex Police’s approach to tackling these road safety issues, the force is building upon the success of last year’s ‘One Extra Look’ motorcycle campaign video which reminds road users to take time to look twice at junctions, to save lives on our roads.

Inspector Matt Wightwick from the Sussex Police Roads Policing Unit said: “All road users should be vigilant while out and about, and we urge everyone to look out for each other.

“This is especially important at junctions and roundabouts, where we urge all road users to take their time, to check and double check before manoeuvring.

“Research shows us that junctions and roundabouts are sadly where most collisions and fatalities happen.

“If everyone is responsible for taking just one extra look, we can all work together to cut the number of preventable collisions on our roads.

“The summer is a popular time for people to get out and about on ‘two wheels’, including pedal bikes and motorcycles.

“Our officers will be out patrolling our roads and watching for irresponsible behaviour, including drivers who decide not to give two wheels the respect they need to remain safe. Working together, we can make our roads safer."

The campaign is being supported by Surrey RoadSafe and the Sussex Police Road Safety Team.

Motorcyclists can find out more information about BikeSafe advanced rider training courses in Sussex, with places still available to book through the summer and autumn. More information is available on the BikeSafe website.

Buxted Symphony Orchestra Summer Concert

Sunday 6th July 2025 @ 7.00 pm

St. Margaret’s Church, Buxted Park, TN22 4AY

Tickets: £15 at the door (card/cash) or £14 in advance (cash) from Gale & Woolgar, High Street, Uckfield

Join us for our Summer Concert on Sunday 6th July, when we will be performing Beethoven's ‘Pastoral’ Symphony No. 6, and also accompanying three talented young soloists playing music by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Finzi on the trumpet, piano and violin. There will also be the première of a movement from a short piece for strings and wind, composed by a nonagenarian pupil of our conductor, Julian.

According to the Environment Agency, over two million people in England live and work in properties at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea, whilst more face flood threats from groundwater, surface water, sewers, and reservoirs.

At Gocompare, we have put together a guide to preparing for a flood and protecting your property – https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/guide/flood-damage-repair-and-prevention/

In extreme conditions you won't be able to stop flood water, and you should always put personal safety above attempts to protect property and possessions. Despite this, there are steps that you can take to keep water out, to buy yourself time to preserve property and possessions, and to limit the damage that flood water does.

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne has launched her annual survey seeking the views of residents across the county.

The Safer In Sussex Survey seeks to understand if residents have experienced crime, and looks at what measures would make them feel safer in their communities.

Responses to the survey will help Commissioner Bourne to understand where resources within Sussex Police may be better placed, where increased partnership working could help to drive down local issues, and to scrutinise the force on areas requiring improvement.

The survey is open now and will close at 23:00 30th October 2025.

Launching the survey, Mrs Bourne said: “As your elected voice within policing, the survey helps me understand your concerns and informs how I can effectively hold our Chief Constable to account for the performance of her force.

“Please take a moment to give me your feedback. You can also opt in to being contacted in the future to have a more detailed say in a focus group run by my office.”

You can complete PCC Katy Bourne’s survey here: https://forms.office.com/e/iXZt8BCssv

Any questions to the Commissioner or her office should please be directed to pcc@sussex-pcc.gov.uk .

Residents are being invited to take part in a consultation that will help reshape local government and how services are run in the future.

The government wants to reorganise local government so that everyone in East Sussex gets their services from just one council. This could mean East Sussex County Council, Eastbourne Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Rother District Council and Wealden District Council, would be replaced by a single authority.

Other options could also be considered if they attract wide public support and government backing.

Local Government Reorganisation is set to be the most radical shake-up of local government in decades and people are being encouraged to have their say.

With a new council expected to be elected in 2027 and start work in 2028, the county council and district and borough councils are working on plans and asking residents for their views.

Wealden council leader Councillor James Partridge said, “Acting on the government’s request, we have worked with our colleagues in councils in East Sussex to draw up an initial plan for a single local authority for East Sussex that could provide best quality and value for all its 550,000 residents.

“We now need to know what local residents, businesses and the voluntary sector think about this so that we can make a plan which will deliver the greatest benefits to our communities. Final, detailed proposals have to be submitted to the government in September.”

The consultation is now available to complete online at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EastSussexLGR/

until Monday 23 June.

In the interim plan, East Sussex County Council and the five district and borough councils have set out what they believe any new local authority would have to achieve including:

• Improving outcomes for residents and communities

• Making best use of resources now and for the future

• Enhance local democracy, local identity, transparency, accessibility, local decision making and accountability

• Support and drive decision making and public service reform at both Sussex and local level

• Provide a stronger and unified voice to help attract investment and tackle priorities

More information about Local Government Reorganisation in East Sussex can be found at www.eastsussexcouncils.org

We are excited to announce that Wealden District Council is now on WhatsApp! This new communication channel is another way that we can now keep you informed with timely updates and important information.

Why follow us on WhatsApp?

• Instant Updates: Receive real-time notifications about council news, events, and services.
• Convenient Access: Get important information and resources directly on your phone.
• Stay Informed: Be the first to know about any changes or announcements.

Please note that this is a one-way communication channel, so while you will receive updates from us, you won't be able to reply directly through WhatsApp.

To join our WhatsApp community, simply click on the link below and follow the instructions: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vay2yeLK5cD83ngupD25

High Weald Nature and Community Fund now open for new applications – deadline Monday 15 July

Great news! The High Weald Nature and Community Fund is now open for new applications, offering support for work that benefits nature and people across the High Weald National Landscape, including the villages and towns in and around it.

Whether you're a community group, CIC, school, charity, church, Parish Council or other non-profit body, this is your chance to make a real positive change in your corner of the High Weald – both for today and for future generations.

Grants range from £500 up to £20,000, with larger amounts available for large-scale, multi-year projects.

Learn more at highweald.org/grants/high-weald-fund/ or read on…

What can I apply for?

The High Weald Nature and Community Fund aims to:

• Create wildlife-friendly spaces like community gardens, pocket parks, allotments, orchards, and school growing areas, especially in towns and villages.
• Enhance habitats through pond creation, wetlands, tree and hedge planting, wildflower meadows, and wildlife boxes.
• Support habitat restoration, including hedge-laying, coppicing, and removing invasive species.
• Engage communities in managing green spaces, volunteering, and provide training for conservation projects.
• Improve access for underrepresented groups, including young people, those with physical or mental health challenges, and people living with disabilities.

The Fund is managed by the High Weald National Landscape Partnership and funded by Lund Trust.

How does it work?

1. Please read the Grant Criteria and Guidance document >>
2. Use our simple online enquiry form to register your interest in the Fund: SUBMIT AN ENQUIRY FOR 2025 >>
3. Sign up for one of our informal webinars to learn more about the application process for the Fund, assessment criteria and the type of projects that could be funded: Book your place >>

For more information and project inspiration, visit our dedicated webpage: https://highweald.org/grants/high-weald-fund

The deadline for submitting your application is 15 July 2025. Good luck!

MPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION A26

Budletts Roundabout, Maresfield

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage investigations at the Budletts Roundabout, Maresfield.

When do they start? __ Work will be carried out on Monday 12 May 2025 between 8pm to 4am. We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing? These works involve CCTV surveys of the underground drainage system. We will also be using high pressured water to clear the pipework.

How will this impact highway users? The team will be working on both the A26 and A272, from Budletts Lane to the East Sussex Highways Mill Pond depot. The road will remain open with temporary traffic lights in place whilst the work is undertaken.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @esccroads or Facebook @EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

In Action Fraud's new campaign, we are urging people planning to buy tickets or attend this summer’s events and concerts to stay vigilant to criminals.

According to new data, £9.7 million was lost to ticket fraud in 2024 in the UK alone. Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a new ticket fraud awareness campaign, warning people to be alert to fraudsters trying to catch out people planning for popular and sold-out events.

Follow our top tips to avoid falling victim to ticket fraud.

· Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, official promoter or agent, or a well-known ticketing website.

· Avoid paying for tickets by bank transfer, especially if buying from someone unknown. Credit card or payment services such as PayPal give you a better chance of recovering the money if you become a victim of fraud.

· The password you use for your email account, as well as any other accounts you use to purchase tickets, should be different from all your other passwords. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).

· Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts or adverts offering unbelievably good deals on tickets.

· Is the vendor a member of STAR? If they are, the company has signed up to their strict governing standards. STAR also offers an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service to help customers with outstanding complaints. For more information visit star.org.uk/buy_safe.

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040, or call Police Scotland on 101.

Parkinson’s UK is the charity that drives better care, treatments and quality of life for those affected by Parkinson’s. We have a UK-wide network of friendly local advisers and each covers a different local area. We can assist whether a person has the condition themselves, is a carer, friend or family member of someone with Parkinson's or is an agency involved with the care of someone affected by Parkinson’s.

We can help if someone:

• is looking for advice and information
• is looking for tips on how to deal with the day-to-day impact of Parkinson's
• needs emotional support, whether they have a Parkinson’s diagnosis, are a carer, or a family member/friend
• wants to find out more about the services available in their area
• wants to learn about their rights and entitlements
• needs help navigating the benefits process
• needs information on where to find grants and financial help
• is looking for support on employment issues
• needs support with anything else relating to their life with Parkinson's

We are here so that no-one has to face Parkinson's alone.

We are contactable via adviser.southeast@parkinsons.org.uk or via telephone on 0344 225 3736.

Stay safe from courier fraud.

Courier fraudsters will pose as police officers or bank officials in order to gain your trust.

To gain the trust of the victim, the visitor or caller will likely have obtained basic details about the victim such as their full name and address – an effective tactic in deceiving vulnerable individuals.

Fraudsters will go to great lengths, insisting that they are genuine and can be trusted.

Remember:

The Police or your bank will never call and ask you to verify personal information over the phone.

Your bank and the Police will never visit your home and ask you to hand over cash.

Neither the Police or your bank will never ask you to send your bank card, or cash via the post.

Please share this with any family and friends and help us to keep everyone safe from fraudsters.

If you have been a victim or noticed a fraud, you can report to Police on 101/online, or to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Mental health struggles can touch anyone, anytime.

Remember, if you or someone you know is struggling you are not alone, help us spread the word by sharing this posts.

Free, confidential Sussex support services are available 24/7.

You'll be listened to & heard, so spread the word and support those who might need it.

Wealden District Council is supporting One You East Sussex to bring free NHS Health Checks back to towns across Wealden.

One You East Sussex provides a free holistic lifestyle service for residents of East Sussex, helping people make simple changes that can lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life. The service helps residents to lose weight, be smoke free, move more, eat well and drink less. The service also delivers NHS health checks.

COLIN, the service’s mobile health check van, and practitioner team will be offering NHS health checks to residents who qualify. The dates, locations and eligibility criteria are below.

Residents are encouraged to book their NHS health check in advance as spaces may not be available on the day, by contacting hello@oneyoueastsussex.org.uk or calling 01323 404600. Appointments take between 30-40 minutes and results will be discussed on the day.

Dates and locations

· Wednesday 30 April – Heathfield, Station Road East car park

· Friday 2 May – Crowborough, Croft Road car park

· Wednesday 7 May – Uckfield, Luxford Field car park

· Friday 9 May – Hailsham, Vicarage Lane car park

· Wednesday 14 May – Crowborough, Croft Road car park

· Friday 16 May – Heathfield, Station Road East car park

· Wednesday 4 June – Hailsham, Vicarage Lane car park

· Friday 6 June – Uckfield, Luxford Field car park

· Wednesday 11 June – Heathfield, Station Road East car park

Residents wanting to book an NHS health check must meet the following criteria:

• Be aged between 40-74.
• Are not currently prescribed blood pressure or cholesterol medications.
• Do not suffer from diabetes OR heart/circulatory/kidney conditions or previously suffered from any cardiovascular events.
• Be an East Sussex resident.
• Have not previously had an NHS health check in the last five years.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said, “NHS health checks provide an excellent opportunity for residents to prioritise their health and wellbeing. We have been running these health checks for a few years and the uptake in them has been great. I want to strongly encourage all eligible residents who haven’t had the chance to, to take advantage of this valuable service.”

If residents are unable to attend any of these dates, One You East Sussex will be returning in September and October. Further information including dates and how to book will be provided in the summer.

An Interim Plan for the proposed shake up of local government has been submitted on behalf of all the councils in East Sussex.

The government wants unitary councils to replace two-tier government in areas which have both county and borough or district councils.

The Interim Plan drawn up by the six local authorities in East Sussex – East Sussex County Eastbourne Borough, Hastings Borough, Rother District, Lewes District and Wealden District councils - suggests a single unitary authority as a leading option but it makes clear council leaders remain open to presenting alternatives if the government changes its criteria, and if evidence and strong public support suggest other options.

If created, a new authority or authorities would replace ESCC and the five boroughs and districts in 2028. A consultation on the Interim Plan will be held for residents across East Sussex over the coming months.

All six councils have agreed the extra work to develop a new local government structure in East Sussex should be funded by the government as it cannot be met from existing council resources.

In a letter to the government minister Jim McMahon, Wealden council leader Councillor Rachel Millward said that all six council leaders have worked collaboratively to deliver an Interim Plan as requested and that government criteria limits the option to mean there is only one option – a single unitary authority for East Sussex.

Councillor Millward said, “Given this limit and the very short time we have had to give other options appropriate consideration, we have agreed to the proposals set out in the plan.

“It is important, though, that we leave the door open for the potential to adjust our plans as the work gets underway to develop the proposals and, especially, in the light of responses to public consultation. The landscape and demography of East Sussex is wide and varied, and the challenges we face in our district are distinct from the challenges faced by other districts and boroughs in the county.

“We intend therefore to appraise the relative benefits of other options which recognise the specific identities which characterise the natures of our rural and coastal communities as distinct.

“We are focused on finding the answer that is right for residents and will lead to transformed services.”

“We will be undertaking further work to build the evidence base for alternative configurations alongside the single unitary set out in the plan including comprehensive public and stakeholder engagement.”

Final detailed proposals for unitary government in East Sussex will be submitted to the government in September.

Wealden’s high streets are transforming into lively stages for a spectacular lineup of artists and performances to promote the district’s vibrant local towns.

The events kick off on Friday 28 March, from 2pm–5pm in Polegate, with Xena Flame’s dazzling hula hoop skills, UK African Acrobats and hilarious walkabout acts like the Flying Buttresses, Hodman & Sally, and Circo Rum Ba Ba’s giant Bats and Bugs.

On two Saturdays in April and May, residents can join in with activities for all the family in Crowborough, Heathfield, Hailsham, and Uckfield. There is no need to book and the completely free entertainment is funded by Wealden District Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The events are run and hosted by 18 Hours Events.

On Saturday 19 April from 11.30am - 2.30pm Crowborough will be the setting for high-energy fun featuring Xena Flame’s hoops, Dan the Hat’s comedy juggling, street theatre from Inside Out Theatre Company, the UK African Acrobats, and the return of everyone’s favourite stilt walker, Dolly Delicious.

On Saturday 26 April from 11.30am –2.30pm Heathfield has an animal theme with the Flying Dodos along with the elephant and the drummer and other walkabout performances.

On Saturday 17 May from 11.30am–2.30pm Hailsham will need to get ready for the hilarious Falconry Display, comedy acrobatics, stilt-walking DJs, and more Dolly Delicious! Keep an eye out for other vibrant street theatre performances as well.

The final weekend is in Uckfield on Saturday 24 May from 11.30am–2.30pm. Visitors will need to be prepared for walkabout acts like puppet pigeons, very funny fake paparazzi, and street act Circo Rum Ba Ba’s popular Whizzers. Don’t miss Inside Out Theatre and Lily Fortune’s stilt walking too.

Councillor James Partridge, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) lead councillor for Governance, Waste & Local Economy and deputy leader of the council said, “These events are a fantastic way to bring our communities together while celebrating the charm of our local high streets. Thanks to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England and the creativity of 18 Hours, we’ve been able to deliver these brilliant performances year after year. It’s a day full of laughter, joy and unforgettable moments for the whole family.”

For all the details, visitwww.explorewealden.co.uk/whats-on-and-more/events/streets-of-wealden or keep an eye out for flyers and posters on your local high streets.

Notes to editors:

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visithttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

This project is also supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Message from Wealden District Council:

We are currently looking at our leisure services to prepare a new contract for the three leisure centres in Crowborough, Hailsham and Uckfield.

We are keen to hear what residents think so that we can design a service that helps our communities to lead active, healthy lifestyles, and encourage everyone to get involved!

Tell us your thoughts here: https://ow.ly/ctQo50V8l53

(closing date: 6th April 2025)

Fowley Lane, Uckfield.

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out bridge repairs on Fowley Lane, Uckfield.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out from Monday 17 March 2025 to Wednesday 19 March 2025 between 8am and 4:30pm. We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What will we be doing?

The team will be repairing a collapsed parapet on the bridge to restore safety for road users and residents.

How will this impact highway users?

Access to the road will be restricted for the duration of the works. The team will be working from College Farm to just past Willow Lodge. Traffic will be diverted via Hurstwood Road, Burnt Oak Road, Tibbs Mill Lane & vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site Marshalls. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking:If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Waste collection: Access will be maintained for waste collection.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

See Map on page 2 attached 

It can feel really good to help achieve things together – even small things. The village of Buxted needs some community support from time to time, to keep things ticking over and to help make it a better, safer place to live.

If you would be willing to help out as part of a group just a few times a year, by maybe picking some litter, sweeping paths or perhaps a little pruning & trimming of vegetation, then we would love to hear from you. If you would like to share your contact details (your name, email address & mobile phone number), we will contact you to let you know when things are happening in & around the village. There’s no obligation and if you can’t make a session because the times clash etc, well that’s the nature of volunteering.

Helping together can make Buxted better. If you can be part of that please send your contact details (your name, email address & mobile phone number) to buxtedtogether@gmail.com 

Join us for our Spring Concert on Sunday 23rd March, featuring Beethoven's glorious 'Emperor' piano concerto and Schubert's final Symphony No. 9 'The Great'. We're delighted to welcome Jamie Cochrane as our soloist, winner of the prestigious 2024 Norah Sande Award and former Essex Young Musician of the Year.

Residents in Wealden are being encouraged to benefit from Wealden District Council’s Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

At yesterday’s Full Council meeting, Wealden District Council’s councillors decided to strengthen the existing scheme by adopting higher income bands. This decision aims to provide more support for low-income households, improve financial stability, encourage employment and align with inflation.

The council has been assisting eligible residents in reducing their Council Tax bills since 2013 and will continue to give its support to the most needed residents of Wealden. The scheme applies discounts to the Council Tax bills of those who qualify for support.

Starting from 1 April 2025, residents will be able to earn more than last year and still receive help with their Council Tax. By raising the income thresholds, more households in Wealden with lower incomes can qualify for higher levels of Council Tax reduction, easing financial pressure on those who need it most.

For example, a single person could receive a 100% reduction in their council tax if their earnings are up to £106.21 a week. A couple with no children could earn up to £156.85 a week, a couple or lone parent with one child could earn up to £219.84, and a couple or lone parent with two or more children could earn up to £281.58.

Council Tax reduction for pensioners is prescribed in law and the council cannot change the scheme for pensioners. The council can however choose the level of assistance it provides to our working age residents through our Council Tax Reduction scheme.

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits and Revenues, said, “This is a great scheme put in place to benefit nearly 4,000 of our working-age residents on lower incomes, supporting them to pay for daily essentials. I want to encourage residents to check if they are eligible, as their Council Tax bill could be reduced by up to 100%.”

Residents can check if they are eligible by following the link below.

Who Can Get Council Tax Reduction - Wealden District Council - Wealden District Council

A consultation on proposals for a Mayoral Combined Authority for Sussex and Brighton is now open and everyone across the county is invited to have their say.

The government is running the consultation, which is specific to the Sussex and Brighton region, until the end of the day on Sunday 13 April.

All interested parties are welcome to have their say, including organisations as well as individuals who live and work in the region.

The consultation specifically asks about:

1. The proposed geography
2. Governance arrangements
3. Supporting the economy
4. Improving social outcomes
5. Local government services
6. Improving the local natural environment
7. Supporting the needs of local communities and reflect local identity

West Sussex County Council and neighbouring upper tier authorities in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove will be submitting our own responses to the questions.

We encourage you to consider your responses and appreciate your support in encouraging others within your own networks and communities to take part.

Full details of the consultation can be found on the gov.uk website here:

Sussex and Brighton devolution - GOV.UK

Further information is available in the government press notice here:

Devolution Priority Programme consultations launch - GOV.UK

As previously mentioned, our bid to be on the government’s devolution priority programme is a positive opportunity to draw down more powers and funding for our areas from central government.

Ministers have agreed that a strategic authority for Sussex and Brighton, made up of an elected mayor, and two members of each constituent authority, offers the chance to give the people who live here more control and influence over the issues that affect them, from transport and housing to skills and employment, as well as a stronger voice in how national decisions affect them.

The decision whether or not to proceed with the proposal will be one for the government to take based on its assessment of the consultation responses. We are not able to put in place any formal steps towards setting up a combined authority for Sussex until that decision is made. However, we will look to engage you as key partners in informal discussions in the coming weeks, so that we are ready to move ahead at pace, if we do receive the green light.

Separate to this process, authorities across our region are discussing plans for local government reorganisation, with a proposal to government due to be submitted soon. We will update on this shortly.

Regards,

Paul Marshall

Leader, West Sussex County Council

A Council Tax increase of £6.42 a year (for a band D property) has been approved by Wealden District Council.

The 2.99% increase in Council Tax was recommended to Full Council by Wealden’s Cabinet Committee which met earlier in the month. The decision to increase the Council Tax was ratified at today’s Full Council meeting.

This increase means that for households in Band D properties their council tax bill will increase by an additional 12p per week for the 2025/26 Wealden proportion of the Council Tax share, with other bands adjusted according to the Council Tax formula.

Of the total Council Tax bill, Wealden District Council receives only 8.5% of the collected Council Tax, which funds essential services such as waste and recycling collections, planning, street cleaning, environmental protection and free car parking.

The remaining portion of the Council Tax bill supports a variety of public services provided by East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue, and local town and parish councils.

Councillor Greg Collins, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Finance, HR and Customer Services, said, "We agreed today to raise Wealden’s share of council tax by 2.99%. Despite everything going on around us, in terms of local government reorganisation, now is not the right time for a Council Tax freeze by Wealden. We would need much more certainty than we have today to implement a freeze. The agreed increase for Wealden amounts to just 12 pence per week for someone living in a band D home. Of course, residents' bills will increase by a much larger amount overall as the other authorities we collect for have raised their Council Tax, some by significantly higher percentages, we cannot control that.

“We looked at Wealden’s finances, and factored in things like the council’s increasing costs from increased Employer National Insurance contributions and decided that this adjustment is essential to ensure we can continue to provide, and improve, high-quality services, maintain public safety, invest in our communities, achieve good value for money, and deliver our strategy of making Wealden a greener, fairer, kinder district.”

I’m a Woodland Officer at the Forestry Commission working on the eradication response to the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, which is an invasive and regulated pest in England.

Ips typographus targets weakened or damaged spruce trees, and storm events like we’re experiencing this winter can create ideal habitat. It is being blown over from outbreaks in Europe and, if left unchecked, it could potentially build in numbers and would be devastating to the country’s timber industry. We therefore advise proactive management of spruce to remove potential habitat and risk of infestation.

We’re also encouraging everyone in the Proactive Spruce Removal Area to be vigilant for windblown, snapped, damaged and stressed spruce trees, and to submit a TreeAlert report for anything of concern or email ips.t@forestrycommission.gov.uk. This could be landowners, those directly involved with managing spruce (e.g. foresters, tree surgeons, Christmas tree growers), or members of the public who use spruce woodlands recreationally (e.g. dog walkers, ramblers).

Additional info can be found via the GOV.uk Ips typographus page or do let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Elliot Carpenter

Ips typographus Woodland Officer

Forestry Commission

Please see details of how to report issues to ESCC and WDC and also see attached pothole reporting critieria

The following information has been received from Fairfax:

Fairfax would like to update you and your Councillors on their proposed masterplan for a future sustainable development at Owlsbury, to the west of Uckfield, which will deliver up to 1700 new homes, including 35% affordable homes and a range of community facilities outlined below. 

We will be holding a public consultation on the proposed masterplan at the Uckfield Civic Centre on:

Friday 28th Feb from 3-8pm and Saturday 1st March from 10am-1pm.

This will be supported by an online public consultation with the same exhibition boards and survey for two weeks from 28th Feb to 14th March 2025 at https://owlsbury.com

The event and project website are being widely publicised, with an invitation mailed to over 2000 homes and businesses surrounding the site, including the western side of Uckfield as well as Little Horsted; advertising in the Sussex Express; and local social media forums. 

The Owlsbury scheme will make an important contribution to the provision of housing, including 35% affordable housing, in the district. The proposals include a sports hub to help meet the needs of the Uckfield area. The facility provides indoor tennis and padel courts together with 3G football pitch, cricket and rugby pitches with sports pavilion with parking.

The scheme seeks to deliver on the Council’s climate change objectives, with sustainable house construction carefully situated away from ancient woodland and key wildlife habitats, whilst opening to the public a large area of countryside (which is currently private land) in the form of a SANG park – Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace – on land to the west of the former railway embankment. This land will publicly accessible via the new development.

The proposals include new cycle and pedestrian routes and bus service and bus stops. Vehicular access is proposed via the A22 at the recently constructed Ridgewood roundabout and a further access between the Ridgewood and Copwood roundabouts.

The proposals protect the heritage of the site, including the listed Owlsbury farmhouse and associated buildings, and delivers a range of benefits which the new community will need, including workspaces, shops, primary school, later living accommodation and allotments.

Land ‘West of Uckfield – Owlsbury’ is identified as a potential strategic allocation in the Regulation 18 version of the Local Plan (February 2024). These current proposals focus on the land at Owlsbury Farm.

The District Council are preparing the next stage of the Local Plan (the Regulation 19 version) which is expected to be published next year. The new plan will be required to allocate land to meet the housing requirements introduced by the Government in December 2024 as part of its review of national planning policy.

This public consultation, therefore, runs alongside Council’s work on the new Local Plan.

An outline planning application will follow this consultation exercise, which will be supported by a full suite of documents including Environmental Statement and a Transport Assessment.

We are looking forward to hearing feedback from the local community, which we will share in due course.

We invite you to the consultation and would welcome your feedback. Do let us know if you have any questions.

Following direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates being taken early over the Christmas period, Wealden District Council has released the findings of an external Communications Review into how residents were informed.

Direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates were taken from bank accounts on 27 December 2024, rather than on 2 January 2025. The council apologised for this mistake and notified all banks on 24 December, when it first became aware of the issue and that it was unable to prevent the direct debits from being taken.

In addition to recognising the stress and inconvenience for some residents, the council committed to refund any additional bank charges incurred. After the Christmas break five residents claimed for reimbursement of bank charges. Of those four of the claims have proven unsubstantiated and were not affected by the Direct Debit issue. One resident has now provided evidence, and the council has compensated them £12.

As well as an internal audit into how this error occurred – completed in early January - the council’s Cabinet commissioned an independent review into the communication of the error to residents, councillors, and others. This was conducted by a third-party communications expert recommended by the Local Government Association.

The council did communicate the issue to residents via its social media channels on Christmas Eve and then by the council’s email newsletter Wealden Weekly after Christmas.

However, the report found that a statement regarding the issue was not sent on Christmas Eve to councillors, MPs, the media, and other stakeholders, which would have helped to proactively inform more residents about this error before it happened. It also highlights the issue that the council’s current database does not allow residents to be emailed or sent a text within the system.

The report also makes several recommendations including a review and update of all communications policies and protocols, more frequent testing of these processes, and the development of a Critical Incident Plan. The council is clarifying how its established communication methods with residents like Wealden Weekly and My Wealden can be quickly and appropriately used during a critical incident if needed.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Community, Culture and Communications and leader of the council, said,“On behalf of the council, I once again sincerely apologise for this error. We know how important it is that we learn from this, and this administration has consistently looked to improve the way we work. We requested a Local Government Association review by peer councils last year, which found us to be well-run. Whilst this is good news, it means that our communications systems are not regularly tested in difficult situations like this, especially on Christmas eve.

“This expert review gives us the opportunity to strengthen and improve communications protocols. I am committed to taking these valuable recommendations on board and I am delighted that we’ve already begun making positive changes.”

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits, and Revenues said, “This independent review acknowledges the hard work of both councillors and officers over the Christmas period to fix this mistake and communicate to residents. However, the review is also clear that we need to have better plans in place for communicating if things go wrong in the future. We are committed to this.

“We have already implemented measures to prevent this sort of error ever happening again. Having now comprehensively reviewed all aspects of this situation and accepted the recommendations of this third-party review, we hope to rebuild trust with residents and stakeholders and continue to improve our delivery of excellent public services."

Residents can sign up to the Wealden Weekly newsletter at https://www.wealden.gov.uk/wealden-weekly/

Residents can also sign up to the My Wealden portal at https://my.wealden.gov.uk/

Notes to editors:

Following the Christmas break, the council received 443 calls - of which 117 were regarding the Direct Debit issue.

We received 275 pieces of correspondence regarding Direct Debits. 91% of those were seeking explanations for what had happened, confirmation that a second payment wouldn’t be taken or related to cancelled direct debit payments.

In terms of the unpaid or cancelled direct debits, all the customers affected have received a letter from us and any queries or contact resulting from these letters has been resolved.

Please see attached details of drainage works taking place on the A26 in Five Ash Down from 3rd to 5th March 2025

Please see the details attached for information regarding the road closure in this location on 17th & 18th February.

We have been advised by ESCC Highways of footway works on the A26, Five Ash Down, Uckfield.

These works are being carried out between 25-26 February 2025. There may be delays between 9.30am-3pm.

Applications are invited for the Sports Infrastructure Fund programme recently launched by Wealden District Council to enhance and provide outdoor sports pitches and facilities throughout the district.

The council has committed £200,000 per year over a three-year period, to organisations via a grant funding programme, to support the delivery of recommendations in Wealden’s Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Facilities Strategy. These recommendations have been agreed with sport governing bodies and Sport England. Funding can be used to improve amenities and pitches throughout the district.

Match funding is being made available from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money and will help enhance the quality, accessibility and protection of community-use sports facilities for generations to come.

Applications are being invited from local sports clubs, town and parish councils, schools and community organisations to support the delivery of a range of projects.

The outdoor sports that could benefit from the funding programme include football, rugby union, tennis, cricket, lawn bowls, hockey, netball and stoolball.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden and Wellbeing and Asset Management Portfolio Holder, said"The health and wellbeing of our residents are at the heart of our mission to create a happier, more fulfilled, and healthier Wealden. This is a key part of our new council's corporate strategy.

"Providing high-quality local sports facilities and outdoor spaces is essential for enabling our residents to lead healthier lifestyles through physical activity and community engagement.

"We encourage local partners and sports clubs to apply for funding to improve the accessibility and quality of sports facilities across the district. By working together, we can strengthen community bonds and build a healthier, more resilient Wealden."

For further information on the funding programme, please go to www.wealden.gov.uk/community-and-safety/information-on-grant-funding/sports-infrastructure-fund-2024-2027.

To request an application pack, organisations should email their details and provide a short summary of the proposed project to sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

Notes for editors

The funding programme and financial support will look to improve sports provision, increase accessibility and deliver the priority projects listed within the Wealden Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy & Action Plan, agreed by sport’s governing bodies and Sport England, and adopted by the council in December 2023.

For details on the Wealden Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy and Action Plan go to: www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/planning-policy-evidence-base/open-space/

Wealden District Council is one of many UK organisations and businesses celebrating National Apprenticeships Week and the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

National Apprenticeships Week runs from Monday 10 February to Sunday 16 February. It aims to inform and inspire the next generation of apprentices and apprenticeship employers, and ensure that every individual and employer understands the value of apprenticeships as a route to opportunity and economic success.

Last year six enthusiastic apprentices joined Wealden council’s Housing, Land Charges, Caretaking, Information Governance and Waste Management teams. Each apprentice receives on-the-job training from experienced council officers and the council’s own Learning and Development Team, whilst undertaking qualifications with a variety of different training providers including East Sussex College.

East Sussex County Council’s TRANSFORM service will be on the road in each of the five districts and boroughs in East Sussex during National Apprenticeships Week, offering drop-in sessions, for organisations to come and find out more about apprenticeships

One of these sessions will take place on Tuesday 11 February, from10.30am to 1.30pm at the Civic Centre in Uckfield. Wealden council officers will be at the event to give the opportunity to local businesses to come along and ask questions and get advice.

Wealden council has had several successes with apprenticeships, with many of the apprentices gaining permanent employment with the authority once they qualify.

The most recent apprentice at the council is Charlie Stevens, who comes from Little Gate Supported Employment and joined the caretaking team in November 2024. Charlie initially completed some work experience within the team to ensure that this was an area that he would enjoy working in.

Charlie said, “I enjoy my job because I like working with my co-workers. This has helped me gain a better understanding of working in a team.”

Little Gate is a charity that offers young people between the ages of 17 and 24, who have learning disabilities and autism, the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship with an employer with the assistance of a job coach. Charlie assists with setting up the Civic Hall for meetings and events, preparing rooms for internal meetings, sorting post and providing a service to the council's internal customers.

A spokesperson at Little Gate Farm said, “Wealden District Council from the start had a fantastic and open attitude to inclusive employment and has been a pleasure to work with. We are so delighted that Charlie was offered an apprenticeship after his work experience.

“The team was proactive in researching the apprenticeship and actively involved at all stages of Charlie's onboarding. Through the collaborative approach the team also made adjustments that benefitted Charlie by agreeing to a part-time apprenticeship as well as adjusting Charlie's working hours and suggesting a use of a computer programme to aid Charlie. Charlie has been made to feel very welcome and we at Little Gate Supported Apprenticeships are extremely proud to be partnering with Wealden District Council.”

Recruitment for the next round of apprentices is due to commence in late summer/early autumn 2025. If any individuals are interested in applying or finding out more information, please email learninganddevelopment@wealden.gov.uk.

Councillor Greg Collins, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Finance, HR and Customer Services, said, “Apprentices at Wealden bring, vitality, new ideas and a fresh outlook to the council and help us to improve the services we provide that make a real difference in our community.

“Wealden council has been welcoming apprentices since 2015. Investing in our people and their future is hugely important. We offer opportunities in a variety of teams and apprentices are given freedom within those teams to grow, develop and train in areas of interest. The tangible differences in the apprentices between their start and the completion of their apprenticeship is what makes this so very much worthwhile.”

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 

Hurstwood Road, High Hurstwood 

Dear Resident / Business owner, 

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out repair works on Coxbrook Bridge on Hurstwood Road. 

When do they start? 

Works will take place on Monday 17 February and Tuesday 18 February 2025 between 8am and 4:30pm. __ We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site. 

What does the work involve? 

These works involve repairing the damaged parapet and repainting the structure to help maintain the structural integrity. 

How will this impact highway users? 

The team will start work on Coxbrook Bridge, in the vicinity of ‘White Coppice Farm’. 

Access will be restricted for residents whilst the work is taking place, however the road will be re opened outside of the above times. 

Traffic will be diverted via Chillies Lane, A26, A272 and vice versa. 

If you need vehicle access to your property, please discuss this with the team onsite. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshals. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times. 

Information for residents and businesses 

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works. 

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works. 

Waste collection: Access will be granted for any waste collections. 

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens. 

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

Local Government re-organisation and cancelling of county council elections.

Just before Christmas the government published a white paper proposing the establishment ‘unitary authorities’ and ‘combined mayoral authorities.

This would mean the disappearance of Wealden (and four other district councils) and East Sussex becoming the sole local authority in which Buxted would sit. It would deliver all the services currently split between East Sussex County Council and Wealden District Council. The same would happen to district councils in West Sussex – Brighton and Hove is already a unitary authority.

East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove would then also form an additional combined authority with a mayor directly elected by all residents.

Government clearly has a mandate to push through this reorganisation. But they gave local authorities less than a month to respond and make their proposals. The three councils have decided to apply to make these changes to take place over the next 2/3 years. So far there has been little consultation with local people or even with the district councils. There is still a lot that is unclear as to how all this will work.

In my opinion there may a case for more regional level decision making on, for example, transport, acting on climate change, planning infrastructure etc. But it needs to be based on engaging with local communities and organisations.

So, what concerns are there? The proposals seem to shift power upwards, reducing the influence of local communities.

I am concerned that your voice as a rural community will be lost – already many people feel that East Sussex is remote and unresponsive.

But the most immediate issue is the proposal by the minority East Sussex Conservative administration to cancel the county council elections in May. This will give councillors elected 4 years ago possibly another 2 years before facing the electorate. This undemocratic proposal is opposed by the 50% of councillors from the Labour, Liberal and Green Parties and Independents. The elections are already scheduled and built into the budgets of the district councils, who actually pay for running elections.

Whether or not you voted for me in May 2023, I hope you will agree that cancelling an election should only be done in the most drastic of situations. It is not required to be part of the plans to reorganise things and will put into question their legitimacy.

As important, is the cost in time and money of these changes. At a time when we need to solve the crisis in adult and children’s social care, deliver road improvements etc., time and effort will inevitably focus on internal change. Over the next two years this will also impact on the focus of local district councillors and all the district council staff.

We will know whether the government accepts the proposals from East Sussex in the next few weeks, and whether or not the May elections will proceed

Council Tax Direct Debit error

I wrote to you on 30^th December about the error which resulted in council tax payments for some residents being taken early. As a result, a system for residents to make a claim, should they have been put into overdraft, was set up and an investigation was started. The key points so far include:

Due to a human error the instructions to the banks to change the date as to when a DD was to be taken (as it was the Christmas period) was done incorrectly, So, 17,594 residents whose DD normally goes out on the 1^st of the month, had it taken on the 27^th December instead. Internal changes have been enacted to ensure this can’t happen again.

Between 2^nd and 14^hJanuary the Customer Service team received 127 calls about the DD issue – 8% of all the calls normally received about other issues.

346 pieces of correspondence were received asking about what had happened, confirmation that a second payment would not be taken or about cancelled DD payments.

To date 3 requests for reimbursement of any overdraft fees had been made and these people have been asked to provide evidence.

The situation continues to be monitored and anyone who subsequently finds they have incurred charges should contact Wealden’s Customer Service Team.

Despite some misinformation circulating from people who should know better, it was confirmed last Friday that no-one had had a second payment taken.

This mistake should not have happened, and I know all councillors and staff are sorry that it did. But I hope the details above help reassure you that it has been taken very seriously, and we continue to monitor its impact, as well as put any changes in place. Further investigation is taking place to help improve communications with residents.

Clearing vegetation around the village

Many thanks to the group of volunteers who have been clearing vegetation from some of the footpaths around the station and the primary school.

And the “lengthsman” employed by the Parish Council is also having an impact on tidying up several parts of the village, including one of our bus shelters.

Local business wins rural business grant

The Rural Business Grants Programme (RBGP) was available to small and medium sized businesses in Wealden, businesses were able to apply for a grant of up to 50% of the cost of capital projects. Grants were available from £2,500 up to £35,000 with the business needing to match the grant awarded.

The total funding of £567,054 has supported 31 businesses, which has supported overall project costs of over £1.2 million in the District. One of those businesses is the Poundgate Park Holiday Cottages. They applied successfully for a grant of £11,333 for a solar panel system and heating system upgrade. This will work contribute to achieving net-zero, increase business growth and productivity. The project is now being delivered.

NEXT COMMUNITY FORUM

WEDNESDAY 26^th FEBRUARY 2025

6.30 – 8.15

ST. MARYS CHURCH HALL, CHURCH ROAD, BUXTED

Please don‘t hesitate me to discuss these or any other issues important to you.

Contact me on cllr.graham.shaw@wealden.gov.uk Tel. 07770 571828

Wealden’s website is www.wealden.gov.uk

Work is beginning on a review of East Sussex County Council’s Rights of Way Access Plan. East Sussex County Council wants your views before drafting the new Rights of Way Access Plan so that it reflects local priorities and what you think is important.

The County Council is responsible for around 2,000 miles (3218 km) ofpublic rights of way. These paths are important for enjoying and exploring, for travelling to work or school and for health and wellbeing. They are part of what makes East Sussex a special place to live, work and enjoy.

The Rights of Way Access Plan is an important policy document which the council is required by law to have in place. It sets out how the County Council can make sure public rights of way meet the needs of the public, now and in the future. The Rights of Way Access Plan aims to address the priorities of the County in terms of health and wellbeing, supporting people living with disabilities and mental health issues, regeneration, growth, transport, climate change, tourism and other priorities.

We have set up an online survey for members of the public. 

www.eastsussex.gov.uk/rightsofwaysurvey

The survey closes at midnight on 14 March 2025.

Those using the platform Booking.com to book their holidays or accommodation are being warned they could be targeted with emails or messages requesting payments from hotels who have had their account taken over by fraudsters. Between June 2023 and September 2024, Action Fraud received 532 reports from individuals, with a total of £370,000 lost.

Insight from Action Fraud reports suggests the individuals were defrauded after receiving unexpected messages and emails from a Booking.com account belonging to a hotel they had a reservation with, which had been taken over by a criminal. Using this account, the criminals send in-app messages, emails, and WhatsApp messages to customers, deceiving them into making payment and/or requesting credit card details.

The specific account takeovers are likely to be the result of a targeted phishing attack against the hotel or accommodation provider, and not Booking.com’s backend system or infrastructure.

Adam Mercer, Deputy Head of Action Fraud, said:

“With more than 500 reports made to Action Fraud, those who have booked a holiday on the Booking.com platform should stay alert to any unexpected emails or messages from a hotel using the Booking.com platform, as their account could have been taken over by a criminal.

“If you receive an unexpected request from a hotel’s account you booked with using Booking.com, asking for bank details or credit card details, it could be a fraudster trying to trick you into parting ways with your money. Contact Booking.com or the organisation directly if you’re unsure.

“Remember to report any suspicious emails by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk, or if you receive a fraudulent text message, you can forward it to 7726.”

How can you protect yourself?

Booking.com and Action Fraud are providing the following advice on how to spot signs of fraud and protect your Booking.com account:

· No legitimate Booking.com transaction will ever require a customer to provide their credit card details by phone, email, or text message (including WhatsApp).

• Sometimes a hotel provider will manage their own payment and may reach out to request payment information, like credit card details – before providing any information, always verify the authenticity of communication between yourself and the hotel’s account.

· If you receive any urgent payment requests that require immediate attention, like a booking cancellation, immediately reach out to the Booking.com Customer Service team via the details on the official Booking.com website and/or app to confirm.

• Any payment requests that do not match the information in the original booking confirmation should also be double checked and confirmed with Booking.com Customer Service before proceeding.

· Any messages purporting to be from Booking.com that contain instructions to follow links and/or open/download files should be treated with caution.

• If you have any doubts about a message, contact Booking.com directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the suspicious message and use the details from their official website.

· For more information about how to protect your Booking.com account, please visit: Safety Tips for Travellers | Booking.com

If you receive any suspicious emails or text messages, report them by forwarding emails to: report@phishing.gov.uk, or texts to 7726.

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk

If you’ve lost money or provided financial information as a result of any phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-phishing or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Following direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates being taken early over the Christmas period, Wealden District Council has released the findings of an investigation report by its internal auditors into what went wrong.

The council has today also implemented recommendations made by the report of new measures that will ensure this can never happen again. This includes oversight by senior officers, extra checks, and new procedure rules. The risk of not administering direct debits correctly and on scheduled dates has also been added to the council’s risk register.

Direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates were taken from bank accounts on 27 December 2024, rather than on 2 January 2025. The council apologised for this mistake and notified all banks on 24 December, when it first became aware of the issue and that it was unable to prevent the direct debits from being taken.

Anyone who was affected by the issue and has not yet been contacted can email localtax@wealden.gov.ukor call 01323 443 385.

The internal auditor’s investigation report concludes that the error occurred due to human error, and that new controls were needed to prevent the error or reverse it in time. This includes having two people involved in the process of scheduling direct debit payments, a practice which had stopped for unknown reasons.

The investigation report – to be discussed at the council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Monday 13 January – is the first in a series of reports requested by the Wealden District Council Cabinet to understand what went wrong, and what can be done to improve things in the future. The Cabinet has also requested an independent review into the communication of this error to residents, councillors, and others.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Community, Culture and Communications and leader of the council said, “I want to repeat my apology for the stress and inconvenience this error may have caused to residents over the Christmas period. We are just so sorry this happened, and we are today implementing the necessary changes to ensure this never happens again.

“We took action by asking for this investigation, so that we could quickly implement its recommendations. We also know that we have more to do, such as effectively communicating with residents about these issues in the future. We do not have all the answers as to what went wrong, and so we are asking a third party to review this and recommend how we can improve.”

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Housing and Benefits said, “I know that many residents and businesses were deeply let down at Christmas, and I am truly sorry for this.

“I have spoken to many friends, family, and colleagues affected by this human error. They appreciate that mistakes can be made, but they also insist that systems and communication must be better. We agree, and we are committed to ensuring this by delivering improvements today and into the future.

“We are also committed to making things right for those who were affected. So far, very few people have asked us to refund any charges they have incurred, so if you find you have received any additional charges, please do email localtax@wealden.gov.uk with the subject ‘DD Error’ and we will prioritise your case.”

Notes to editors:

Between 2– 6 January the council received 443 calls of which 117 were regarding the Direct Debit issue

We received 275 pieces of correspondence regarding Direct Debits. 91% of those were seeking explanations for what had happened, confirmation that a second payment wouldn’t be taken or related to cancelled direct debit payments

To date we have had no requests for reimbursement of fees and we have received two requests for compensation

Please see attached the current planning applications with the Parish Council 

The Amber cold health alert is now extended from 12PM on 06/01/2025 until 12PM on 12/01/2025 across the South East.

You can see all the weather health alerts currently in place across England on the UKHSA data dashboard.

Forecast weather is likely to cause significant impacts across health and social care services, including:

· A rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups.

· A likely increase in demand for health services

· Temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks

· Challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C leading to more risk to vulnerable people

· Staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays)

· Other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy).

This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.

Please refer to the national Adverse Weather Health Plan.

View the full warning at the Cold-Health Alert platform site.

Cold weather can affect your health. The people most likely to be affected are the elderly, the very young, and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

If you know or look after someone that may be susceptible to the effects of this cold weather period please help make sure that they stay warm and well, and if possible check in advance that they are prepared for this cold spell.

You may have become aware that due to an automated scheduling error, direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates that are normally collected on the 1st of the month were instead taken on 27th December. This error affects Council Tax and Business Rates customers. You may be amongst them.

This shouldn’t have happened, but the District Council has responded quickly. I wanted to make sure you had the information issued yesterday which is below, which I hope answers key questions.

An investigation has already begun into the causes and impact of the error. Its findings will be made public, and I have already indicated that these should be reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which I chair, on 13^th January.

Wealden DC apologises for early collection of January Council Tax and Business Rates

Publish Date: 29 December 2024

Wealden District Council apologises for the timing of some Direct Debit collections over the Christmas period.

An automated scheduling error meant that direct debits for Council Tax and Business Rates were taken on 27 December rather than on 1 January.

If you are affected by this technical error, please contact your bank and see below for FAQs.

Leader of the council Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), said, “It is deeply upsetting to know that this error will have caused stress and difficulty for some residents over the Christmas period. On behalf of the council, I offer my sincere apologies to anyone impacted. We will do all we can to rectify this situation. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with our teams at localtax@wealden.gov.ukor you can call 01323 443 385.”

Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead member for Housing, Benefits and Revenues, said, “Christmas was the worst time of year for a large, unexpected payment and I add my profuse apology to all residents who have been affected by this mistake. I am committed to a thorough review of what went wrong and what improved measures can be taken to ensure this cannot happen again. We have already put in place extra measures to support this commitment.”

Can I get a refund?

If you do choose to process a refund this can take up to 10 working days to process and you may still need to contact us to arrange a payment. You can request a refund through your bank under the Direct Debit Guarantee https://www.directdebit.co.uk/direct-debit-guarantee/

How long does it take for a refund to come through?

It will depend on your bank, but it could be 10 working days.

Is my January payment still due?

If your Direct Debit was collected in error on 27 December and is not being refunded, then your January Council Tax instalment has been paid. If you are in doubt, you can call our Council Tax team to check on 01323 443 385.

Can Wealden refund my payment?

Yes, we can, however as with the above, the January payment will still be due and payable.

I cancelled my Direct Debit, and the payment didn’t go out of my bank, what do I need to do?

As the payment was not collected / not made, then the January instalment will still be due and payable. You can contact our Council Tax team through 01323 443 385 or our customer services team on 01323 443322 which can take a payment from you. Alternatively, you can make a payment through the following methods:

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/make-a-payment/

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/make-a-payment/other-ways-to-pay/

Will this affect my credit file?

No, we do not report Council Tax payments to the Credit Bureaus, and we informed all banks on 24 December of our error.

I have been charged fees by my bank because of this payment being taken on the wrong day – will you refund me?

Yes, we will refund any charges incurred because of the Direct Debit being taken early. However, you will need to supply proof of the charges and submit them to localtax@wealden.gov.uk. Please title the email ‘DD error’ as this will enable us to prioritise your correspondence.

How do I make a payment?

Please use these links:

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/make-a-payment/

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/make-a-payment/other-ways-to-pay/

Evenings are dark so soon at this time of year, and we're making sure that we're out and about to help keep our communities safe.

StreetSafe is a service that allows you to report safety concerns in public places anonymously. This includes issues like poorly lit streets, abandoned buildings, or vandalism, as well as instances where you feel unsafe.

We encourage the public to report concerns via StreetSafe, and can do so here https://orlo.uk/GeXRx

For reporting crimes or emergencies, please continue to contact us by phoning 101 or 999.

NOTICE OF PLANNNG APPLICATION

Wealden District Council have notified Buxted Parish Council of the following planning application(s).

The deadline set for our response is prior to the next planning committee meeting, so the council members will be considering this application via email.

We are placing this notice on our website to make residents/neighbours aware of the application(s).

Wealden District Council are the Local Planning Authority who will make the final decision on this application.

Please submit any comments to Wealden District Council via email (planning@wealden.gov.uk) and cc: the parish council (clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk)

Resident feedback from a climate change survey has been used to create a Climate Green Paper.

Earlier this year, Wealden District Council hosted a survey and three research reports which examined how climate change is likely to impact Wealden, how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced and explored options for renewable energy.

The key themes below were identified from the survey and have been vital to the creation of the paper:

• Renewable Energy: Residents support renewable energy and low-carbon heating options. This reinforces our approach in the Climate Green Paper to promote local solar, wind, and accessible heating solutions.

• Sustainable Transport: Interest in alternatives like public transport, cycling, and electric vehicles supports our approach in the Climate Green Paper to enhance sustainable mobility and reduce reliance on private vehicles.

• Biodiversity and Green Spaces: The strong focus on green infrastructure and tree planting aligns with our commitment to enhance local biodiversity and protect natural habitats.

• Community Engagement: Many feel unaware of local initiatives, highlighting the need for accessible education and promotion of community-led actions within our Climate Green Paper.

• Waste Reduction: Support for recycling and resource efficiency aligns with our Climate Green Paper’s focus on reducing waste and promoting a circular economy.

• Affordable Climate Solutions: Cost concerns indicate the importance of funding and support, which are central to making climate actions accessible to all.

• Health and Lifestyle: Support for small lifestyle changes reinforces our approach of promoting manageable actions to collectively reduce emissions while respecting individual preferences.

Feedback from this consultation on the Climate Green Paper will be used to formulate a new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Wealden in 2025.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Climate Change, said, “Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on the survey this year. It has been an invaluable help, shaping the green paper, itself out for comment. We aim to work as a community to address the pressing challenges of climate change, work towards net zero and build a climate resilient future.

“We are committed to encouraging and empowering action to reduce carbon and aim to create a greener, more robust community that focuses on the environment, moving towards fairness for all, and supporting a strong economy.

“I encourage everyone to read the draft climate “green paper” and take the opportunity to provide their thoughts on it as it will help us to shape the overall final version.”

The draft paper is now live and can be viewed on Wealden's Climate Green Paper | Let's Talk Wealden..

Keep warm this winter with a warm home check

As we head into the colder months, we know many residents will be worrying about staying warm at home. Rises in energy prices are a big concern, especially for those who already find it hard to heat their home and are on a low income.

The cold is not just uncomfortable but can be dangerous for those with pre-existing health issues such as heart and breathing conditions or children who are asthmatic. It also can have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing.

The East Sussex Warm Home Check service provides free impartial energy advice and support and is available all year round. It helps you to improve the energy efficiency of your home meaning you can stay warm for less and reduce your home’s carbon emissions. As well as practical advice and resources, the service also provides help including heating repairs and small home improvements for those who are eligible.

For example, Julia, a local resident, found that “small changes made a big difference” after working with her Warm Home Check advisor. She now feels more secure and prepared for winter.

In addition, low-income households who do not heat their homes using a gas boiler could also be eligible for current government grant funding for larger energy efficiency improvements. Applications in East Sussex are open until the end of December.

If you, or someone you know, is concerned about staying warm this winter, find out more about the Warm Home Check service. You can apply by visiting the Keep Warm and Well website, texting WARMto 80011 or calling 0800 464 7307.

Do you have skills that can contribute to the business of policing, in relation to governance, risk, financial arrangements, internal audit and external audit, and how these services are being managed? If so, then the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) would like to hear from you.

The PCC and the Chief Constable for Sussex (CC) are recruiting a new independent member for their Joint Audit Committee.

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in independent oversight and high-level focus on the adequacy of the governance, risk and control arrangements for Sussex Police and the Office of the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner. The role supports the PCC and CC and other Statutory Officers in gaining confidence as to the existence of effective governance, by reviewing the comprehensiveness of assurances to meet the needs of Statutory Officers in respect of reliability and integrity.

Your duties as a member of the Joint Audit Committee are expected to typically take up to fifteen days per annum, including time to read papers in preparation for meetings, and a programme of activity to keep you in touch with the organisation’s activities and priorities. This is a paid role and reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

For more information please visit SPCC - Independent Joint Audit Committee Member Vacancy, or if you prefer, please visit the PCC’s website www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk and scroll down to Vacancies.

Along with our Cyberhood Watch partner, Avast, we are launching the latest Cybercrime Survey which will help us understand the impact of online crime and scams on our members. There's also the opportunity of winning some very useful M&S vouchers!

Enter now

The findings of the survey will be used to inform the ongoing Cyberhood Watch awareness initiatives and help our Cyberhood Watch Ambassadors. It will also draw attention to important topics which will help everyone protect themselves - and their loved ones - from cyber criminals.

The survey will close on Friday 15 December - we'd really love to hear your views and of course, we will load the report onto our website once it is available so you can take a look for yourself!

Thanks in advance for your support in the fight against cybercrime in the UK.

Waste collection days for Wealden residents are changing over the Christmas and New Year period.

The revised collection dates are in the table below. All rubbish or recycling needs to be out by 7am on the collection day.

Normal Collections Revised Collections

As normal, there will be no garden waste collections over the festive period between Wednesday 25 December and Tuesday 7 January. The garden waste collections will return to the normal collection days from Wednesday 8 January 2025.

New collection calendars for 2025 are now available online. Residents can download the calendars on the Bin Day Search at www.wealden.gov.uk and can also receive free weekly reminders of bin collections by signing up to Wealden Weekly. Visit www.wealden.gov.uk/wealden-weekly .

Don’t forget, all wrapping paper and cards, except foil/glitter, can be placed in the recycling bin and real Christmas trees can be cut up and put inside the brown garden waste bin with the lid closed. Alternatively, residents can take their tree to the local Household Waste Recycling Site.

Many of us produce extra waste throughout the festive period, a lot of which can be recycled. Extra recycling can be placed out in non-black plastic bags next to the recycling bin for collection - except for glass which should only be put into the recycling bin.

Councillor James Partridge, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), lead councillor for Governance, Waste & Local Economy, and deputy leader of the council, said, “The collection crews will be working hard over the Christmas period to ensure a continuous service of everyone’s rubbish and recycling bins. Many of us produce extra recycling and waste throughout the festive period, a lot of which can be recycled, so please put it in the right bin. In Wealden, we have excelled in our recycling again this year with almost 50% of our waste being recycled. I would like to thank everyone for the effort put into helping Wealden to achieve this amazing recycling rate.”

For further information on what can and cannot be recycled, visit www.wealden.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/

Sussex Police launch winter crackdown on drink and drug drivers

Operation Limit launches

There will be increased drug testing of motorists on our roads as part of Sussex Police’s annual crackdown on drivers over the limit.

Additional patrols will be in place as part of the nationwide campaign to tackle drink and drug driving called Operation Limit.

The focus on drug-driving follows a rise in the number of drug-driving offences detected across the country, and officers will also be continuing their efforts to catch drink-drivers as well.

Motorists are being warned that there are no excuses for drink or drug-driving as Sussex Police launch the annual winter crackdown campaign today.

Being over the limit can have fatal consequences, with drink and drug-driving being one of the the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

But it also has consequences for those who are caught while over the limit, such as losing their driving licence and potentially losing their job as a result.

The campaign runs from December 1 to January 1, and appeals to the public’s sense of shared responsibility to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Officers will carry out additional patrols and stop checks, above the regular patrols which take place 24/7, every day of the year. There will also be more drug-testing of drivers being carried out.

During last year’s campaign, Sussex Police made a total of 261 arrests, of which 56% were for drug driving related offences.

Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner, who also is the roads policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said:

“Driving while intoxicated through alcohol or drugs destroys lives, but tragically every day we still see reckless drivers getting behind the wheel.

“They are putting themselves and all other road users at risk. People who consume alcohol or drugs and then drive need to be stopped.

“Our campaign aims to save lives by deterring people from drink and drug-driving, and to deal robustly with offenders.

“We urge the public to persuade friends and loved ones not to get behind the wheel if they have consumed alcohol or drugs, and if that fails, for them to report those drivers to the police so they can be stopped before they cause a needless fatality.”

Many motorists may not realise that they are still over the limit for alcohol the morning after Christmas parties or a night out with friends.

Meanwhile those who consume drugs may not realise that the chemicals stay in their bodies for a long time, which means they can be over the drug-drive limit for a considerable period after taking them.

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Each year, Sussex Police’s winter crackdown to tackle drink and drug driving results in hundreds of people being arrested.

“Whilst it’s good news that those who are committing these dangerous crimes are being taken off our streets and facing the consequences, these results show that there is still a selfish minority that do not understand the severity of getting behind the wheel under the influence.

“The repercussions can be tragic and fatal. There are many other options and methods of transport to use across our county, it simply isn’t worth it. I know it can be difficult to report someone you know for drink or drug-driving but it could be life-saving.”

Superintendent Rachel Glenton, Head of Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “Our officers will be joined by officers from across the force to carry out increased patrols and stop checks on the road networks.

“This is in addition to our existing patrols which we carry out 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

“Through education, engagement, and enforcement, we aim to reduce the devastating impact of drink and drug-driving.

“We will deal robustly with offenders. So while our officers can’t be everywhere, they could be anywhere and there really is no excuse for drivers who put their own safety and the safety of everyone else at risk.”

In keeping with previous campaigns Sussex Police will be publishing the names of some of those convicted to raise awareness of the issue and to act as a deterrent to others from committing the same offence.

The consequences of drink or drug-driving could include:

• Killing or seriously injuring yourself or someone else;

• A minimum 12-month ban;

• An unlimited fine;

• A possible prison sentence;

• A criminal record, which could affect your current and future employment;

• An increase in your car insurance costs;

• Difficulty travelling to countries such as the USA.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs, call 999.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report it online www.crimestoppers-uk.org

The campaign is being supported by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and Surrey RoadSafe.

As Storm Bert has affected the UK, if you have not already done so this is a good time to consider registering for extra advice and support, including when there could be interruptions to your electricity, gas or water supply.

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is free to join. It helps utility companies, including energy suppliers, electricity, gas and water networks, to look after customers who have extra communication, access or safety needs. It helps tailor services to support households who need extra help in the event of a power cut, gas or water supply interruption.

Your energy supplier (the company that provides your electricity and gas) and your network operator (the company responsible for the pipes and wires that carry electricity and gas) will both keep a Priority Services Register.

To find out who these organisations are in your area please visit www.thepsr.co.uk and enter your postcode. Your electricity and gas suppliers will be shown; you just need to click the sign up button there to join their PSR. Electricity companies are, where possible, sharing PSR information with water companies, so you can get vital help and support from them too if there's a break in your water supply.

Please also consider helping others to join the PSR, for example, elderly relatives, friends or neighbours, people with serious medical conditions, or people who may struggle with the internet.

Who can join

You can ask to join your supplier or network operator’s Priority Services Register if you:

· have reached state pension age

· are pregnant, or have young children

· struggle with speaking or reading English.

You can also join if you’re living with a disability or a long-term medical condition, including:

· mental health conditions

· conditions affecting your sight, hearing or sense of smell

· conditions that mean you need to use medical equipment that requires a power supply.

Help is also available if your circumstances have recently changed, for example if you:

· are recovering from an injury, or need support after a stay in hospital

· have been bereaved

· have lost your job.

What help is available?

Joining the Priority Services Register means you’ll be able to get a range of extra help when you need it. This could be all the time, or for a short period due to something that’s happened in your life. Some of the help you can get includes:

· priority support in an emergency

· wherever possible, advanced notice of scheduled power cuts

· an identification and password scheme if someone needs to visit or contact you, helping you feel confident they are genuine

· the ability to nominate someone to receive communications and bills from your supplier, for example a family member, carer or someone you trust

· the chance to move your prepayment meter if you can’t safely get to it to top up

· regular meter reading services

· account info and bills in large print or braille

· assistance reconnecting your gas supply, if you need it.

What help should I expect from being on the Priority Services Register during a power cut?

· A priority number that you can call 24 hours a day

· Text and voice message alerts, letting you know when they are aware of a large power cut in your area

· Tailored support if needed such as home visits, hot meals, advice and keeping your friends and relatives updated

· Where possible, text and voice messages when severe weather is expected, to help you prepare

· In certain scenarios they may also offer a free hotel overnight and transport to the hotel

· For complex power cuts their community welfare teams provide on-site support which includes hot drinks, hot meals, a Wi-Fi connection and charge points.

Additional information can be found at UK Power Cut? Call 105 For Free | Find Your Electricity Provider and Join your supplier’s Priority Services Register | Ofgem

While we work hard to cut storm overflows across our region, as set out in our £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan, it is key that communities can view information on all our storm overflow activity.

From 13 November 2024, our new https://www.southernwater.co.uk/our-region/clean-rivers-and-seas-task-force/rivers-and-seas-watch/ replaced the Beachbuoy online monitoring tool.

Rivers and Seas Watch now includes all of our storm overflows including those inland, not just our coastal overflows.

Rivers and Seas Watch has been running in beta mode on our website since June. During this time, we collected feedback from users, including Beachbuoy subscribers, campaign groups and local stakeholders, to ensure Rivers and Seas Watch provides relevant information in an easy to read format. Technology experts also fed into our Beachbuoy Independent Review.

Key features of Rivers and Seas Watch include:

· Enhanced user experience across different devices (mobile, laptop, desktop), making it easier to find a location, and access and understand information

· Comprehensive and accessible information on how the service works

· An industry-leading mapping platform, presenting information in a clean and timely way

· Improved email notifications, including start times, impact times and the release status

· Integration with our overall plans to cut storm overflows, to help users understand what improvements are planned in each area

Improving how we communicate this important information to the public in a transparent, accurate and timely way is crucial. Rivers and Seas Watch has been created following a customer-first approach, engaging extensively with our community to understand their needs, wants and feedback from Beachbuoy.

Users can sign up for alerts https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/e9a1db8d193d4cd582d550285a3aeb44/page/Map/ for their local beaches on Rivers and Seas Watch, as data protection rules mean we cannot carry previous Beachbuoy users over.

Buxted Parish Council has received a consultation on a proposed development for 80 dwellings on land north of Buxted Road, Coopers Green.

This application will be considered by the Buxted Parish Planning Committee on Tuesday 26th November at 7.00pm in Five Ash Down Village Hall.

The application details and plans can be viewed on the Wealden website: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=167356

If you have any comment on this application and cannot attend the planning committee please refer them to clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk.

Community Speedwatch - would you be interested in reforming the Speedwatch team for Buxted? 

The Parish Council has received some interest, so is asking if there are any willing volunteers out there that would like to form a new group. It would need a number of people to be able to do this, but we have the equipment, we just need the manpower and enthusiasm. 

If you are interested, please email clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk to register. Further information can be found at: https://www.communityspeedwatch.org/FRONT-v2-Home.php

GTR is glad to announce the 3^rd round of Your Station Your Community improvement fund (YSYC) grant funding. – which opens for applications from 1^st November 2024

We close for applications on 18^th December 2024.

The fund will support local groups, charities, our customers, and the communities on our line of route.

The causes we support are those that are of key importance to local communities on our network and to us.

Building lasting social value; under the following themes: mental health; education and employability skills amongst marginalised groups; diversity and inclusion; Railway 200 and environmental sustainability.

Please make sure you read the guidance notes for the updated information for the bidding for 2025/26.

The grant fund offers accepts bids of:

• Up to £10,000 – open applications

• £10,000 - £50,000 – please contact us to discuss your proposal before applying

Also new for 2025/26 there are two Station Partner Support Grants open for applications.

• Arts/Creative projects - £25,000

• Horticulture/Environment projects - £25,000

There are separate application forms and guidance information for the main YSYC grants fund (up to £10,000 and £10,000-£50,000) and the Station Partner Support Grants (please see Word docs attached)

Previous applicants and grant recipients may also apply to the fund.

The Station Partner Support Grants will support Community Rail and Station Partners volunteering at stations on the GTR network and also develop at least three new projects in partnership with new groups or as an individual practitioner, with a focus on the additional activity during 2025 for Railway 200

We welcome applications from registered charities, individuals (for the Station Partner Support Grants), Community of Interest Companies (CICs), Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs); community groups and other not-for-profit organisations such as community rail partnerships, schools & colleges, Business Improvement Districts, town councils and parish councils.

A new Housing board is being set up to give Wealden tenants a greater voice.

The Wealden and Tenants Together Housing Board will see tenants, council officers, councillors and independent members come together in a bid to involve tenants in the decision-making process, monitor the performance of the housing service and strengthen local democracy by actively engaging customers in shaping and taking decisions on housing services.

Through the board, tenants will be able to influence and shape the services delivered as well as co-design policies and strategies.

The new group will consist of two recruited tenant representatives, two recruited independent board members, Wealden councillors and senior Housing staff. It will be chaired by the lead councillor for Housing and Benefits, which is currently Wealden’s council leader, Councillor Rachel Millward.

The council will be running a recruitment process in the coming weeks and inviting tenants and professionals with relevant experience to apply for the opportunities to participate on the board.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), lead councillor for Housing & Benefits and leader of the council, said, “The introduction of the social housing tenants board will empower our tenants and help us to be more transparent as we deliver more housing for our communities.

“The focus of the board is co-production, which means working with the community as we make changes. The recruitment process will be an open application process for tenants and independent members and training, and a modest allowance will be provided throughout the term that they hold the post. Board meetings will be held quarterly and will be face to face or online.”

Buxted Symphony Orchestra Winter Charity Concert

Saturday 30th November @ 3.00 pm - Holy Cross Church, Uckfield, TN22 1BP

Tickets: £14 on the door (card/cash) or £13 in advance (cash only) from Gale & Woolgar, High Street, Uckfield

Come and join us for an afternoon of entertaining classical music, featuring works by Mozart, Fauré, Dvorak and Haydn.

All profits from the concert will go to the Bevern Trust, a charity based in Barcombe which provides life-long residential care for young adults with profound disabilities.

As the nights draw in, motorists in East Sussex are being urged to be #DeerAware and avoid collisions with animals on rural roads.

There are estimated to be more than 74,000 deer-related traffic collisions across the UK every year, and that risk increases during mating season in October and November.

As part of its #DeerAware campaign, East Sussex County Council is encouraging people to take care in heavily wooded areas or where there are deer warning signs as these are places where deer are most likely to venture out, particularly around dawn and dusk.

Cllr Claire Dowling, lead member for transport and environment, said: “Collisions with deer can result in injury or death for animals and drivers, and significant damage to vehicles.

“With plenty of rural roads across the county, I would urge drivers to take extra care this time of year as deer can appear on the road unexpectedly.

“By following some simple tips, we hope that drivers can keep themselves safe and ensure our deer population can roam freely and thrive in our countryside.”

Advice to motorists includes;

· Drivers are advised to use full-beam headlights at night if no other cars are around, as they will reflect the deer’s eyes, but dip their headlights when they see a deer to avoid startling it.

· Deer often cross the roads in the same locations. Where there are deer warning signs motorists should slow down, stay alert and be prepared to stop.

· Deer often travel in groups so if drivers see one crossing the road they should slow down and drive with caution as others may follow.

If motorists hit deer they should to park in a safe place with hazard lights on and call 101 if the deer is on the side of the road and not causing a danger to others, or 999 if someone is injured of the deer is in the road and a danger to other road users.

More information and advice available athttps://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roads-transport/roads/road-safety/deer

A request for help from your WDC Cllr Graham Shaw:

At the Community Forum last Thursday, we launched the Buxted Community Survey.

The information from the survey will help identify what kind of things would help and improve our local community, hopefully forming the basis for action. The survey will run from now until the Christmas period.

It’s important that as many people as possible take part.

The survey is attached – it’s very simple and won’t take too long to complete.

So, I am looking for your help.

It would be great if you could:

• Complete the attached Word document personally and send it back to me.

• Give a copy to others in your household, including teenage children, so they can complete and return their own copy.

• Forward this email to any family and friends that live around Buxted and ask them to complete their own survey.

• Print the survey and take copies to any meetings or groups you attend and ask them to complete it and give it back to you – then let me know and I will arrange to collect them. If you can’t print the survey let me know your name and address and how many you need, and I will drop some off for you.

• Or do the same for other people on your street.

If just one quarter of people of my mailing list completed the survey and persuaded 5 other people to do the same, there would be at least 600 sets of ideas!

Please help us get there!

I’m looking forward to seeing your ideas.

Best wishes,

Graham Shaw

Tim Cornish will give a talk, using recent research, about this dispersed woodland settlement, a remote place in the Archbishop of Canterbury's huge South Malling estate which stretched from Lewes Bridge to Lamberhurst Bridge. If the Archbishop used a postal address, it might have been Yardhurst, “Within the Wood”, Mayfield parish, South Malling.

The name “Five Ashes” first appeared in 1498. Before this, the central area was tenanted by the Yardhurst family, headed in 1285 by Bellafilia, a widow with two sons. Did she live up to her parents' expectations of her name? They held 200 acres of serf land; since the Norman conquest the land all belonged to the Archbishop who leased land to his serfs and a growing number of freemen.

The area has always been dominated by its main road, which at this time was a major route from Tonbridge to Cross-in-Hand and beyond, particularly to Lewes. The route probably used Pages Farm bridleway from Argos Hill, down Fir Toll Road to Butcher's Cross, then Criers Lane,and Brick Kiln Lane and on to Uckfield where it picked up the Roman road to Lewes.

“Yardhurst” described a clearing for animals in the forest that covered the area (“hurst” means “wood”). The other distinctive local reference to the clearings is the suffix “... reed” as in Broadreed, Woodreed and Stilereed. Dudsland used to have Pikereed and Istedreed. (Middle English: “ridde”, to grub up trees.) The forest had to be cleared before arable crops were possible on their smallholdings. The firewood produced was transported to Lewes by ox cart to keep the Archbishop warm. Peasants returned with barley for bread and small beer (or ale), to supplement the diet of oat gruel, eggs, fruit and vegetables and foraged nuts, berries and fungi. Meat was a luxury. Honey had to be handed over to their Lord, as did sparrow-hawk chicks. One of the first local amenities was the baker's oven, not a usual domestic feature. “Bakehouse ward “ was the name of the area around Newick Lane.

Hard labour in a subsistence economy was the order of the day. If the wind was in the right direction, residents could hear the bells of Mayfield St Dunstan's calling them to the relief of worship or the entertainment of festivals and feast days. They trudged through the deep clay in all weathers, hoping to arrive on time. A walk down the modern footpath east of Allen's Farm gives some idea of the difficulty of travel. Indeed there was a road there going to Piccadilly Lane. Some romantic names survive: Sunset Farm, Hanging Birch Cottages near New Pin Farm in the centre, whilst Harlots Farm, Frog's Hole Lane and Jackass Wood sound less appealing. The Five Ashes landscape of small fields, deep ghylls and clogging clay made for a hard life. Salvation was an attractive prospect.

The event is on Saturday 9^th November at 7.00pm in Five Ashes Village Hall. Free entry. Donations invited in aid of the Hall itself. Doors open: 6.30 pm. Tim's book “Medieval Mayfield: Archbishops and Peasants” will be on sale. See www.mayfieldtimshistory.org 

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

A further October Update

I just wanted to remind you about the Community Forum next Thursday, 24^th 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!

Could you be eligible for pension credit?

Have a look at the links below to find out more and how to apply

Following some emotive comments on social media this week about signs and fly-posters on verges, the Parish Council has asked ESCC Highways for the definitive rules which are as follows:

EAST SUSSEX HIGHWAYS GUIDELINES AND ACCEPTANCE OF PLACEMENT OF ADVERTISING POSTERS UPON THE HIGHWAY WITHIN A RURAL ENVIRONMENT

We will tolerate these provided they are charitable or community events, or seasonal produce (e.g. cherries, strawberries)

(Community = amateur dramatics/carnival/bonfire/parish events/seasonal produce)

Maximum of two signs on each approach road to the event.

1. Signs to be placed at the back of the verge
2. Signs are not permitted on street furniture
3. Signs not to be placed within 60m of a junction
4. Signs not to be erected more than 7 days before the event
5. Signs to be removed within 24 hours of the event
6. Signs not to exceed 0.6 square metre in area. (Approx 2 feet by 2 feet.)

Enquirers placing signs do so at their own risk and should be advised that they may wish to take out public liability insurance recommended five million pounds.

NO COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING

NO METAL POSTS

SIGNS PLACED OUT NOT COMPLYING WITH THESE GUIDELINES MAY BE SUBJECT TO REMOVAL WITHOUT NOTICE.

The poster policy was always aimed at rural locations, within towns there are shop windows and other locations that can be used, in rural areas the availability of locations and opportunity to draw the event to the attention of people is restricted

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out hedge cutting works and carriageway patching respectively on the A26 Uckfield Road, Herons Ghyll.

The carriageway patching works will be carried out alongside other associated works includingironwork adjustments, kerbing works, verge marker post installation, gully cleansing, high friction surfacing, road marking refreshments and stud installations.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out in two phases:

Monday 28 October to Wednesday 30 October 2024 between 9:30am and 4pm and

Monday 11 November 2024to Saturday 23 November 2024 between 8pm and 6am.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

How will this impact highway users?

Monday 28 Octoberto Wednesday 30 October 2024 – The road will remain open with temporary traffic signals in place whilst we carry out hedge cutting works. The team will be working between Perrymans Lane and New Road.

Monday 11 November 2024to Saturday 23 November 2024- Access will be restricted for residents whilst we carry out patching works.Traffic will be diverted via A26 Uckfield bypass, A22 Maresfield Bypass, B2026, New Road, A26 and vice versa.

The team will be working between Perrymans Lane and property “Barnsgate Manor”.

If you need vehicle access to your property, please discuss this with the team on site. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visitOne.Network. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

UPDATE - Graham Shaw, Wealden District Councillor for Buxted

Changes to national planning policy

My last update focused solely on the governments consultation on the National Policy Planning Framework, so I won’t repeat my observations here. Wealden Council submitted a response (it was a very tight deadline) which you can see at:

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/UploadedFiles/Response-to-the-NPPF-Consultation-2024-V5.pdf

In addition, I made a short report to the Buxted Parish Council which is recorded in the minutes of the last meeting available at:

https://www.buxtedparishcouncil.gov.uk/media/Meetings/Minutes/Parish%20Council/2024/Minutes%208%20October%202024.pdf

We now await governments decisions about what national policy will look like.

Climate Change Strategy

Wealden adopted a Climate Emergency Action Plan in 2019. Since our election in 2023 we have developed an updated strategy and action plan, part of which has included wider consultation with residents, local organisations, parish council networks, local environmental groups, Wealden Strategic Partnership and across all the departments of the Council itself. A residents survey showed that over 70% believed that climate change is already affecting the district. This pretty much reflects national figures.

We asked what sort of projects or activities people wished to see in their local area and most popular were:

• Improving green infrastructure; walking, cycling, buses and electric vehicles,
• Solar or wind energy; increasing solar panel grants, use on new builds, grants and costs to access and permission for wind turbines,
• Tree Planting; increased planting and stronger restrictions or penalties for tree felling.

We are undertaking further research especially on the risks of not acting to address climate change in the district, how we can encourage the use of clean energy and move faster towards net-zero emissions. In terms of emissions Transport (47%) is the main source of emissions within the district with residential buildings (36%) and agriculture (21%) being the other key sources. On the positive side the land within the district plays a significant role in carbon sequestration – reducing the districts overall net emissions.

Next steps will be to work on the areas where we have direct control (e.g. our housing, offices and vehicles) and those we have influence over (e.g. transport, waste, planning, jobs and training). There will be further community engagement opportunities, and I hope we can contribute to that here in Buxted. During COP29 (November) we will host a ‘Climate Assembly’. Please let me know if you want to engage with these developments.

Wealden Community Grants Programme 2025-2028

Wealden District Council are opening the Community Grants Programme 2025-2028, which will support partners to deliver projects and services to support Wealden residents and its communities. We are asking registered charities, not for profit organisations and Community Interest Companies to apply. Commercial organisations, Town and Parish Councils, schools or similar statutory organisations cannot apply to this programme. The funding programme opens on Wednesday 9th October 2024 and the deadline to apply is Wednesday 4^th December 2024.

Applications will be considered from organisations who wish to apply for funding of £5,000 or above per annum for a period of three years but organisations must contribute the same level or more match funding (cash and/or in-kind) against the funds they are asking the Council. If you have any queries, please contact communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk

I am more than happy to support any groups in Buxted that wish to apply. Please let me know.

South East Water

I received this from SEW. Given the problems Buxted residents have had in the past you may be interested:

"We'd like to invite you, and your community, to find out more about your drinking water company and learn more about our ambitious five-year £1.9 billion investment plan, which is currently being reviewed by our regulator, Ofwat. It's an opportunity to meet our team, ask any questions about the plan or about drinking water supplies in the region.
The 'Behind the tap: Your drinking water questions answered' virtual meeting is scheduled to take place from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday 12 November 2024 and will be independently chaired.
At the session you will have the opportunity to ask myself and other senior colleagues questions and let us know what really matters to you.
Your questions could cover:

• the service we provide
• our relationship with the environment
• population and housing growth
• working in partnership
• making bills affordable
• whatever other topic is important to you

The event will cover our drinking water supply plans across our whole supply area of Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire”.

You can register to attend here: https://yourquestions.eventbrite.co.uk/

Wealden Citizens Advice – debt and energy support

Wealden supports Citizens Advice to provide free, impartial advice on money, debt, benefits, housing or employment problems helping to support residents across the district.

The organisation gives free, impartial advice on money, debt, benefits, housing or employment problems helping to support residents across the district. The advice service is funded through the Wealden Community Grants programme receiving £165,000 per annum.

Between April and June 2024, they supported 1,375 clients, gained a total income of £672,961 for clients and had a total of £335,603 debt written off. This included several residents of Buxted. If you, or someone you know, needs help please help them contact Citizens Advice.

Please don‘t hesitate to contact me to discuss these or any other issues important to you.

Contact me oncllr.graham.shaw@wealden.gov.uk

Wealden’s website is www.wealden.gov.uk

Dear Resident,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works at Howbourne Lane, Buxted.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out from Monday 28 October 2024 to Wednesday 30 October 2024 between 9am to 4pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing?

These works involve replacing damaged pipework, clearing and reforming the ditches to alleviate flooding in the area.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working between properties ‘Two Ways’ and ‘Treetops’.

Access will be restricted for residents for the duration of these works.

If you need vehicle access to your property, please discuss this with the team onsite. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Waste collection: Access will be granted for waste collection.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

We are continuing our drive to promote this new and innovative way of informing residents who live near the railway about our work and projects.

As part of our ‘Digital Notification’ programme, neighbour notification letters will where possible be replaced by emails.

Thousands have already signed up in the southern region, and we would really appreciate your support in helping us stay in touch with our neighbours and communities.

If you haven't already done so, we’d be grateful if you could share this link. This will help our ambitions to keep everyone informed of our work in their local area.

Wealden Community Grants Programme has launched to fund services and activities supporting residents living in the district.

Organisations and community groups across the Wealden district are being invited to apply for grants, which have been made available through Wealden District Council’s budget and supports the priorities within the new Wealden District Council Strategy.

The council is asking not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, community and voluntary groups, community interest companies and more to apply.

Organisations will need 50% match funding, which can include in-kind and/or cash match funding.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said “Our communities are an important part of Wealden, and we must ensure that the vital services within them are nurtured.

“This grants programme will give charities, voluntary groups and not-for-profit organisations the funding required to continue to provide the necessary services and develop them. I would urge not-for-profit organisations to look further into this and apply.”

The programme launched today, Wednesday 9 October and the deadline for applications is Wednesday 4 December.

For information on how to apply, please go to Community Grants Programme - Wealden District Council - Wealden District Council

For information on current grants given out through this programme, please go to https://www.wealden.gov.uk/community-and-safety/information-on-grant-funding/community-grants-awarded-in-this-financial-year/

Residents are being reminded by Wealden District Council to utilise debt and energy support through Wealden Citizens Advice.

The organisation gives free, impartial advice on money, debt, benefits, housing or employment problems helping to support residents across the district.

The advice service is funded through the Wealden Community Grants programme receiving £165,000 per annum, between April 2022 - March 2025.

Between the months of April to June 2024, Wealden Citizen’s Advice has supported 1,375 clients, gained a total income of £672,961 for clients and had a total of £335,603 debt written off.

The Wealden based charity has recently helped a client make a fresh start financially after accumulating £49,000 in debts due to a relationship breakdown and the pandemic.

To alleviate immediate financial pressure, Wealden Citizens Advice placed the client under a 'Breathing Space' arrangement for two months. This provided temporary relief from creditor communications and bailiff visits while the Money Advice team explored debt resolution options. Due to the debt amount, making any reasonable repayment plan became unlikely.

Because of an increase in the debt relief order from £30,000 to £50,000 in June, the client was eligible to apply for a relief order which cleared her debt. The client now has a sustainable plan for managing her remaining obligations, helping her regain control over her finances.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management said, “Wealden Citizens Advice is a vital voluntary service giving support and expert advice to residents in need during this cost-of-living crisis effecting the most vulnerable people in our community. They help residents with difficulties from debt and financial problems to personal and legal issues. The service provided is confidential and an invaluable resource in our district.”

Residents can contact the charity on 0808 278 7811 or 0800 144 88 48 anytime between 9am to 3pm Monday-Friday, contact them online through www.wealdencitizensadvice.org.uk or visit one of their offices in Crowborough, Hailsham and Uckfield. Please be advised it is recommended to call ahead to avoid being turned away.

Citizens Advice are always seeking volunteers to keep this service running. To find out more about volunteer opportunities, go to https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/support-us/volunteering/.

We are please to announce that Wild About Dark Skies festival 2024 is running from 28 October to 10 November – all events to be found at Wild About Dark Skies Festival - High Weald National Landscape

Also if any of you are interested in holding your own event next year which is grant funded please contact me Samantha.nicholas@highweald.org.

High Weald National Landscape Partnership

Conserving and enhancing an area of outstanding natural beauty

For climate| For nature | For people | For place

Tel: 01424 723011

Woodland Enterprise Centre, Hastings Road, Flimwell, East Sussex, TN5 7PR

People in East Sussex are being encouraged to consider representing their community by becoming a councillor. East Sussex County Council has launched the Be A Councillor campaign to offer insight into the role of elected members, ahead of the county council elections in May 2025.

The campaign includes a website with details on how to stand for local elections, the responsibilities of the role, and the support and training available. Additionally, information events will provide opportunities to hear from current councillors and speak to officers who support them.

Not sure if it’s for you? Find out more: https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/your-council/about/council-officers/councillors/finances/roles-responsibilities?utm_source=facebook-post&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_content=district&borough&utm_campaign=be-a-councillor

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has launched a survey asking Sussex residents for their feedback on the policing service they receive.

Now in her fourth term as Sussex PCC, Mrs Bourne is eager to understand residents’ concerns and ideas in order to inform the priorities in her new Police & Crime Plan.

Speaking about the survey, PCC Katy Bourne said: “As your Police & Crime Commissioner since 2012, I've been asking you, as local residents, to tell me what makes you feel safe or unsafe.

“I am elected to be your voice within policing so it is my responsibility to ensure that the Chief Constable is delivering efficient and effective policing across our county.

“As I develop our new Police & Crime Plan, I'd like to know if issues that mattered to you before have changed? Please complete my short survey - I look forward to hearing your thoughts and value your feedback”

The survey can be accessed online and only takes a few minutes to complete. Please follow the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/9f9hYFVAFA

The survey will run until 31^st October.

Finding love and friendship online is increasingly popular. It can be highly enjoyable however, meeting new people this way does come with its own set of risks. One of the most concerning is romance fraud, which not only creates great emotional pain but can also lead to significant financial losses.

In the past year, nearly a quarter of all fraud cases reported to the Fraud Support Service at Victim Support Sussex were linked to romance scams, showing how common this type of crime has become.

What is Romance Fraud?

A romance scam is an insidious confidence trick. Fraudsters create fake profiles on dating sites or social media to establish a relationship with someone, with the aim of taking their money.

Being targeted by a romance fraudster does not mean a victim is gullible or naïve. Such scams are prolific and increasingly run by criminal organisations, practiced experts at psychological manipulation. Fraudsters typically spend weeks or months establishing what appears to be a genuine, caring relationship. Eventually, they begin to ask for money or personal information under various pretexts, such as medical emergencies or financial troubles.

By the time the victim realises they have been scammed, they may have lost significant amounts of money. British victims of romance fraud lost over £92 million in 2023, with an average loss of £11,500 each. Some victims in Sussex that have lost many times more.

Common Signs of Romance Scams

Here at Victim Support Sussex, we have seen first-hand the devastating impact that fraud can have on people's lives. As we acknowledge World Romance Scam Prevention Day on October 3rd, we feel it’s crucial to stay informed and learn how to protect ourselves when meeting new people online. Here are a few tips:

1. Be sceptical of online relationships: If you haven’t met the person in real life, be cautious. Watch out for elaborate backstories, early professions of love and excuses for never meeting up in person.

2. Never send money: Fraudsters may ask for money for an "emergency" or a supposed opportunity in bitcoin or other investment. No matter how convincing the story, never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

3. Keep personal information private: Avoid sharing sensitive personal information like your address or financial details. Romance scammers use this information to commit identity fraud or sell on to other criminals.

4. Stay connected with friends and family: Plenty of us date online these days and a trusted friend or family member can offer another perspective on your online relationship. Scammers know this and deliberately isolate their victims from their support networks, so staying connected is crucial.

Romance fraudsters target anybody seeking love and companionship online. However, by staying informed and vigilant, we can protect ourselves and others from falling victim whilst still meeting new people and having fun online.

This World Romance Scam Prevention Day, please take the time to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of romance fraud and the steps you can take to protect yourself. Lastly, if something feels too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instincts, and always seek support if you need it.

Drop-in sessions are available to residents in the Wealden district needing help and guidance on employment.

Wealden District Council has been working in partnership with the Job Centre Plus Eastbourne to bring the sessions to residents.

Job Centre Plus staff are available in the public access area of the council offices in Vicarage Field, Hailsham, every Monday and Thursday between 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 3pm. Residents can book an appointment with their employment advisor or walk in for general career advice.

This initiative helps many Wealden residents who would have had to travel far distances, often by public transport, to attend employment meetings and receive career advice from their appointed Job Centre Plus employment advisor. For example, claimants living in Hailsham and surrounding areas, would have needed to travel to Eastbourne.

Wealden District Council has also worked closely with other neighbouring Job Centre Plus venues to deliver employment events and is continuing to work together to explore the expansion of the outreach service to other areas of the district.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Housing & Benefits and leader of the council said, “As Hailsham is an area of relatively high deprivation, health inequalities and has the largest density of claimants of Universal Credit within the district, the outreach service began in this area. It enables the Job Centre Plus to provide services to our residents which otherwise may not have been available.

“The outreach service began in July 2023 and has seen good interaction, especially with younger claimants. Since October, almost 400 people have attended the weekly sessions. Discussions are ongoing to increase the outreach programme to other areas of the district.”

Piers Harrison, customer service leader for Job Centre Plus said, “It has been fantastic to provide DWP outreach to Hailsham, providing support, job opportunities and training to customers living in a high deprivation area. The Work Coaches who helped setup the project absolutely love working there and daily improve the lives of customers who attend. We have seen many fantastic outcomes and certainly examples where this would not been the case had customers not been seen in the council office. We have already extended the service by one day and are currently considering if we could offer even more because of demand and the success of the project”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has launched a survey asking Sussex residents for their feedback on the policing service they receive.

Now in her fourth term as Sussex PCC, Mrs Bourne is eager to understand residents’ concerns and ideas in order to inform the priorities in her new Police & Crime Plan.

Speaking about the survey, PCC Katy Bourne said: “As your Police & Crime Commissioner since 2012, I've been asking you, as local residents, to tell me what makes you feel safe or unsafe.

“I am elected to be your voice within policing so it is my responsibility to ensure that the Chief Constable is delivering efficient and effective policing across our county.
“As I develop our new Police & Crime Plan, I'd like to know if issues that mattered to you before have changed? Please do complete my short survey - I look forward to hearing your thoughts and value your feedback”
The survey can be accessed online and only takes a few minutes to complete. Please click on the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/9f9hYFVAFA

This September Journeys Festival of Dance will be returning to visit towns in Sussex.

Uckfield, Newhaven and Bexhill will be visited by the Journeys Festival of dance, a free outdoor festival which will move across Sussex giving performances and workshops for all ages over a three-day festival.

The festival kickstarts in Newhaven on Friday 27^thSeptember from 6pm with Folk Dance Remixed at the Sidings.

On Saturday 28^th September, Folk Dance Remixed will reappear with performances at 12.30pm & 2.30pm on Luxford Field in Uckfield, sharing afresh, quirky, colourful and magical collision of traditional and Hip-Hop dance and music. A high-energy, unique remix of Maypole, Clogging, Street, House and Breakdance with a hint of African & Bollywood to a live soundtrack of fiddle & beat boxing - this is Folk and Street Dance like you’ve never seen before.

Attendees are also welcome to get involved in a free dance workshop delivered by Folk Dance Remixed in between the day’s performances.

The festival ends on Sunday 29September with the Black Victorians in Bexhill on the De La War Pavilion Terrace. Exploring a complex, but often forgotten Black presence in pre-Windrush Britain, this performance calls attention to previously hidden figures and challenges historical and contemporary perceptions.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Climate Change and Economy, said, “This festival will bring communities together again to enjoy performances, live music, and dance workshops. This was very popular with other towns in Sussex and so we have decided to host again and spread the fun. I hope that families and friends come together to attend the free event.”

For more information on the event visit our website: www.explorewealden.co.uk/experience-our-culture/journeys-festival-of-dance-2024-by-18-hours-p2218051

Journeys Festival of Dance produced by 18 Hours, is completely free with no need to book. The festival is supported by Arts Council England, Wealden District Council, Newhaven Enterprise Zone, Rother District Council, and East Sussex Arts Partnership.

The new Community Sports Hub to be located on the outskirts of Hailsham has received a grant of £3.5million from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation.

Construction on the new Hub is expected to start this autumn and be completed by 2026.The construction of the build has been appointed to Sunninghill Construction.

Wealden District Council has been working with the Football Foundation, a charity which delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, on the plans and construction of the new Community Sports Hub.

The Hub will provide new facilities in the district and offer high-quality sports and community facilities which can be used all year-round.

The funding has been awarded to the council through the Football Foundation’s Hubs Programme, which has already seen over 20 multi-pitch Hubs delivered across the country.

As part of the funding agreement, the site will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by the charity, Leisure United and managed by The National Football Trust. Leisure United currently operates 18 sites across the country. It will be a new partnership arrangement involving the council and any surplus income generated from the facility will be reinvested into local grassroots sports.

The state-of-the art Hub will consist of two floodlit full size 3G pitches, four dual use floodlit netball/tennis courts and two padel tennis courts plus other community facilities such as a café and meeting space, skate park, a children’s play area and a perimeter pathway around the site - that will provide opportunities for all residents to participate in sports, health and wellbeing, and leisure activities.

Throughout the process, the council has engaged with a range of partners including sport’s governing bodies, local sports clubs and a public consultation event was held to help shape and inform the facilities at the site.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said “I am delighted to hear that the Football Foundation has awarded the council £3.5 million in grant funding. This award follows many months of working with the Football Foundation, local clubs and our communities and strengthens our relationship and highlights the importance of having this type of facility within Wealden. The funding will be used to provide residents throughout the district with high-quality sports amenities and allow them to become more active by participating in a variety of different activities and sports.”

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said “The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.

“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.

“This grant award to Wealden council towards developing a new Hub is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play.”

For further information and to follow updates or for further info on the project please click here

About the Football Foundation

The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity that delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.

The Foundation’s goal is to unlock the power of pitches ensuring every community has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.

Since its creation in 2000, the Foundation has invested more than £1.1 billion to improve grassroots facilities across the country – including 1,200 3G pitches, 13,000 grass pitches and 1,500 changing rooms. This has attracted an additional £1.4 billion of partnership funding – totalling over £2.5 billion investment in grassroots football so far.

In partnership with local authorities, County FAs and other community stakeholders, the Foundation has created Local Football Facility Plans for every local authority in England. These Plans act as a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements that each community needs and deserves across the country.

Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation and view the Plan for your local area.

Wealden District Council’s Tackling Inequalities through Physical Activity 2024/2025

Applications must be submitted by Tuesday 3 September 2024 and can be made for amounts between £1,000 and £15,000.

The council is inviting organisations such as Not for Profit organisations to apply. Funds must be spent by 31^st August 2025.

The third round of funding as part of the Tackling Inequalities Through Physical Activity programme is now open.

East Sussex Public Health has released funds to Wealden District Council to deliver a third round of grant funding to support organisations who specifically work towards reducing inequalities and aim to deliver better health outcomes within the district. The funding can support existing projects or new ideas, which provide direct support to the local community. Anything from gardening clubs to seated exercise sessions and more.

Previous rounds of funding over the past two years has provided funding to eleven organisations within the district. These include The Good Company People which increases fitness levels through exercise for over 65s, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) which provides residents with practical conservation activities to increase mental wellbeing through a Green Gym project, and Rotherfield St Martin which has used the funding to support hydrotherapy sessions helping those with arthritis, stiffness of joints and those recovering from hip or knee surgery.

If you would like more information, please email wellbeing@wealden.gov.uk

Five Ash Down, Uckfield

Dear Resident,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works at Five Ash Down, Uckfield.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out from Monday 9 September 2024to Friday 13 September 2024between 9am and 4pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing?

These works involve replacing broken pipe work to alleviate flooding in the area.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working at two sites:

From outside ‘Mayfield Cottage’ to ‘Little Hasley’,

From the junction of Cobdown Lane and will continue approximately 120m North East along the A26.

The road will remain open with temporary traffic signals in place.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

Free NHS Health Checks are returning to towns across Wealden after high demand.

The health checks are provided by One You East Sussex, a free holistic lifestyle service for residents of East Sussex, helping people make simple changes that can lead to a longer, healthier and happier life. The service helps residents to lose weight, be smoke free, move more, eat well, drink less and delivers the NHS health checks.

COLIN, the service’s mobile health check van and practitioner team, will be offering NHS health checks to residents who qualify. The dates, locations and eligibility criteria are below.

Please book your NHS health check in advance by contacting hello@oneyoueastsussex.org.uk or calling 01323 404600. Appointments take between 30-40 minutes and your results will be discussed with on the day. Cancellations should be made 24 hours in advance to allow for appointments to be re-allocated.

Dates and locations

· Thursday 19th September - Uckfield, Luxford Field car park

· Thursday 26th September - Heathfield, Station Road East car park

· Thursday 3rd October - Crowborough, Croft Road car park

· Thursday 17th October - Hailsham, Vicarage Lane car park

· Thursday 31st October - Heathfield, Station Road East car park

Residents wanting to book an NHS health check must meet the following criteria.

· Be aged between 40-74.

· Are not currently prescribed blood pressure or cholesterol medications.

· Do not suffer from Diabetes OR Heart/Circulatory/Kidney conditions or previously suffered from any cardiovascular events.

· Be an East Sussex resident.

· Have not previously had an NHS health check in the last 5 years.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said “The health checks have proven popular over the last couple of years and we are bringing them back to the communities to give more people a chance to access them. Our health is important and with these checks available to eligible residents I would urge anyone who meets the criteria to take up this offer. They are free to attend and are spread across the district. Residents need to book an appointment to save disappointment.”

If you’d like more information on the free healthy lifestyle services available through One You East Sussex, or to complete a self-referral, then please visit www.oneyoueastsussex.org.uk.

Please see attached a list of applications currently being considered for a response by Buxted Parish Planning Committee.

Any responses - please send back to clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk

Your community needs you. Become a JCR support worker today and make a difference in just four weeks.

Are you a kind-hearted and caring individual looking for a fulfilling job? The Joint Community Rehabilitation (JCR) team at East Sussex County Council team is looking for support workers. This is your chance to make a real difference to people's lives, helping them regain their independence after hospital stays, injury or illness.

What is a JCR support worker?

As a JCR Support Worker, you’ll visit clients in their homes, supporting them as they recover and build their confidence. You don't need formal qualifications, just a caring attitude and a desire to help others. JCR provide all the necessary training to ensure you’re fully equipped for the role.

Why join JCR?

• Impact lives: help people feel confident at home, get them back in the garden, or see them cooking again - all in just four weeks.
• Variety in your day: every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a difference.
• Flexible and Rewarding: enjoy a flexible job that provides immense satisfaction and pride.
• Community Focus: support your local community and give back in your own way.

What JCR offer

• Comprehensive training
• Flexible working hours
• A supportive team environment
• The opportunity to truly impact lives
• Paid travel

Requirements

• A caring nature and willingness to help
• Ability to drive (and ideally access to a car)

Hear from the JCR team

"The best thing about being a support worker is that I get to see lots of different people in lots of different situations. It's very rewarding and fills me with a lot of pride." – Dan, JCR Support Worker

Get Involved

JCR have multiple vacancies available across East Sussex and would love to hear from you! Take the first step towards a rewarding new career by joining the JCR team. No previous experience needed.

For more information, visit the JCR support worker page and watch their video to see how you can transform lives with JCR.

Shepherds Hill, Buxted

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out targeted patch repairs on Shepherds Hill, Buxted.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out on Thursday 22 August 2024and Friday 23 August 2024between 9am and 4pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What do the works involve?

These works involve essential patching repair works to improve the carriageway condition.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working near the junction with Nans Tuck Lane.

Access for residents will be restricted for residents between the junction of Nan Tucks Lane and the junction of Pound Lane the duration of works.

Traffic will be diverted via Shepherds Hill, Nans Tuck Lane, Etchingwood Lane, Streele Lane, Barn Lane, Pound Lane and vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Waste collection:Access will be granted for waste collection.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visitOne.Network. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

A big change is on the way. People asked, we have listened.

From 29 July we are replacing the current zone boundary system with just one big zone.

Passengers will now be able to travel within a 14-mile radius of their pickup point – meaning access to new destinations. We have also ‘closed the gaps’ so a few parishes in the middle of zones but outside them are now covered. (See attached pic). Limitations mean we’ve not been able to expand to cover those areas which were outside the zones.

Before, if you lived at the edge of a zone there was no Flexibus option to travel into another, which we know for some meant their main services were in the ‘wrong’ zone.

As before, the aim of Flexibus is to complement and support the standard bus networks, and you will not be able to book a ride if there is a bus route going that way. Using any of our buses supports our efforts to increase passenger numbers and show that there is demand for public transport in East Sussex.

Checkout our new travel-checker map to see where Flexibus can take you: https://flexibus.sussex.podaris.com/

How to book remains by calling 01273 078203 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holiday) or through the RidePingo app. The app can be used anytime (other than the occasional downtime for maintenance and updates).

Bus Service Improvement - ESCC

The Parish Council has received notification of a new planning application for:

OUTLINE APPLICATION WITH ALL MATTERS RESERVED EXCEPT ACCESS, LAYOUT AND SCALE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE FOR 14 NO. RESIDENTIAL UNITS, WITH ASSOCIATED ACCESS, CAR AND CYCLE PARKING.

This is the same location as the applications for a care home (refused - currently awaiting an appeal).

For full details please see the WDC website: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=166073

Comments should be in by 23rd August. 

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 15 July 2024

Five Ash Down, Uckfield

Dear Resident,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works in Five Ash Down, Uckfield.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out on Monday 5 August 2024and Tuesday 6 August 2024 between 9am and 4pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing?

These works involve replacing broken pipes on drainage assets to alleviate flooding in the area.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working at two locations:

Location 1: Outside properties ‘Mayfield Cottage’ & ‘Little Haseley’

Location 2: From the junction with Cobdown Lane and continuing approximately 120m North East.

The road will remain open with minimal disrupstion to road users.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

Organisations within the Wealden district are being encouraged to apply for funding as part of the Tackling Inequalities Through Physical Activity programme.

East Sussex Public Health has released funds to Wealden District Council to deliver a third round of grant funding to support organisations which specifically work towards reducing inequalities and aim to deliver better health outcomes within the district. The funding can support existing projects or new ideas, which provide direct support to the local community. It includes anything from gardening clubs to seated exercise sessions and more.

Previous rounds of funding over the past two years have provided funding to 11 organisations within the district. These include The Good Company People, which increases fitness levels through exercise for over 65s; The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), which provides residents with practical conservation activities to increase mental wellbeing through a Green Gym project, and Rotherfield St Martin which has used the funding to support hydrotherapy sessions helping those with arthritis, stiffness of joints and those recovering from hip or knee surgery.

Vicky Cheeseman, charity manager at Rotherfield St. Martin, said “We were one of the organisations which received funding from Wealden District Council as part of the phase two Tackling Inequalities Through Physical Activity programme. The funding awarded to us has been used to support the physical health of over 50s in fun and inclusive ways. I would encourage any organisations in the Wealden district to apply for the phase three funding.”

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management said, “This funding is important to tackle the inequalities that we see in physical activity. Research has been undertaken by Active Sussex which found that there are four priority groups at risk of health inequalities.

“We want to give funding to organisations that will reduce health inequalities in the district whilst increasing the opportunity for people to lead healthy and happy lives, create better and stronger communities and social interaction.”

To apply for funding, email wellbeing@wealden.gov.uk.

Allocations will be prioritised in order of the ability to deliver activities and interventions to Wealden. Applications open from 8 July 2024 and must be submitted by 3 September 2024 and can be made for amounts between £1,000 and £15,000.

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 9 July 2024

High Street & Station Road, Buxted

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out footway works on High Street and Station Road, Buxted.

Once completed, these works will help restore the footway to its original width.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out from Monday 29 July 2024to Thursday 8 August 2024 between 8am and 5pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing?

These works involve siding the overgrown grass verge to improve access to the footway.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working at the following locations:

· 29 July - High Street - Between the entrantce to the station and the Water Treatment Works.

· 30 July – 8 August - Station Road – Between ‘Yew Tree Cottage’ and Buxted Primary School.

The road will remain open with temporary traffic lights in place whilst the work is undertaken.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit One.Network. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion via: -Via -C402 Hurstwood Road – U7503 Burnt Oak Road – U7861 Tibbs Mill Lane and vice versa.

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works.

If you need to discuss this further, please contact:

I & A Communications Ltd on 0845 200 4035

Wealden Crematorium will be hosting an open day event in July welcoming people from all over Sussex.

The crematorium opened in 2019 and is marking its fifth anniversary this year. This year’s open day will be held on the 31 July between 11am-3pm with friendly crematorium staff offering guided tours to show visitors the cremation process and answering questions the public might have.

Since its doors opened the crematorium has held more than 5,000 cremations, received the Highly Commended Award from the Sussex Heritage Trust for its grounds and has donated more than £70,000 to local charities through the ICCM Metals Recycling Scheme, which, with consent, allows bereaved families to donate metals after a cremation.

The state-of-the-art building has the largest ceremony hall in the local area which can seat more than 120 people and car parking spaces to fit 160 vehicles.

A council spokesperson said: “The open days are held to encourage residents from all over Sussex to visit, ask questions and enjoy the beautiful grounds. There are no questions we haven’t been asked before so don’t be shy in coming along and getting the answers you want or need to know.

“Wealden Crematorium is a crematorium for all, no matter what culture, background or geographical location, you do not have to live in Wealden to use our services. We are welcoming to everyone.”

Refreshments will be served throughout the day, for more information visit https://www.wealdencrematorium.co.uk/

A career event will be taking place in July to help Armed Forces members find job opportunities outside of the military.

The event aims to highlight the value of hiring veterans and active-duty members, promote the value of military experience in the workforce and to bridge the gap between military service and civilian employment.

Wealden District Council will be hosting the event at the Hailsham Civic Community Hall, between 10am - 2pm in partnership with People Matter, a local charity which supports jobseekers.

Attendees will have the chance to meet with top employers and connect with local companies and organisations that are eager to hire veterans and civilians. Employers from various industries will be present to discuss potential career paths and opportunities.

Many skills that military members already have can be transitioned into the civilian world of work. Advice and guidance will be given on completing applications and CV building, interview techniques, career transition strategies, and leveraging military experience in the civilian job market.

Networking Opportunities will also be available for job seekers, recruiters, and industry professionals to build valuable connections that could lead to exciting career opportunities and learn about options for further training and development that can enhance civilian job prospects.

A council spokesperson said, "The Armed Forces Career Event is a testament to our commitment to supporting our veterans and active-duty members in their transition to civilian life.

"We recognise the immense value they bring to the workforce, and we are dedicated to providing them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed."

Event Details:

• Date: 12July 2024
• Time: 10am – 2pm
• Location: Civic Community Hall, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX

For more information about the Armed Forces Career Event, please contact 01323 443322

Kent Police have released an appeal to reunite tools worth one million pounds with owners.

Officers are keen to identity the rightful owners of the tools, and can confirm that the goods have been stolen from locations nationwide including Sussex.

Members of the public who have been victims of power tool thefts are encouraged to look at the list of items and manufacturers and get in contact if they believe their property may have been recovered as part of this operation.

For more information, please see details of the appeal here https://www.kent.police.uk/news/kent/latest/appeals/appeal-to-reunite-tools-worth-one-million-pounds-with-owners/

Buxted Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year with a concert on Sunday 7th July (7.00 pm) at St. Margaret’s Church in Buxted Park. The programme features Sussex-linked composers, both past and present, and one of the highlights of the evening will be a performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with guest soloist James Conway.

Tickets priced at £13 are available in advance from Gale & Woolgar, High Street, Uckfield (cash only), or at the door for £14 (cash or card). Students and under 18s are free. Interval refreshments will be served, with donations welcomed.

Energise Sussex Coast are looking for volunteers to become local Energy Champions. There is still time to sign up to their FREE Energy Champion Training on Wednesday 12^th June, Hailsham Civic Community Hall, 10am-4pm.

Find out more details and how to book your place on the Eventbrite Link-Energy Champion Training for Wealden Tickets, Wed 12 Jun 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

I would like to invite you to join the re-scheduled FREE Energy Champion Training on Wednesday 12^th June, Hailsham Civic Community Hall, 10am-4pm. Booking is now open, find out more details and how to secure your space on the Eventbrite Link-Energy Champion Training for Wealden Tickets, Wed 12 Jun 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

This free training to open to anyone who lives in Wealden and would like to make a positive impact on their community.As Energy Champions, volunteers will receive free training and ongoing in person support to give energy advice to local people and help them to bring down their energy bills, stay warm, and save energy.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Please share with your networks and anyone you think might be interested in attending.

Best Wishes

Climate Change Team

Chantal, Alex and Kate

Follow our facebook page@ClimateChangeWealden

In the last twelve months almost £1.5 million has been committed by Wealden District Council to improve outdoor sports provision and secure community use at educational facilities.

At a recent Wealden District Full Council meeting, councillors agreed to provide £600,000 via an annual grant funding programme to improve playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities throughout the district. This equates to £200,000 per year, over a three-year period.

The first round of the annual grant funding programme will be opened later this year and be available to local sports partners and organisations.

It will provide much needed financial support to deliver the priority projects listed within the Wealden Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy & Action Plan, agreed by sport’s governing bodies and Sport England, and adopted by the Council in December 2023.

Sports that could benefit from the funding programme include football, rugby union, tennis, cricket, lawn bowls, hockey, netball and stoolball.

This is in addition to a contribution of £216,406 towards the resurfacing and improvements to the lighting of the hockey pitch at Hailsham Community College and

Investment of£311,000 to improve the hockey pitch at Beacon Academy, Crowborough. A further £300,000 has been allocated towards supporting the installation of a new 3G football pitch, at the Academy should this project be progressed at the site.

Funding is being made available from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) monies and will help improve the quality, accessibility, and protection of community-use sports facilities for years to come.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said, “The health and wellbeing of our residents is pivotal to them living happier, more fulfilled, and heathier lives.

“The provision of high quality, local sports provision and open spaces enables residents to access opportunities to adopt healthier lifestyles through physical activity, and actively being involved in their community.

“By working with and supporting local partners and communities we are able to strengthen local relationships and build healthy, resilient communities. This funding will help to improve accessibility and the quality of many local sports facilities located throughout the district.”

Notes for editors

For details on the Wealden Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy and Action Plan go to: www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/planning-policy-evidence-base/open-space/

Visitors to the Cuckoo Trail are being advised that sections of the popular trail will be closed in June and July.

The Cuckoo Trail is a leisure 11-mile route running from Polegate to Heathfield used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders and parts of it will be closed so essential work can be carried out before the start of the summer holidays.

Resurfacing work in June will see a stretch of the Cuckoo Trail south of Ghyll Road in Heathfield closed to all types of users to allow the work to go ahead safely. The work, being carried out by contractors C J Thorne, is expected to start on Wednesday 5 June and take between 10 days and two weeks.

A signposted diversion via Ghyll Road, Hailsham Road (B2203) and public footpath Heathfield and Waldron 50b - opposite the Runt-in-Tun public house - will be provided to bypass the works and maintain the though route of the Trail. The public footpath section is unsurfaced.

Wealden District Council apologises for any inconvenience caused by these necessary works.

In addition, from Monday 10 June, contractors acting for Bovis/Vistry Housing will be installing a new pumped sewer along the route of the Cuckoo Trail between Sycamore Drive and Ersham Road in south Hailsham. The work is expected to last until Friday 19 July and during this time the Trail will be closed to all types of users to allow the work to proceed.

Unfortunately, there is no safe route available to bypass this location so, although other parts of the Trail will be available as usual, the Cuckoo Trail will effectively be closed as a through route during this period. The council apologies for any inconvenience caused by these works, which are being carried out under a Sewer Requisition Notice over which the council has no control.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said, “It is regrettable parts of the Trail have to close but these works are necessary and being done ahead of the summer holidays.

“While the resurfacing work in Heathfield will have a diversion in place, it is not possible for a diversion to be set up for the works in south Hailsham and that is out of the council’s control.”

Station Road, Buxted

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works on Station Road, Uckfield.

Once completed, these works help alleviate flooding to the carriageway and private properties.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out between Monday 17 June and Monday 24 June.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

How will this impact highway users?

The road will remain open with temporary traffic signals in place between 9am – 3pm.

The team will be working from the junction with High Street to outside ‘Buxted Church of England Primary School’.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: We will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

One You East Sussex is offering free NHS Health Checks to residents living in Wealden after the popularity of a similar programme delivered last year.

One You provides a free holistic lifestyle service for residents of East Sussex, helping people make simple changes that can lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life. The service delivers NHS health checks to residents, helps residents to lose weight, be smoke free, move more, eat well and drink less.

COLIN, the service’s mobile health check van and practitioner team, will be offering NHS health checks to residents who qualify. The dates, locations and eligibility criteria are below.

Please book your NHS health check in advance as spaces may not be available on the day, by contacting sam.bentley@oneyoueastsussex.org.uk. Appointments take between 30-40 minutes and your results will be discussed with on the day.

Dates and locations

· Thursday 16 May - Crowborough, Croft Road car park

· Thursday 23 May - Uckfield, Luxford Field car park

· Thursday 30 May - Hailsham, Vicarage Lane car park

· Thursday 13 June - Heathfield, Station Road East car park

· Thursday 20 June - Crowborough, Croft Road car park

· Thursday 27 June - Uckfield, Luxford Field car park

Residents wanting to book an NHS health check must meet the following criteria:

· Be aged between 40-74.

· Are not currently prescribed blood pressure or cholesterol medications.

· Do not suffer from Diabetes OR Heart/Circulatory/Kidney conditions or previously suffered from any cardiovascular events.

· Be an East Sussex resident.

· Have not previously had an NHS health check in the last five years.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said, “These health checks are popular with residents in Wealden and it is great to see them return. I would urge residents who meet the criteria to take up this offer. They are free to attend and are spread across the district. Residents need to book an appointment to save disappointment.”

If you’re unable to attend any of these dates, One You East Sussex will be returning in September and October, further information including dates and how to book will be provided in the summer.

A new cycle and pedestrian route which would run alongside the old railway line between Uckfield and Lewes is currently being explored.

Wealden District Council and other partners – including Lewes District Council – are joining forces for the project, which could provide an off-road surfaced route, similar to the existing Cuckoo Trail and Forest Way for walking, cycling and wheeling.

The nine-mile route will potentially link the two towns of Uckfield and Lewes and create an alternative cycling route to the A26 between the two towns, joining Isfield and Barcombe directly. The Greenway would form an important “green link” between the towns and villages along the route and support leisure journeys as well as commuter journeys, linking tourism hotspots such as the Lavender Line, The Laughing Fish, Barcombe Mills and the Anchor Inn on the River Ouse.

At a meeting of Wealden council’s Cabinet Committee this week, councillors agreed to move forward with the scoping exercise, which will be undertaken by Greenways and Cycleroutes, a charitable organisation.

The former Uckfield to Lewes train line opened in 1858 to goods and passenger traffic, with stations at Isfield and Barcombe Mills but was closed in 1969 south of Uckfield. The route is safeguarded by protective policies within the current Local Plan that prevent

any development which would significantly prejudice the reinstatement of the former railway line to Lewes in the future.

Councillor Ian Tysh, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party) and lead councillor for Planning and Environment, said, “We are in the very early stages of this exciting project.If the proposed scheme becomes viable, it will make a contribution towards achieving climate change goals for the council’s net-zero strategy and the wider Wealden environment. We are always looking to improve residents’ lives and improve overall wellbeing and mental health.”

Councillor Emily O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Climate, Nature & Food Systems at Lewes District Council said, “There are many potential benefits for local people from cycleways, so I’m delighted that this is being fully assessed.

“However, it is just one first step to see how a new cycleway can be designed without hindering any future opening of the rail link.”

East Sussex County Council May 2024

Budget

In 2023/4, the council balanced its budget. There were overspends particularly in Children’s Services but these were offset by more interest from investments and from income generated.

The Council’s budget and Council Plan for 2024/25 were approved at the meeting of Full Council on 6 February 2024. Councillors approved a £538m net revenue budget for 2024/25 with no new cuts to services. The decision not to reduce services was taken despite the rising cost of providing them and funding not keeping pace.

Revenue Budget 2024/25

In meeting service pressures and impact of inflation, the Council made additional investments into services of £51.5m, when the 2024/25 budget was set in February this year. Whilst Council Tax (including Adult Social Precept) was increased by 4.99%, the level of additional income required to support the increased investment and set a balanced budget was not sufficient. A £14.3m draw from reserves was required for 2024/25 to set a balanced budget.

The Council’s gross revenue budget for 2024/25 totals over £1bn, as set out below; with 74.3% of all planned expenditure providing Adult Social Care, Public Health and Children’s Services.

The gross budget includes schools but county just pass on to them money from the government. Income from a range of services explains the remaining difference between gross and net budgets.

2024/25 Capital Programme

The Council is planning to make capital investments of £837.7m over the next 10 years; with a focus on highways, transport, school places and property maintenance. In contrast to the revenue budget, which is driven mainly by costs in Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, over half of the Capital Programme (56%) is planned to be invested in highways and integrated transport services. 

Children’s Services

An inspection of the Council’s Children’s Services by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) took place in December 2023. The inspection report published on 6 February 2024, found that the lives of the most vulnerable children in East Sussex are improved by ‘consistently strong and effective’ support. The help, protection and care children and young people are receiving from the Council earned an overall ‘good’ rating, while inspectors found the experiences and progress of children in care to be ‘outstanding'. This report is set against the context of rising demand for Children’s Social Care services and increased complexity of needs. Increases in costs have been particularly acute in looked after children’s care costs, in particular external residential costs (with average costs increasing by 13% between quarters 1 and 2) and support for children with the most complex needs.

Roads

The new contractor, Balfour Beatty, was appointed last May and has since filled 23,000 potholes. The number keeps growing, of course, and it is a battle to keep up with the continuing wet weather. April 2024 was apparently the wettest since 1836.

County has also put £15m more into highways maintenance to do a lot of patching and major repairs. It still isn’t enough ad there are many problem roads locally despite a lot of pressure to try to get some improvements. Some local roads are due for work soon but no point in counting chickens.

Other services

The services highlighted are perhaps the highest profile although the biggest spend is on Adult Social Care.

Nevertheless County does a lot more such as Trading Standards, Registration services, Libraries, Public Health, economic support to name a few.

Roy Galley

May 2024

WDC Community Orchard Funding Programme – closes 10^th May 2024

Wealden District Council is excited to share that our community orchards grant funding programme is now open for applications.This new funding programme has been made available through the Coronation Living Heritage Fund (CLHF) to support the development of community orchards in the district. The funding programme closes on Friday 10^th May at 5pm.

For more information and how to apply visit our Climate Change Hub on Let’s Talk Wealden

Climate Change Survey – survey closes on 10^th May at 12pm

Wealden District Council is creating a new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. As part of this process we are asking our residents and local organisations to complete a survey to gather opinions on climate change action in the district. This information and local insight will help inform our new strategy.

To complete the surveys, go to our climate change hub Climate Change | Let's Talk Wealden .

Wealden Community Infrastructure and Spaces Fund – open!

We are pleased to announce that Wealden District Council is delivering the Community Infrastructure and Spaces capital grants programme.

This new funding programme has been made available through the Government Rural England Prosperity Fund. The England-wide fund is a new £110million, two-year capital fund from DEFRA complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund run by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities.

The programme is a capital only fund, which means applicants must spend the grants on assets such as equipment and features which help to create or improve green spaces/ community facilities or infrastructure where the benefits last more than 12 months.

Wealden District Council has allocated £121,259.90 towards the Community Infrastructure and Spaces Grants Programme and are asking Town and Parish Councils and not for profit organisations to apply for between £1,000 and £20,000 for projects that benefit the residents of the Wealden District.

This will be a rolling programme and applications will be processed on a first come first served basis. The fund closes in Autumn 2024, or sooner if all funds are allocated.

Successful applications will be given a set period to spend their grant on a case-by-case basis. Final payments will be defrayed once the project has been completed and evidence of spend submitted. All projects must be completed and money spent by end of January 2025.

For more information and to apply, please go to: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/information-for-businesses/economic-development-and-growth/rural-england-prosperity-fund/wealden-community-infrastructure-and-spaces-fund/

Transport for the South East (TfSE), the Sub-national Transport Body for the south east of England, is asking people to take part in their ‘Your Voices’ survey and submit views on the future transport needs of the region. 

People are being asked to take part in the online survey where there are questions about transport-related issues such as accessibility and affordability. 

Participants can also share their experiences regarding congestion, noise pollution, air quality, road safety, public transport, personal safety, and walking and cycling routes. 

The ‘Your Voices’ survey can be found online at tfse.org.uk until Sunday, 2 June 2024. 

A special podcast has been produced that explains in further detail why TfSE needs the views of people across the south east and how those views will help shape the future work of TfSE. The podcast can be listened to online at tfse.org.uk and is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify by searching for ‘The TfSE Podcast.’ 

Councillor Keith Glazier, Chair of TfSE, said: “We want to hear the views and experiences of those in the region when it comes to all things transport related. One of our roles is to speak to government about the priorities they should consider when improving transport connectivity locally. To do this effectively, we need to hear from as many people as possible across the south east.” 

The south east is defined as Bracknell Forest, Reading, Windsor & Maidenhead, Slough, West Berkshire, Wokingham, Kent, Medway, Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove.

I am writing with details on changes to Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services from next Monday 6 May to Saturday 11 May 2024 inclusive, because of industrial action by ASLEF.

The most affected day will be Tuesday 7 May when a strike is expected to take place. This will mean no trains on much of the network. It is however important that customers expect changes and check their journeys carefully on all dates leading up to and during the industrial action period.

Journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk are now showing journeys for Monday 6 through to Wednesday 8 May. Journeys on Thursday 9, Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May will appear in journey planners from this Friday, 3 May.

A day-by-day, route-by-route summary and FAQs for customers is now available on the industrial action pages of our websites:

• Great Northern
• Southern
• Thameslink
• Gatwick Express

An overview is available below for reference.

As always, we would welcome your support in sharing this information on your own channels and encouraging all customers to check their journey plans for the period. This includes the days leading up the start of the industrial action given there are some changes because of planned engineering works over the three-day bank holiday weekend.

We’re very sorry for the disruption this will cause.

OVERVIEW

Monday 6 May (Early May Bank Holiday) – Overtime ban

A bank holiday timetable will be in place, with changes for planned engineering works that are happening over the three-day weekend. Customers should check before they travel for any short notice alterations and cancellations.


Tuesday 7 May - Strike

Regrettably, because of strike action there will be no trains on the vast majority of the GTR network. The only services that will be running are:

• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.
• A limited shuttle service calling at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras International only.
• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

It is important to note that these trains will not stop at any other stations.

We are advising any customers who have no alternative but to travel by train that day to leave plenty of time for their journey, as these limited shuttle services are expected to be very busy and there are likely to be queues to board.


Wednesday 8 May 2024 to Friday 10 May 2024 inclusive – Overtime ban

During this time there will be an amended timetable in place with fewer services overall.

These amended timetables have been designed to help passengers plan for their day, providing greater certainty of train times with fewer short-notice on-the-day alterations. Trains will be busier than usual, especially at peak times and customers may have to queue.

Gatwick Express will not be running, but Gatwick Airport will continue to be served by Southern and Thameslink trains.


Saturday 11 May – Overtime ban

On Southern and Gatwick Express our usual Saturday timetable is planned to run. However, engineering works will still be taking place across the network, so customers must check before travelling, as journeys may still be affected.

On Thameslink and Great Northern an amended timetable with fewer services will be running. Engineering works will also be taking place.


Other operators’ services during this entire period

It is also really important that customers check their entire journey when travelling during this period as other train operators across the country are also impacted by the overtime ban and strikes on different days, which could also make our stations and trains even busier.

If a journey involves using another train company, customers must check for any changes to their services and ensure that onward connections are available on the day they are travelling.

East Sussex County Council are having to increase the cost of some bus tickets from Monday 29^th April.

The £2 single fare cap remains in place.

They have stated.......I am sorry not to have given more notice but this was only confirmed today.

We have had to push these through far quicker than we would have liked as to coincide with fare increases coming into effect from Monday 29^th April for Brighton & Hove bus services. B&H Buses are of course one of our key partners on the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Fares remain much lower than they were pre-BSIP and these will help operators who rely on fares income to deliver the service improvements we currently have

The changes are to multi-operator day tickets and the accompanied Under 19s

If your website, village hall, etc has on display posters such as the attached BSIP Fare reduction 01 and 03 (pink and orange) – please take these down, thank you.

Posters relating to 2024 01 – pop into town for £2 or fair fares posters (green-blue) can remain. There has been no change regarding concessionary fares.

The Wealden Local Plan has been published and the consultation has started. This runs from 5pm on Friday 15th March 2024 to 5pm on Friday 10th May 2024 and sets out the vision for development and associated environment and infrastructure up until 2040.

Development has been allocated in Buxted and Ringles Cross/Five Ash Down and we would need your views so the Parish Council can provide feedback to Wealden and our local WDC Councillor.

Please come along to the Annual Assembly to look at the allocated sites and tell us what you think.

Wealden Community Infrastructure and Spaces Fund – is now open for applications!

Wealden District Council are pleased to announce that the Community Infrastructure and Spaces capital grants programme in now open to apply

This new funding programme has been made available through the Government Rural England Prosperity Fund. The England-wide fund is a new £110million, two-year capital fund from DEFRA complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund run by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities. It is a top up for eligible authorities, such as Wealden District Council, which have already submitted an investment plan for UKSPF, to address the extra needs of rural areas.

The programme is a capital only fund, which means applicants must spend the grants on assets such as equipment and features which help to create or improve spaces/ facilities or infrastructure where the benefits last more than 12 months.

Wealden District Council has allocated £121,259.90 towards the Community Infrastructure and Spaces Grants Programme and are asking Town and Parish Councils and not for profit organisations to apply for between £1,000 and £20,000 for projects that benefit the residents of the Wealden District.

This will be a rolling programme and applications will be processed on a first come first served basis. The fund closes in Autumn 2024, or sooner if all funds are allocated.

See below table which details the level of match funding needed for each funding programme:

Successful applications will be given a set period to spend their grant on a case-by-case basis. Final payments will be defrayed once the project has been completed and evidence of spend submitted. All projects must be completed and money spent by end of January 2025.

What the capital grant can be used on:

For small grants programme only:

For small and large grants programme only:

If you interested in applying for this programme, please email a brief summary including the points below:

• A summary on what your project is,

• How much you want to apply for,

• Confirmation that match-funding is in place,

Please send through your expression of interest to communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk and WDC’s Economic Development and Wellbeing team will be in touch to confirm whether a full application can be submitted.

For the full guidance notes, application form and scoring sheet, please go to: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/information-for-businesses/economic-development-and-growth/rural-england-prosperity-fund/wealden-community-infrastructure-and-spaces-fund/

If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor or finding out more, please contact the clerks on clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk

Residents and organisations across Wealden are being asked to take part in a climate change survey.

Wealden District Council is creating a new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan and is asking residents across Wealden to take part in a survey to gather opinions on climate change action in the district.

The survey takes on average 15 minutes to answer and the views and opinions expressed from feedback will help to form the new strategy and plan, and ensure it meets the needs of local communities, captures climate action taking place already and reflects future priorities.

A council spokesperson said, “We are committed to promoting sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life for residents and businesses across the district. Through collaborative efforts and community engagement, we strive to address pressing environmental challenges and build a vibrant, resilient future for Wealden.”

To complete the surveys, visit Climate Change | Let's Talk Wealden. The survey will be open for eight weeks and closes Friday 10 May 2024 at 12pm. For more information residents can contact the Climate Change team at sustainability@wealden.gov.uk

Changes to some waste collection rounds in Wealden will be made to further improve the performance and efficiency of the service.

The current collection schedule for rubbish and recycling will be changing for some properties from Monday 15 April. This will not affect the garden waste collection service which will continue as normal.

Not all collections will be changing, but residents within Wealden whose collection will be altered will receive a letter and an updated collection calendar. Updates on the changes and further information is available on the council’s website www.wealden.gov.uk/collection-schedule-changes.

Residents are being encouraged to continue to put bins out by 7am on collection days as the collection time is likely to change even if the collection day stays the same.

Councillor Gareth Owen-Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Waste and Customer Services, said, “Following a review, a decision has been made to change the way that some waste collections are made. This is to make the service more streamlined and efficient for residents and the collectors. We appreciate the patience of our residents during this time.”

Businesses across Wealden can look forward to a free one-day sustainability workshop, helping them cut their carbon footprint and save money on energy and waste bills.

The session – on Thursday 20 June at the Horsted Place Hotel, Little Horsted, Uckfield -is one of several Net Zero 360 workshops, developed by the University of Brighton’s Clean Growth UK, to help businesses unlock the benefits of sustainability action.

Those benefits include cutting costs, winning new customers, attracting and retaining employees, meeting larger businesses’ supply chain requirements, and boosting investment prospects.

The workshops are run in partnership with Wealden District Council and exclusively for businesses in the area. They are part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

A previous Net Zero 360 attendee said: "A must for all businesses. Excellent course delivered by passionate presenters. This will genuinely support our organisation's work."

By the end of the workshops, attendees will have covered:

• Jargon busting, such as the difference between net zero and carbon neutral
• The full picture on where a business’s carbon emissions come from
• How to measure a carbon footprint
• How to create an action plan that will maximise cost and carbon savings
• How to boost marketing messages around sustainability

The workshop is part of Wealden District Council’s commitment to sustainability and helping make businesses resilient in the face of fluctuating energy costs and climate change.

They are open to micro, small and medium size businesses, including not for profit organisations and charities.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Climate Change & Economy, said, “These free one-day workshops will help your business, any not-for-profit organisation, or charity, to become more sustainable, save money on energy bills and cut your carbon footprint.

“If you work or run an enterprise of any sort in Wealden district, please book a session. They are designed to help your business help the planet."

Check out the Clean Growth UK events page to see all workshop dates. People can book the Wealden date at https://www.clean-growth.uk/events/net-zero-360-free-sustainability-course-in-wealden/

Notes to editors

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

The University of Brighton’s Clean Growth UK helps businesses access expertise and resources to tackle their carbon footprint and develop and commercialise low carbon products and services. For more information, visit: https://www.clean-growth.uk/

You may be aware that Wealden District Council is creating a new Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. As part of this process we are asking our residents and local organisations to fill out a survey to gather opinions on climate change action in the district. This information and local insight will help inform our new strategy.

We have created two surveys, the first is our resident survey which is open to individual responses for anyone who lives in the district. The second is our organisation survey which is open to any type of organisation, council, community group and business based in the district.

We kindly request your participation in the organisation survey. Your assistance in facilitating responses will greatly aid our efforts in gaining a diverse range of perspectives.

To complete the surveys, go to our climate change hub Climate Change | Let's Talk Wealden

Both surveys will close on Friday 10^th May at 12pm.

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Royal Oak Lane, Buxted is a no through road, a diversion route is not applicable.( Apologies no map was provided with this application).

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

I & A Communications Ltd (on behalf of BT Openreach) on 0845 200 4035

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion Via - U7861 Tibbs Mill Lane - Fowley Lane – C402 Hurstwood Road and vice versa..(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

I & A Communications Ltd (on behalf of BT Openreach) on 0845 200 4035

The new Street Learning programme for April to July 2024 has been released and the booklet, detailing the courses, is now available.

Wealden and Eastbourne residents, aged 19 and above, can attend a range of academic, wellbeing, and practical courses free of charge.

Courses are designed to help residents boost their confidence, employment opportunities, develop existing skills, learn something new or meet new people.

The courses are delivered in community venues located throughout the district including Uckfield, Heathfield, Hailsham, and Crowborough. Some courses are also available online.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Climate Change and Economy, said, “The Street Learning courses have shown to be popular amongst residents looking to achieve a new skill, increase their social life or create better employment opportunities. If you are any age over 19, have a look at what courses are available in our district. Everyone can learn something new!”

Street Learning is a project supported by Wealden District Council in partnership with ACRES (Adult College for Rural East Sussex), East Sussex College, East Sussex Country Council Libraries, Job Centre Plus, GRH Training, Compass Community Arts and Heathercroft.

Notes for editors

For further details on the street learning courses, case studies and a series of short promotional video’s visit www.wealden.gov.uk/streetlearning, or @StreetLearning.Wealden;on Facebook.

An enhanced Council Tax Reduction Scheme has been approved, providing residents with more financial support

Residents on low incomes are entitled to have their Council Tax reduced – sometimes to zero.

As of 1 April 2024, residents can earn more compared to last year and still receive help with their Council Tax.

Under the enhanced scheme, a single person could receive a 100% reduction in their Council Tax if their earnings are up to £103.82 a week; a couple with no children could earn up to £153.32 a week; a couple or lone parent with one child could earn up to £214.90 and a couple/lone parent with two or more children could earn up to £275.25.

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and lead councillor for Housing & Benefits and deputy leader of the council, said, “I am so pleased that the council has agreed to increase income bandings for the 2024 Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

“Last year the council increased the maximum level of reduction of Council Tax to 100%. This has worked well and, perhaps surprisingly, we have collected more Council Tax following this change, even in this Cost-of-Living crisis.

“The scheme uses income bands to decide how big a reduction a household can have. Residents’ pay may well have gone up last year, but costs have risen even more. So, if the bands had stayed the same, they might have lost out under the scheme. So, we have increased the amounts that households can earn and still qualify for the scheme.

“This will make a real difference to our most financially vulnerable Council Tax payers at a time when so many are struggling to make ends meet.”

An eight-week public consultation will start in March 2024 regarding the recently agreed Wealden Draft Local Plan.

The Draft Local Plan Regulation 18 document was agreed at a Full Council meeting and will be consulted on alongside its supporting Sustainability Appraisal.

The consultation dates are now confirmed, meaning the consultation period will run from 5pm, Friday 15 March to 5pm, Friday 10 May 2024.

Alongside the face-to-face exhibitions, Wealden District Council will launch a virtual exhibition accessed via the council’s website so that residents who cannot or do not want to visit the face-to-face exhibitions can still partake in the consultation. Interested parties wishing to be notified when the consultation commences can register using the consultation portal at https://consult.wealden.gov.uk/kse

Councillor Ian Tysh, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and lead councillor for Planning and Environment, said, “It is important that everyone has their say on the Local Plan as it affects everyone living in Wealden. There is an online consultation which can be accessed by residents at the comfort of their own home, as well as face-to-face consultations which are spread across various venues in the district.

“I would like to encourage residents, businesses, and communities to give their views as this will help shape the final version of the Local Plan.”

The locations of the face-to-face consultations are confirmed below.

Buxted Symphony Orchestra is holding its Spring concert at 3.00 pm on Saturday 16th March in St. Margaret's Church in Buxted Park. Come along and enjoy an afternoon of excellent music from Mendelssohn and Beethoven, featuring the welcome return of our guest soloist, Miriam Teppich. Tickets, priced at £14 for adults (students & under 18s free) are available in advance from Gale & Woolgar Jewellers in Uckfield High Street (cash only) or on the day (card or cash).

A Council Tax increase of £6.23 a year has been approved by Wealden District Council.

The decision to increase the amount by 2.99% was approved by the council’s Cabinet Committee and ratified at a meeting of the Full Council this week.

It means households living in Band D properties will pay an additional 12p a week for its share of the Council Tax for 2024/25, with other bands increased in line with the Council Tax formula.

Wealden council receives 9% of the Council Tax collected and that helps pay for refuse and recycling collections, planning, street cleaning, environmental protection, and free car parking.

The remainder of the Council Tax bill is shared to pay for a wide range of public services provided by East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue and local town and parish councils.

Councillor Greg Collins, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and lead councillor for Finance and HR, said, “Wealden District Council has decided to increase its share of Council Tax for all bands by 2.99% in 2024/2025. For example, for a typical band D property this means a rise in Wealden’s share of less than £7 a year.

“This rise is significantly below the current rate of inflation, is the same percentage as last year and the maximum allowable rise under central Government rules, as it was last year too. The funding Wealden gets from central government assumes that we will increase council tax by the maximum we are allowed.

“Your council continues to absorb significant cost pressures, just as we are all experiencing continued financial pressures personally. Council Tax simply must rise for the council to continue to provide its services to the community. Total Council Tax bills for Wealden residents will regrettably rise by much more than 2.99%, as people will see when their bills arrive.

“Wealden has no control over the rises made by the other authorities, on whose behalf it simply collects Council Tax, and which make up the lion’s share of residents’ Council Tax bills. Wealden itself only receives 9% of the Council Tax it collects. The services provided to residents from that 9% represent excellent value-for-money.”

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 12 February 2024

Shepherds Hill, Buxted

Dear Resident / Business owner,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out targeted patch repairs in Shepherds Hill, Buxted

Once completed, these works will help improve the condition of the road surface.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out on Saturday 2 March between the hours of 8am – 4pm.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

How will this impact highway users?

The road will be closed to through traffic whilst the work is undertaken. A diversion route will be in place via Shepherds Hill, Nan Tucks Lane, Etchingwood Lane, Streele Lane, Barn Lane, Pound Lane, Shepherds Hill & vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible. Please bear in mind, there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: We will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

Wealden District Council’s Draft Local Plan has been approved and will go out for public consultation in March and sets out development for the district for the next 15-20 years. The document was discussed at an Extraordinary Meeting of Full Council on Thursday 8^th February, at which councillors approved it and agreed for the formal Regulation 18 consultation to begin in March. The consultation will run for eight weeks and people will be able to view the Draft Local Plan at a virtual exhibition and in-person drop-in sessions. The plan will have an impact predominantly for those who live in and around Five Ash Down, with some further development proposed in Buxted.

Here is the link to Local plan - (Public Pack)Agenda Supplement: Appendix 1 Draft Local Plan and maps Agenda Supplement for Local Plan Sub-Committee, 29/01/2024 10:00 (wealden.gov.uk) document. It is a very long document, but you can do a search for ‘Buxted’ and ‘Ringles Cross’ to find out how we could be affected. 

However, in brief the parish has been allocated the following housing numbers:

Land East of Coopers Green Road – 20

Land behind The Croft, Coopers Green Road – 15

Land Opposite Roundwood, Coopers Green Road – 20

Lower Totease Farm, Framfield Road, Buxted – 10

Land at The Walled Garden, Five Ash Down – 20

Land East of Great Totease Farm, Church Road, Buxted – 20

Land at Holly Farm, Station Road, Buxted – 20

Land at Mockbeggars Farm – 60

It does not necessarily mean all the above will be brought forward, but these are the sites that WDC consider suitable for development. We may not be able to stop development, but we would be very grateful for thoughts on any of these sites, specific issues relating to them, any gain we could try and obtain if we have to accept them e.g. we will be pushing very hard to have all four traffic crossings at Coopers Green pedestrianised.

The Parish Council will, of course, be responding to the consultation on behalf of residents. If you have any comments you would wish for us to consider and take forward, please do send them to clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk as well as responding directly to WDC if you wish.

Wealden District Council’s Draft Local Plan has been approved and will go out for public consultation in March.

The document was discussed at an Extraordinary Meeting of Full Council on Thursday after which councillors approved it and agreed for the formal Regulation 18 consultation to begin in March.

The consultation will run for eight weeks and people will be able to view the Draft Local Plan at a virtual exhibition and in-person drop-in sessions.

If adopted, the Local Plan will provide a vision for the Wealden district, strategic and non-strategic planning policies to guide development and locations the council proposes for new homes, jobs and infrastructure to help meet the district’s needs.

Dates and details of the exhibition will be released at a later date.

Councillor Ian Tysh, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and lead councillor for Planning and Environment, said, “The council’s commitment to a new Local Plan is strong. We want a Local Plan to help ensure that development can be managed in accordance with strong innovative policies around climate change, the built and natural environment, biodiversity net gain, our local economy, housing standards and more besides.

“This is a Draft Local Plan and not the final one as we will be running a consultation and want our residents, businesses and communities to give their views.

Council leader James Partridge, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) said, “Residents want a say in the future of our district. We don’t want it to stop adapting to meet the needs of present and future generations. We want it to go on being a great place to live and work and know it won’t if we don’t plan for it.

“We want the right houses, in the right places, with the right infrastructure and at a price which we have some hope of being able to pay. We want to preserve our heritage and as much green space as possible. We want nature restored. None of this will happen if we don’t have a plan to make it happen.”

People wishing to receive updates about the Draft Local Plan and to take part in the consultation process, should register using Wealden District Council’s consultation portal at https://consult.wealden.gov.uk/kse/

A decision to refuse planning permission for a 420-home development in Wealden has been backed by a planning inspector.

Wealden District Council originally turned down plans by developers to build on the site of Downlands Farm, Uckfield, in April last year.

The developers appealed and following a 10-day inquiry in December last year, the government’s planning inspector dismissed the appeal comprehensively backing Wealden council’s decision.

The outline application was for up to 424 residential dwellings including affordable housing, the provision of vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access and separate emergency access from the Uckfield bypass (A22), pedestrian and cycle access from Snatts Road, open spaces including children's play space, sustainable urban drainage systems, associated landscaping, infrastructure and earthworks.

The appeal was also against the refusal of a full application comprising of the creation of a strategic SANG, associated landscaping and car parking, and demolition of existing residential property and other buildings and provision of pedestrian and cycle access from Rocks Road, associated landscaping, infrastructure and earthworks.

In announcing that the appeal was dismissed, the planning inspector said the main issues were the effects of the proposal on Ancient Woodland; on protected species and whether the proposal provides adequate mitigation in relation to the potential effects of the proposal on Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC); on the highways network including whether the scheme provides safe and suitable access for all users; on heritage assets, including non-designated heritage assets and historic landscape character: and finally, whether the proposal would be in an appropriate location, having regard to local and national policies which advocate development in locations which are accessible to local services and restraint to development in a countryside location.

Councillor Ian Tysh, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), and lead councillor for Planning and Environment, said, “We are delighted that the Planning Inspector agreed with the council’s original decision to refuse this application and save this site from development.

“Downlands is an important area, a very, very special place, ecologically sensitive and enclosed on most sides by Ancient Woodland, with many veteran trees within. It also abuts Lake Wood, a local nature reserve run and owned by Sussex Wildlife Trust. I am pleased we have defended this land from what was a very hostile application which would have caused immeasurable damage to the Wealden landscape.”

A call for artists and makers to join in this years Crowborough Open Studios, on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September. Previously artists from Buxted have participated and the organisers would love to welcome more. Full details can be found at www.crowborough-arts.org.uk Closing date for entries is 31st March

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works in Limes Lane, Buxted.

Once completed, these works will help alleviate flooding to the carriageway and private property.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out from Monday 26 February and will continue for 5 days. We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

How will this impact highway users?

The team will be working between

The road will be closed between 9am and 4pm. A diversion route will be in place via Limes Lane, Framfield Road, A272 & vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible. Please bear in mind, there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls. Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook @EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

The watchdog responsible for regulating the water and sewerage industry has pledged to work more closely with local authorities across the south coast to hold Southern Water to account.

OFWAT, the Water Services Regulation Authority, agreed to better partnership working with local authorities at a recent meeting of the Southern Water Stakeholder Group, set up to put pressure on Southern Water in light of pollution and flooding concerns.

The pledge by OFWAT came following criticisms by councils that the watchdog has not been effective in holding Southern Water to account.

The Southern Water Stakeholder Group was initiated and is co-ordinated by Wealden District Council and includes representatives from more than 24 local authorities from the New Forest to Folkestone.

At its recent meeting this week, the Stakeholder Group was joined by Paul Hickey from OFWAT as well as representatives from Southern Water.

Council officials said responses from Southern Water were continuously slow and unacceptable and the company failed to deliver promised upgrades. They asked OFWAT what their local authorities could do to expedite complaints about Southern Water and how OFWAT carried out compliance checks against the company.

There were also criticisms of OFWAT that it was not monitoring Southern Water closely enough and checking in to see if the water company was working efficiently. They said a much clearer understanding was needed of how councils can work with OFWAT to resolve problems and called on the water regulator to help local authorities rather than waiting until something went wrong. They also want reassurance from OFWAT that water companies such as Southern Water are making promised investments to infrastructure happen.

Mr Hickey said OFWAT’s fundamental duty is to ensure that customer and environment interests are met but that it was keen as a growing organisation to have evidence in advance of concerns so it could hear from the water companies how those issues could be addressed.

Chair of the Southern Water Stakeholder group Wealden Councillor Rachel Millward said, “It was once again very useful for all the local authorities across the southeast to express their concerns and raise the local issues their residents face.

“However, the disappointing reality is that OFWAT – the regulatory body for our privatised water and sewerage industry - effectively allows Southern Water to mark its own homework, with no monitoring to ensure that promised improvements are made. OFWAT issues permits with conditions of upgrades to the system, but then fails to check that those happen. OFWAT effectively waits until the system breaks down and sewage pollution is a major problem, instead of taking preventative action of checking that required works are done. This clearly isn’t good enough for the national regulatory body.

“OFWAT should ensure Southern Water has a plan in place to make sure they do the upgrades and not just wait to the point of breaching the permit. We have major concerns about Southern Water’s performance and the resulting sewage pollution in our rivers and seas.

“While there is a complaints system, we are unable to see exactly how a local authority would raise those complaints with OFWAT or evidence that OFWAT is doing that work. We need much greater accountability and much clearer routes to improving the situation for our residents.

“We will continue to work in partnership with other stakeholders to hold Southern Water to account.”

Following a previous meeting, the Stakeholder Group wrote to the Secretary of State for the Environment calling on more resources for the Environment Agency so it can also take action against failing water companies.

The next meeting of the Southern Water Stakeholder Group will be held in the spring.

See below - a press release from WDC who have given themselves planning permission (somewhat controversially) for a new sports hub in Hellingly

Full planning permission for the development of a new sports hub facility in Hellingly has been given the green light.

The new sports hub includes two full size floodlit artificial pitches, two multi-use games areas (containing four dual floodlit tennis/netball courts), two padel tennis courts, skate park, play facilities and a sports building providing changing rooms, toilets and café, alongside parking, landscaping, drainage, ancillary works and vehicular access via the A267.

The state-of-the-art hub will also accommodate 206kWp solar array of photovoltaic (PV) panels over the parking spaces in the main car park - 60 spaces will have the ability to provide electric car charging with 20 spaces fitted with active from the outset with the remaining 40 passive spaces being capable of being brought into use as and when demand requires to plan for future increase in uptake.

The sports hub will be accessible by a new pedestrian and cycling access, which will also connect the site to the Cuckoo Trail. Bus routes will be enhanced to provide public transport links to the facility.

The 20-acre site will offer new opportunities in several sports and deliver health and wellbeing opportunities to a wide range of residents of all ages and abilities.

The project has been supported by Dominque Corbett from Hailsham Town Football Club and Mark Pedrick from Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation who both spoke today at the Planning Committee South meeting.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Public Health, Wellbeing and Asset Management, said, “It is great news that the planning application has been given the go ahead. This is an exciting project which will offer residents in Hailsham and across Wealden a new sport and leisure provision to meet social, environmental, and economic needs and functions of the district in line with the recently adopted Council Strategy.

“The wellbeing of residents is important, and the new sports hub will provide the facilities for group classes and residents to use as a social meeting with friends and family.”

The full application, with a layout plan outlining the proposed development is available below. 

https://council.wealden.gov.uk/documents/s85815/WD20232100DC%20-%20LAND%20AT%20KNIGHTS%20FARM%20EAST%20LOWER%20HORSEBRIDGE%20HAILSHAM.pdf

Members of Wealden District Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee have expressed their disappointment after Southern Water officials withdrew their agreement to attend the meeting.

The water company, which is responsible for wastewater and sewerage treatment across the Wealden district, had originally said its representatives would be able to attend the meeting at the council offices.

But shortly before Christmas, officials declined the information and the acting chair of the watchdog committee Councillor Daniel Manvell said he was very disappointed.

The invitation to Southern Water to attend the committee meeting came after a catalogue of concerns across Wealden including flooding, sewage seeping into people’s homes, gardens and roads, the ongoing problem of discharges into rivers and waterways and the inability to deal with additional development.

Wealden council and other local authorities have pledged to keep the pressure up on Southern Water and to hold it to account for constant failings.

At the meeting on Monday, Councillor Manvell, a Labour Party councillor representing Uckfield North, said, “We must start our first meeting of the New Year with some bad news. Southern Water had previously accepted an invitation to appear before this committee today, following our very successful meeting with the CEO of South East Water in September.

“Unfortunately Southern Water informed us just before Christmas that their representatives were now declining our invitation to attend today's meeting. They claim instead to be in favour of one-to-one meetings with councils, as well as 'wider stakeholder work'.

“Southern Water has not explained why our meeting today is not considered a one to one meeting or wider stakeholder work. This reasoning clearly does not hold water - it is merely an attempt to avoid public scrutiny.

“This is yet another failure from Southern Water. They are polluting our rivers and seas and now they are refusing to be held to account. The motion we passed at November's Full Council to clean up our waterways has clearly shown the water companies that we are not tolerating failure any longer. We will not let Southern Water off the hook.”

Councillor Manvell invited members of the committee to forward any questions they would have asked Southern Water to officers and said the committee would ensure it would get answers.

The Wealden and Rother Rural Business Grants Programme is now live and open for applications.

The Rural Business Grants programme will deliver capital grants of between £2,500 and £50,000 to businesses located in rural areas of Wealden. The programme is open to small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) to apply for capital grants of up to 50% of the cost of capital projects.

The aim of the programme is to support rural businesses to grow, increase their productivity and to make other improvements to their business, such as investing in Net Zero infrastructure. Capital grant projects could include farm diversification outside of agriculture, property adaptions, creation and expansion of rural leisure and tourism businesses, new equipment, machinery and commercial vehicles.

The scheme is funded through Wealden District Council’s Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), a 2 year capital programme which supports the aims of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper and Future Farming Programme, the funding aims to help productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities. The scheme is not open to those businesses located in Bexhill, Polegate or Stone Cross. This requirement has been set by Defra.

The scheme is being delivered by East Sussex County Council on behalf of Wealden and Rother District Councils, for full details of project eligibility please view the Rural Business Grants Programme guidance and eligibility and email your interest and contact details to ruralbusinessgrants@eastsussex.gov.uk

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 15 January 2024

Buxted Road, Uckfield

Dear Resident,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out drainage works in Buxted Road, Uckfield following numerous reports of flooding to private property and the carriageway.

These works involve a jetting unit attending to clear gullies, alleviating flooding to the carriageway and private property.

When do they start?

Works will take place on Monday 5 Februaryand Tuesday 6 Februarybetween 8pm and 4am.

What are we doing?

These works involve cleaning the drainage system, including all pipes, gullies and access chambers. Any damaged areas found will be recorded for repair at a later date.

How will this impact highway users?

The road will remain open to through traffic with temporary traffic signals in place.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the works area may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens. We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (Formally Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Hello from the Funded Team,

This week, we have found some amazing fundraising opportunities for organisations who:

• Support older people who are frail
• Work on innovative medical, social, or religious projects
• Work to carry out local community sports projects
• Work on medical care, research and training

If any of the above funds are a good fit or you would like to find out about other funds, get in touch with us now by calling on 0203 191 6696 or book a no-obligation chat with us. We also have an excellent team of grant fundraisers onboard with years of experience, who have written many compelling and successful applications for our clients at affordable prices.

Let's get you funded!

1. Funding available for registered charities supporting older people who are frail.

Discretionary

(covers capital projects or running costs)

Deadline: 9th February 2024

2. Grants available for innovative medical, social, or religious projects.

Up to £60,000 over a period of three years

(covers project costs)

Deadline: 15th February 2024

3. Grants available to help not-for-profit sports clubs, local authorities and schools in England to carry out local community sports projects.

Up to £15,000

(covers project costs including minor capital alterations)

Deadline: 31st March 2024

4. One-off grants available to registered medically related charities for medical capital projects, medical care or research, medical training and running costs.

Up to £10,000

(covers projects, research and equipment costs)

Deadline: 3rd April 2024

If you want to learn more about how we can help you to get funded through our affordable grant writing or training services please call us on 0203 191 6696 or chat with us by clicking the link below:

Let's chat >>

Best wishes,

Julia at Funded Team

(0203 191 6696 or info@funded.team)

Rural businesses could benefit from match-funded grants of up to £50,000 to help create jobs increase productivity and adopt new technology.

Rother and Wealden district councils will be using money from their Rural England Prosperity Fund to support a range of businesses, with a £500,000 pot for Wealden and a £300,000 pot for Rother.

The scheme launches on Friday, January 12, and small and medium businesses can apply for financial support for projects including the purchase of equipment and machinery, adaptation of premises, the creation or expansion of rural leisure and tourism businesses and farm diversification outside of agriculture.

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Climate Change and Economy, said, “This funding will give eligible businesses much needed financial help to grow, creating jobs and helping communities within rural Wealden thrive. The grant can be used to support businesses with a range of equipment, for work vehicles and for adaptations to premises. There are many rural businesses that could be eligible for the funding so please apply.”

Councillor Christine Bayliss, Rother District Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “Our rural businesses have had to deal with so much uncertainty over the past few years and continue to face significant challenges, so it’s great that we can offer financial support to help them succeed and grow.

“These grants will help to safeguard existing jobs in rural areas, as well as creating new ones, help businesses future-proof with the introduction of new technology, and support diversification projects.

“Rural businesses are vital to the Rother economy and to the thousands of people living in our rural communities, and I hope that we are able to help as many as possible to thrive.”

Match-funded grants of between £2,500 and £50,000 will be available in communities with a population of under 30,000 and both councils are keen to see non-agricultural applications which will help businesses grow or diversify. The Rother and Wealden Rural Business Grants Scheme is not open to those businesses located in Bexhill, Polegate or Stone Cross. This requirement has been set by Defra.

The fund closes on December 31, 2024, or when all funds are allocated. More information about the grant scheme and details of how to apply can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/business/support/grants/ruralbusinessgrants

The Rother and Wealden Rural Business Grants are funded through the UK Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and are administered by East Sussex County Council.

This programme has received funding from the UK Government through the Rural England Prosperity Fund and creates a rural top up fund to deliver the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Levelling Up objectives. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place and supporting local business. For more information, visit Rural England Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Free net zero workshops will be delivered exclusively to businesses across Wealden to encourage them to do their bit to save the planet.

The 90-minute sessions will be led by Clean Growth UK, a pioneering university-led innovation network, on behalf of Wealden District Council to help businesses along their net zero journey.

Each session is interactive with a Q&A and all sessions are online and free to attend. Each session will have a theme and the dates and times are below.

What is Net Zero and how do you get there?

15 January 2024, 9.30am – 11.00am

How can you drive down energy costs and help save the planet at the same time?

22 January 2024, 9.30am - 11:00am

Building a workforce fit for a net zero future.

29 January 2024, 9.30am - 11:00am

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Climate Change and Economy, said, “We are pleased to be working with Clean Growth UK at the University of Brighton to offer our local businesses free net zero workshops. These workshops will make it easier for companies to learn how to achieve net zero, drive down their energy costs and build a workforce fit for a net zero future.”

Zoë Osmond, Director, at Clean Growth UK said: "It's never been clearer that small and medium-sized businesses have a huge amount to gain, and to contribute, in the race to combat climate change. Clients from business-to-business to individual consumers are demanding green approaches and asking informed questions about your Net Zero plans. Staff are increasingly attracted by employers with genuine planet friendly credentials."

The sessions will be covered by two facilitators, a Clean Growth UK team member and Adam Bastock, small business climate change expert and Founder of Small99. To view the event page and details for how to book, visithttps://www.clean-growth.uk/events/net-zero-workshops-for-wealden/

Editor’s notes:

Clean Growth UK is a pioneering university-based network of forward-thinking green businesses.

We can help you get new products to market faster, decarbonise your business, and hone your commercial skills. Everything you need to

drive your net zero mission, all free or heavily subsidised. Tackling the climate crisis demands disruptive thinking and decisive action. Our Innovation Accelerator is designed to help you design, develop, and refine innovative green products, services, and business processes. It’s an integral part of our Net Zero 360 package, providing the expertise, equipment and facilities needed to transform products, services and processes for net-zero.

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion via: - U7864 Nan Tucks Lane – U7403 Pound Green Lane – A272 Pound Green - The Toll - Curtains Hill - Main Road – C508 Wilderness Lane – U7406 Pounsley Hill and vice versa.(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

I & A Communications Ltd (on behalf of BT Openreach) on 0845 200 4035

Dear Resident,

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out targeted patch repairs in Rocks Lane, Five Ash Down.

Once completed, these works will help improve the condition of the road surface.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out between Wednesday 3 January and Thursday 4 January. We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

How will this impact highway users?

The road will be closed to through traffic between 7am and 7pm.

A diversion route will be in place via Hurstwood Road, A272, A26 & vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @esccroads or Facebook @EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

Located in the picturesque village of Buxted, Wealden’s Buxted Court is a well-known feature of the area. Surrounded by beautiful woodlands and including pretty gardens, it is intended to provide a safe and secure home to many older people, many of whom are vulnerable and suffer from ill health.

We at Wealden completely understand why people would like to walk through the grounds or even exercise there, but the grounds of Buxted Court, including the carpark, are private property which belong to Wealden District Council.

Sadly, we have received reports of people leaving dog mess in the grounds, jogging and practising yoga and of local children taking bikes onto the site. There have also been reports of non-residents using the carpark for personal use.

These incidents are causing our elderly residents distress, upset and worry. It is affecting the sense of security at Buxted Court and reducing the sense of wellbeing for some of our residents. Many of our residents have problems with mobility and cannot manage to park a distance away and many others are upset by the sight of strange people in the proximity of their homes.

We respectfully ask the residents of Buxted to not trespass onto the grounds of Buxted Court, or use the carpark. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact us retirementliving@wealden.gov.uk

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Retirement Living Team – Wealden District Council

Special Festive Fares Promotion on FlexiBus this December.

FlexiBus fares will be £1 on Saturdays before Christmas and all week 18-22 December.

Festive offer for Flexibus users | The Newsroom (eastsussex.gov.uk) – Link to media release.

FlexiBus is a flexible, on-demand rideshare service, for areas with limited or no bus service. Residents can book a FlexiBus journey to their nearest town, train station, hospital and other key destinations. FlexiBus links people to our improved conventional bus services.

Give the bus a go. December special offer: FlexiBus fares will be £1 only on the following dates:

• Saturday 2 December
• Saturday 9 December
• Saturday 16 December
• Saturday 23 December
• Monday 18 - Friday 22 December

This discount will automatically be applied on the bus on these dates. If booking via the app, choose 'Pay on Vehicle'.

Whether we’re shopping or socialising, playing games or watching a movie, dating or enjoying a few days away, the internet normally plays some part in our festive season these days.

But fraudsters also love this time of year, taking advantage of the fact that we’re busy and sometimes distracted. Some are even using AI to make their work easier and more convincing. Which is why it’s essential that we take a few easy precautions to protect ourselves, our families, finances and devices against online harms.

The 12 tips of Christmas

1: Buying online

Spot the signs of fake websites, insecure payment pages and counterfeit goods. Never pay someone you don’t know by bank transfer if you haven’t seen the goods in person. Before you visit a website, check if it’s likely to be legitimate or fraudulent at www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite.

2: Delivery notifications

Beware of texts claiming to be from a parcel firm telling you there’s a ‘delivery fee’. If in any doubt, always call the courier or retailer on the number you know to be correct to check if the message is authentic or not.

3: Mobile devices

Protect all new or second-hand internet-connected phones, tablets and computers with a reputable security app/software. Add a new and unique PIN or passcode as soon as you power up. Ensure all documents and photos are backed up automatically so you don’t lose them. Check privacy and location settings for new and existing devices.

4: Smart devices

Always set up new and unique passwords on internet-connected devices like voice assistants, appliances, cameras, kids’ toys and fitness watches, as soon as they’re switched on. Using the factory-set default passwords could result in them being hacked. And remember that voice assistants and smart speakers are designed to pick up what you’re saying. Find more information about setting up connected devices.

5: Updates

Download software, app and operating system updates on all your devices as soon as you get notified. Better still, set them to update automatically. Otherwise, they could get infected by malware, leading to fraud, identity theft or snooping.

6: Second-hand devices

Do a factory reset to erase your data if you’re selling or gifting a computer, mobile device or console. Find out how from the manufacturer’s website. If you’ve bought or been given a used device, remove the previous owner’s settings and data if this hasn’t already been done.

7: Mobile apps

Download new apps only from official sources such as App Store, Google Play or Microsoft Store. Downloading them from elsewhere could result in fraud or identity theft.

8: Out & about

Don’t use Wi-Fi hotspots in cafés, pubs, hotels, on public transport and other public places for anything confidential as they could be either insecure or fraudulent.

9: Gaming

Avoid things like pirated games, griefing and in-game overspending. Keep track of how much time you’re spending online. Don’t overshare private information on chats. Keep an eye on your kids’ gaming by checking games’ PEGI age limits, and talking with them about who they’re or playing and chatting with.

10: Oversharing

Make sure what you share online is respectful and doesn’t reveal confidential, sensitive or embarrassing information about yourself or others, including family members and friends. If you’re away from home, keep it to yourself, as burglars keep an eye on social media too.

11: Safeguarding your children

Talk to your children about being safe and responsible online, including what they share, who they’re talking to and the type of content they access, including in apps and games. Consider downloading a reputable parental control app and using ISP content filters. Make sure they aren’t running up bills in games and other apps.

12: Video calls

Make sure those Christmas calls are safe and secure by using a service that needs a strong password, and don’t share the call invitation or details outside the person or group on the call.

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion: - Royal Oak Lane is a no through road no diversion applicable. Apologies no map was provided with this application.

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

I&A Communications (on behalf of BT Openreach) on 0845 200 4035

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion Via - U7861 Tibbs Mill Lane - Fowley Lane – C402 Hurstwood Road and vice versa..(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

Kelly Traffic Management (on behalf of BT Openreach) on 0247 664 2814

Please see above details of the WDC refuse and recycling schedule for Christmas. All collection dates will be on the WDC website and they will be send out calendars to anybody who requests a hard copy

The Met Office issues weather warnings, through the National Severe Weather Warning Service, when severe weather has the potential to bring impacts to the UK. These warnings are given a colour (yellow, amber or red) depending on a combination of both the impact the weather may have and the likelihood of those impacts occurring.

Yellow and Amber warnings represent a range of impact levels and likelihoods. This means it is important to read each warning to know what level of impact you can expect for your chosen warning area – and how likely those impacts are to occur.

These impacts can include damage to property, travel delays and cancellations, loss of water supplies, power cuts and, in the most severe cases, bring a danger to life.

Headline

Very strong winds associated with Storm Ciarán may disrupt travel, utilities, and cause some structural damage.

What to expect

· Flying debris could result in a danger to life

· Damage to buildings and homes is possible, with roofs blown off and power lines and trees brought down

· Roads, bridges and railway lines may close, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights

· Power cuts could occur and affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage

· There is potential for large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

What should I do?

Further details

On Thursday morning very strong west to southwesterly winds will develop over parts of the far south and southeast of England where gusts are likely to reach 70-80 mph in some coastal areas and may exceed 85 mph in a few of the most exposed English Channel coastal spots. The extent of these high winds remains a little uncertain and is dependent on the exact track of Storm Ciarán. Winds will begin to ease from the west during the afternoon. Very large waves could bring additional impacts to coastal areas, especially along the English Channel coastline.

View full warning details and map view

Regions and local authorities affected

East of England: Essex, Southend-on-Sea, London & South East England, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Portsmouth, Southampton, West Sussex

South West England: Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Dorset

News from GTR:

Many of you will have seen the news following Transport Focus and London TravelWatch’s response to the ticket office consultation, published this morning and I wanted to ensure you have the correct information as I know there are some very strong views about the proposals.

Over the summer a local public consultation was run with Transport Focus and London TravelWatch on proposals about how tickets are sold on the railway and customer service.

Many of you took part in that consultation and we would like to thank you for making your feedback available to us and the passenger bodies to support their work and we know it has been immensely valuable.

Today, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch have updated us they are supportive of the principle of redeploying staff from ticket offices to improve the overall offer for customers.

However, they have also made clear that they are not able to approve these changes as there is feedback related to the railway as a whole which has not been completely addressed.

We always made clear that this was a genuine consultation and as a result, following the process of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, all proposals have been withdrawn and will not be introduced.

The consultation did, however, raise interesting ideas on related issues, such as expanding the types of products that can be sold at ticket machines. Where possible, with the wider industry we will look to introduce ideas such as this.

Buxted Parish Council has received a planning application consultation for ‘49 dwellings, access, landscaping and infrastructure’ on land north of Buxted (between properties near White Hart and Buxted School).

This application will be considered by the Parish Council Planning Committee on Tuesday 14th November at 7pm in St Mary’s Church Hall, Church Road, Buxted.

Please note - the parish council is one of a number of consultees, so will be returning a recommendation back to WDC - it is not the decision maker.

Please feel free to come to the meeting to express any views you have on the application, or email the clerks prior to the meeting at clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk. 

Link to application on WDC website: https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=163172

Sussex Police are open for PCSO recruitment and are looking for compassionate, driven and community-minded people to join the force.

• You’ll act as an integral part of the community, supporting those who need us most.
• You will receive a starting salary of £32,633 (which includes unsociable shift allowance.).
• You’ll become someone who is trusted and relied upon and engage with different people every day.
• You will gain a fully funded professional qualification as well as access to plenty of training opportunities to progress within your career.

Interested? Head over to our career pages and apply today, https://www.sussex.police.uk/police-forces/sussex-police/areas/careers/jobs/pcsos/.

If you are unsure and would like to find out more about the role, you can book in a for a 1:1 career call with a recruitment expert at Sussex Police by emailing careers@sussex.police.uk, or sign up and attend a recruitment webinar where the team can advise you on the application process, eligibility criteria and much more.

Webinar details are posted to the Sussex Police Facebook page.

To find more information about other career opportunities at Sussex Police, visit www.sussex.police.uk/jobs.

Hallowe'en has become an increasingly popular celebration over the past few years for children, families and young people especially, but it is important not to have fun at the expense of others.

To make it easy to see who’s welcoming of trick and treaters and who doesn’t wish to be disturbed, Sussex Police have produced trick or treat posters.

If you see someone displaying a no trick or treat poster, please be considerate and do not call at those homes.

Tips for a safer Hallowe’en:

· Young children should be accompanied by an adult.

· Stay in well-lit areas.

· Consider calling only at houses where you know the occupants, rather than strangers.

· Respect the privacy and wishes of people who do not want to take part in trick or treat – observe the 'No Trick or Treaters please' posters people may display in doors or windows.

For residents

Residents are advised to continue to be vigilant when opening the door to strangers or unexpected callers.

One way to deter unwanted trick or treaters on 31 October is to print and display the 'no trick or treaters' poster.

If you feel unsafe

· Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spyhole, look out of a window, and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.

· Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour to hand by your telephone, just in case you need to phone them.

· If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your co-ordinator know that you will be on your own at Hallowe’en. If you are a co-ordinator, please identity people in your scheme that may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.

· If you are driving on the evening of the 31st, remember that excited children may be crossing the road unexpectedly, so slow down in residential areas and take extra care.

There will be increased police patrols this Hallowe’en to deter any anti-social behaviour. Officers will be quick to disperse groups of people who are found to be causing a nuisance.

Sussex Police will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour at any time of the year.

To report anti-social behaviour please report online.

If you feel threatened, in an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, call 999

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion via: -C402 Chillies Lane – A26 Uckfield Road - Five Ash Down - Mill Pond Road – A272 Budletts Lane - Buxted Road - Lephams Bridge Road and vice versa.(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

ALS Civil Engineering Ltd (on behalf of UKPN) on 01843 850746

Electors in Wealden are being asked to give their views on polling stations they go to when voting in elections.

The law requires councils to review their polling districts, places and stations every five years. The last one for Wealden was in 2019.

Voters in the Wealden district area or within its neighbouring parliamentary constituency areas of Lewes, Eastbourne and Bexhill and Battle, are invited to give feedback on the convenience and suitability of the places currently used for voting and to suggest possible alternative locations.

The review starts on Monday 2October and will be completed in January 2024, when final proposals are considered by the council’s Audit, Finance and Governance Committee. The public consultation period runs until 30 November and electors can send in their comments in writing by email or by filling in a form on the council’s new interactive tool, Let’s Talk. https://letstalk.wealden.gov.uk/

The council would like to hear from electors, particularly those with any type of disability and any person or organisation with particular expertise in accessibility issues.

‘Polling places’ are the buildings or areas designated by the council where electors in a polling district go to vote in person. ‘Polling stations’ are the rooms where voters collect their ballot papers.

As part of the Review, Wealden council will be seeking representations from Acting Returning Officers (AROs) for each parliamentary constituency which is wholly or partly in its area. Their views will be published within 30 days of receipt and electors can also comment on them.

Once the review is completed, in early 2024, all correspondence and comments received will, by law, be published and made available for inspection.

Councillor James Partridge, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), lead councillor for Governance, Community Leadership and Communications and leader of the council, said, “This is an important review for residents because it’s about voting, which should be as easy as possible. We have a legal obligation to do the review but, as we run all elections in Wealden, it is obviously important for us to understand what suits residents when it comes to voting. We want everyone to have a polling station, which is not easy in Wealden’s big rural area.

“I would ask everyone to fill in the online form as it’s everyone’s opportunity to have their say and let us know what is and is not working for them when voting in person.”

Review information can be inspected at The Council Offices, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX, at the public library in Wadhurst and also at the following town/parish council offices:

• Crowborough – Pine Grove, Crowborough, TN6 1DH
• Uckfield – Uckfield Civic Centre, Uckfield, TN22 1AE
• Polegate – Council Offices, 49 High Street, Polegate, BN26 6AL
• Heathfield and Waldron – 73 High Street, Heathfield, TN21 8HU
• Forest Row – The Community Centre, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, RH18 5DZ
• Willingdon & Jevington – Council Office, The Triangle, Willingdon, BN20 9PJ

Any comments and representations may be submitted by post to Electoral Services PDR, The Council Offices, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX, by email to PDR@wealden.gov.uk or by completing the online feedback form.

All comments must be made by no later than 5pm on Thursday 30 November 2023.

Come and talk to your local County Councillor

Have your say on the future of the High Weald…

The High Weald AONB Partnership is now collecting feedback on the draft High Weald AONB Management Plan 2024-2029.

Your comments will help us conserve and enhance this precious landscape for years to come.

The consultation runs until Sunday 5 November via an online survey on the High Weald AONB website: https://highweald.org/aonb-management-plan/management-plan-public-consultation-2023/

If you have any problems accessing the consultation form, please contact the AONB team on 01424 723011 or email info@highweald.org and they will assist you.

About the Management Plan

The High Weald AONB Management Plan is the single most important document for the area - it sets out a vision for the kind of place we want the High Weald to be in years to come and, crucially, some of the activities that organisations and local people could take to achieve that vision.

The Plan must be updated every five years. Working on behalf of the area’s 15 local authorities, the High Weald AONB Partnership has prepared a new draft Plan that runs from 2024 to 2029.

The Plan is informed by research and the many conversations the Partnership has had with organisations, farmers, businesses, community groups and residents over the last 30 years.

You may or may not be aware, but the Asian Hornet is gaining a strong foothold in this country after a small number of forays in previous years.

At the time of writing this email there have been over 50 Asian hornet nests found in the UK in 2023, mostly in the vicinity of ports. Most recently in Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne. This is more than the total found in previous years!

Asian Hornets are an invasive species brought into to Bordeaux in a packing case from China some 20 years ago.
They are now endemic in France and much of Europe.

Although there have been relatively few sightings in the UK over the last decade or so, DEFRA have managed to keep on top of things (we believe) but there has been a dramatic increase this last year.

Asian Hornets have transformed the world of Beekeeping in France decimating many apiaries and other insect populations. They have also caused many human fatalities.

The BBKA (British Beekeeping Association) are really upping their efforts to communicate the problem too. They are even spending £15k for advertisements on the back of buses

The only way to reduce the devastating impact that these insects have on honeybee colonies is to find the nests, and this can only be done by educating our largest resource - the general public.

The following links show where the sightings have been made so far:

2023 Asian Hornet Sightings

· Click <<- here ->>

2023 Map of confirmed sightings

· Click <<- here ->>

Get the latest Asian hornet news stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp on your computer- all you need to do is click the link below:

• https://chat.whatsapp.com/KtHEKzoayn46VwwK0isFco

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne acts as the voice of the public within policing in Sussex and runs an ongoing programme of engagement with residents to understand their views.

Since 2014 Katy Bourne has secured nearly £35 million for over 53,000 victims of crime to help them cope and recover.

In the past two years alone, she has been awarded more than £4m to fund initiatives focusing on violence reduction and tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Sussex.

This is a final reminder that the Government have offered more funding to tackle ASB - so if you have not already done so please take part in PCC Katy Bourne's short survey to share your feelings of safety using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/7bZZrdJC8n

If you have any queries please direct these to pcc@sussex-pcc.gov.uk.

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out targeted patch repairs on the A272 at Buxted.

Once completed, these works will help improve the condition of the road surface, and ensure a smoother and safer journey.

When do they start?

Work will be carried out between Thursday 12 October and Monday 16 October. There are no plans for weekend working.

We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.

What are we doing?

These works involve cutting out the affected area and refilling with a new smoother tarmac.

How will this impact highway users?

We will be working between the Buxted Church of England Primary School and the Buxted Inn.

The road will be closed to through traffic between 7pm and 7am. A diversion route will be in place via the A272, A267, A26 & vice versa.

If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls.

Information for residents and businesses

Parking: We will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.

Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.

Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.

For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter)@esccroads or Facebook@EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.

Thank you,

East Sussex Highways

The Tommy’s Autumn Trail is taking place at 10am on 8th October at Eridge Park Estate, Tunbridge Wells.

Eridge Park is one of the oldest deer parks and usually closed to the public, so it’s a special opportunity to see the grounds. A great excuse to enjoy the beautiful Autumn weather and get out with family and friends, meeting new people along the way.

The event is near the Remembrance period, and as a military charity this has a very special meaning, giving time and space for us to reflect, give thanks and to Remember Them.

If you have any questions or need anything please do come back to me. To have Buxted Parish Council’s support is very much appreciated.

Please see the link to the Tommy’s Autumn Trail and if you, or anyone you know, would like to join in please Register here:

https://rbli.co.uk/rbli-events/tommys-autumn-trail/

A new online community engagement hub has been launched to improve engagement between Wealden District Council and its residents.

Let’s Talk Wealden aims to provide an interactive and relaxed space for residents to find out about the latest proposals for their area, have their say, ask questions and discuss ideas with the community. Residents do not need to sign up if they wish to view the site but will need to register if they wish to comment, discuss, or ask a question.

Councillor James Partridge, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), lead councillor for Governance, Community Leadership and Communications and leader of the council, said, “Let’s Talk Wealden is a hub that will give residents easy access to information about projects we are working on and provide the opportunity to keep up to date with our projects and create discussions.

“We noticed that residents did not comment much in previous consultations and, as a council, we want to hear more from, and form better relationships with, our residents.”

Residents can sign up by visiting https://letstalk.wealden.gov.uk/

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil has replaced diesel in all of Wealden District Council’s waste collection and street cleansing vehicles, operated by the council’s contractor Biffa.

The alternative sustainable replacement fuel HVO is cleaner and reduces carbon by up to 90% compared to regular diesel, saving up to 1,800 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The switch will also reduce other potentially harmful emissions including nitrous oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide, helping to make our air cleaner.

Wealden District Council worked with Biffa to conduct a successful trial earlier this year, with Biffa also sourcing the HVO for the vehicles.

Councillor Gareth Owen-Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Waste and Customer Services, said, “There are 33 vehicles in the waste and street cleansing fleet that will be operating on HVO. It is initiatives like these that are vital to helping us meet our net zero commitment.”

Councillor Paul Coleshill, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Climate Change, Wellbeing and Economy, said, “I am very pleased that the waste fleet will be moving to a sustainable alternative from diesel. The amount of carbon emissions that will be reduced from this one scheme alone is substantial. By making these positive changes, we are making significant progress towards our goal of becoming net zero.”

A Biffa spokesperson added, ‘In partnership with Wealden District Council, this full replacement to use HVO across the 33 vehicles is a great step forward and we are pleased to support Wealden District Council’s ambition towards net zero’

Councillor Rachel Millward, Alliance for Wealden (Green Party), lead councillor for Housing & Benefits and deputy leader of the council, said, “I think this is an innovation we should be proud of, we are making changes and heading in the right direction to achieve the council’s objective of becoming net zero. There is still a lot of work to do, but I hope it will be seen as an opportunity for other local operators of diesel-powered commercial vehicles to join us and make the switch.”

A planning application for Wealden Community Sports Hub in Lower Dicker, Hailsham, has been submitted following significant community and stakeholder involvement in the design and development.

The project will see major investment into a state-of the-art leisure and sports facility, creating a variety of new outdoor sport and leisure facilities for local communities. The 20-acre site will provide a range of sport and leisure provision and will help to address the need for further amenities within the local area.

The facility will offer new opportunities in several sports and deliver health and wellbeing opportunities to a wide range of residents of all ages and abilities.

The Sports Hub includes a range of energy efficiency measures to reduce operational costs and contribute to the net-zero aspirations for the council. These include a solar PV system, EV car chargers and battery storage for efficient use of the energy generated. The buildings will use air source heat pumps for heating the buildings and the water used on site. There will be storage areas for bicycles to promote sustainable travel alongside the pedestrian/cycle entrance to the south of the site that will link the Sports Hub with the Cuckoo Trail.

The planning application proposes two full size 3G floodlit football pitches, four floodlit multi-use games areas for tennis / netball, two Padel tennis courts along with a walking and cycle route, BMX and skate area, children’s play area, outdoor tennis tables, outdoor gym equipment and a community café.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat), and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said, “This is a very important project which will give residents in the Hailsham area and wider afield in Wealden the opportunity to have more accessibility to play sport. The plans for the first community sports hub of its type within the district, outline an array of sports particularly football which can be played at the new Community Sports Hub.

“It also provides a range of community facilities for our residents to enjoy. The proposal covers a wide range of different activities that all ages and fitness levels can enjoy. The new site will also show case the best approaches to sustainability and biodiversity in its development and future running.

“Whilst we are awaiting confirmation of a national funding bid, in a year the English Lionesses have had such a successful run in the World Cup, I am looking forward to seeing this once in a lifetime opportunity being delivered for the existing and future residents of Wealden.”

To view and comment on the planning application online, visit https://planning.wealden.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=163100

Want to know what planning applications are being submitted for your neighbourhood? 

Residents are able to sign up for alerts for applications in their area via the Wealden District Council website at:

Keeping up to date with Planning Applications - Wealden District Council - Wealden District Council

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne acts as the voice of the public within policing in Sussex and runs an ongoing programme of engagement with residents to understand their views.

Since 2014 Katy Bourne has secured nearly £35 million for over 53,000 victims ofcrime to help them cope and recover.

In the past two years alone, she has been awarded more than £4m to fund initiativesfocusing on violence reduction and tacklinganti-social behaviour (ASB) in Sussex.

The Government have offered more funding to tackle ASB- so please take part in PCC Katy Bourne's survey to share your views below:

Here’s the link: https://forms.office.com/e/7bZZrdJC8n

‘What Matters To You: care, support and independence for adults in East Sussex’ is the brand new adult social care strategy for the county.

The title reflects the approach taken to developing the strategy: asking people who need care and support, their carers and families, what was important to them.

Mark Stainton, Director of Adult Social Care in East Sussex, said: “We wanted this plan to be driven by what people told us were their priorities, rather than what professionals might think people need.”

Around 700 local people responded to surveys or came along to focus groups and interviews to share their opinions.Using this feedback, and with the help of East Sussex County Council’s Citizens’ Panel, six priorities were agreed. They are:

1. Right support, right place, right time

2. Information and communication about care and support

3. Cost of living and cost of care, now and in the future

4. A suitable home

5. Personal connections with others

6. Group activities, hobbies and volunteering

Adult Social Care & Health staff, the NHS, district and borough councils, the private sector, and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector were all involved in working on the strategy.

Now the next step is to build an action plan based around the 15 ‘we will’ statements that set out the strategic response to the six priorities in ‘What Matters To You’.

Mark Stainton: “What Matters To You is specific to the county, puts local people at the centre of our plans and gives direction for colleagues who work within or alongside adult social care. It will help everyone know what to expect from adult social care and what our strategic priorities are.”

· Read ‘What Matters To You’, please visit: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/ASCstrategy

· Watch a film about ‘What Matters To You’: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/asc-strategy-film

· For a paper copy or alternative formats, please email: ASCPersonalisation@eastsussex.gov.uk

· Phone: 01273 481565

· Write: Adult Social Care strategy, FREEPOST, ESCC, Public Health, County Hall, Lewes BN7 1UE

Don’t lose your vote – residents in Wealden urged to check voter registration details

Wealden residents are being urged to check their electoral registration details or risk losing their chance to vote on decisions that affect them.

The annual canvass allows Wealden District Council to keep the electoral register up to date, to identify who risks losing their voice at elections, and to encourage them to register before it’s too late.

Trevor Scott, the electoral registration officer and chief executive at Wealden District Council, said, “Keep an eye out for important updates from us. The annual canvass is our way of making sure that the information on the electoral register for every address is accurate and up to date. To make sure you don’t lose your say at upcoming elections, simply follow the instructions sent to you.

“If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”

Recent home movers in particular are urged to check their details. Electoral Commission research has found that recent home movers are less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time.

In Great Britain, 92% of those who have lived in their home for 16 years will be registered, compared with 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than a year.

Melanie Davidson, head of Support and Improvement at the Electoral Commission, said,

“It’s really important that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so. We urge people to check for updates from their local council on this year’s canvass. The council may contact residents by post or email.

“If you are not registered to vote, make sure you provide the necessary information to your local council when asked and register to vote online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”

Information on registering to vote is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Residents with questions about their registration status can contact Wealden’s Electoral Services team atelections@wealden.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. The Representation of the People Act 1983 places a duty on electoral registration officers to maintain the electoral register for their area and to conduct an annual canvass of all residential properties.

2. The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other reasons as specified in law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service or checking credit applications.

3. The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

4. To be eligible to register to vote a person must be:

• aged 16 or over (a person may register to vote at 16, but may not vote until they are 18)

• a British or qualifying Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter and remain in the UK or does not require such leave.

• a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or other European Union (EU) member state

5. British citizens, Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens can vote in local elections in England and Northern Ireland, Mayor of London and London Assembly elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and general elections.

6. EU nationals legally resident in the UK may currently register to vote in local government elections, providing they meet with the age and residency requirements and that they are not legally incapable of voting. The Elections Act 2022 will change the eligibility of some EU citizens to vote. Changes are expected to come into force in May 7 2024, after local elections in England, Police and Crime Commissioners elections in England and Wales in 2024.

7. The changes in voting rights for EU nationals will not affect voters from Cyprus, Malta and Ireland.

8. Full details of the Electoral Commission’s research on the electoral registers can be found on its website.

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion via: -– A272 Pound Green - High Street - Station Road - Buxted Road - Budletts Lane – A26 Uckfield Bypass – A22 Uckfield Bypass - Eastbourne Road – B2192 Lewes Road – A267 Mayfield Road - Heathfield Road – A272 Summer Hill - Main Road and vice versa.(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

South East Water on 0333 000 0365

Please be aware that the following works will be carried out:-

Diversion via: - A26 Uckfield Road - Five Ash Down - Mill Pond Road – A272 Budletts Lane - Buxted Road - Lephams Bridge Road – C402 Hurstwood Road and vice versa.(please see map attached)

Advance warning signs will be placed on site advising of actual date of works

If you need to discuss this further please contact:

Road Traffic Solutions Ltd (on behalf of UKPN) on 01724 848246

There is a significant number of bus service improvements were made in East Sussex from Sunday 23 July. These include new weekend services on some routes. Most are funded through East Sussex County Council’s successful bid to UK Government, in support of the BSIP.

Attached are the services for the Wealden area and this is the link for all:

Improvements to Bus Services | East Sussex County Council

New timetables should be available now or shortly on the bus operators’ websites.

We would also draw attention to the lower fares that have been introduced as part of the BSIP. This includes the £2 bus fare scheme which the Government has extended to October 2023 as part of Help for Households. Other fare news can be found here: Lower fares on East Sussex bus services | East Sussex County Council.

You are probably already aware of the introduction of FlexiBus by the County Council also. Operating in the rural areas of the county, this initiative aims to deliver the BSIP’s objective of providing residents in rural areas of East Sussex with access to a bus service where there is no public transport route. This will enable residents to connect to the wider bus or rail network and access vital services. You can read more about FlexiBus here: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roads-transport/public/flexibus

Wealden Crematorium will be hosting an open day event in August.

Following on from the success of last year’s open day, another one will be held on the 16 August between 11am-3pm. The friendly crematorium staff will be offering guided tours to go behind-the-curtain and demystify the cremation process – everyone is welcome.

The crematorium has held over 4,000 cremations since the opening in 2019 and has the largest ceremony hall in the local area which can seat more than 120 people. It has car parking spaces for 160 vehicles to give the most stress-free experience possible.

The state-of-the-art crematorium recently received the Highly Commended Award from the Sussex Heritage Trust in the landscape and gardens category, and have further donated £12,000 to Chestnut Tree House, a children’s charity in Sussex. The donation was funded through the ICCM Metals Recycling Scheme, which, with written consent, allows bereaved families to donate metals after a cremation.

Councillor Kelvin Williams, part of the 'Alliance for Wealden', Liberal Democrat councillor for Uckfield East and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said, “I am really pleased to hear that Wealden Crematorium is hosting another open day. I would encourage residents and organisations across Sussex to attend, and to understand the process of what happens and ask questions, which might normally seem taboo.”

Refreshments will be served throughout the day, for more information about the newest crematorium in East Sussex, visit https://www.wealdencrematorium.co.uk/ 

Neighbourhood Watch knows that when we take positive actions to reduce risks, support others, and challenge behaviour, we can make a difference. Over the last 10 month’s we have brought you along a journey of exploring topics such as, Harassment, Hate Crime, Antisocial Behaviour (ASB), and then find out practical steps you can take to help the victim, intervene, and deal with confrontation.

The next module is called #BETHECHANGE. We know that YOU can make a difference in your community, a difference at home, and in public spaces. Whether you make changes in the way that you think, in your actions, or indeed how you speak to people. The smallest action may seem small but it can have a big impact on someone’s life.

The link to #BETHECHANGE is: https://prezi.com/view/E1q5yr7Fip07Zjc9dOZD/

We ask that you do 3 actions with this module:

• Read it.
• Share it with others.
• Take positive action to challenge your own unconscious bias.

We thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to sending you our next module soon, on Personal Safety.

Landowner opportunity:

FREE GATES to replace stiles on footpaths

• Do you own land in East Sussex or Kent which is also in the High Weald AONB?
• Do you have public rights of way on your land?
• Do you have stiles on these rights of way?
• Are you interested in improving accessibility?

We have an offer for you… The public rights of way team of your local County Council can currently supply and deliver FREE, galvanized metal pedestrian gates to replace existing stiles.

As the landowner, all you need to do is:

• sign a simple (one page) agreement with the relevant county rights of way team
• undertake correct installation of the gate following the instructions provided
• keep it well maintained.

It really is that simple!

This is a great opportunity to make rights of way on your land more accessible for people who find stiles difficult to use. Gates also have a reduced maintenance liability compared to a stile. Removing stiles will enhance people’s ability to access and enjoy the beautiful, farmed landscape of the High Weald.

Don’t miss out on this time limited offer. Interested? Please contact: 

Rights of Way & Countryside Team,  East Sussex County Council West B, County Hall, Lewes, BN7 1UE 

Email: rightsofway@eastsussex.gov.uk Telephone: 0345 6080193 

or

Public Rights of Way and Access Service, Kent County Council Worrall House, Kings Hill, Kent, ME19 4AE 

Email: westprow@gov.uk Telephone: 03000 417171 

This project is led by the High Weald AONB Partnership with support from the Government’s Access for All programme. To find out more about how you can improve access on your land then please contact Simon Fathers, our Access and Recreation Officer, on 01424 723011 or email info@highweald.org to discuss ways in which we may be able to help

I am writing to inform you of an important change to train services on Saturday 5 August network-wide. We would welcome your support in sharing this message, as it is very important that customers consider what it means for their travel plans. There is no change to the current plan for services on Friday 4th or Sunday 6th August.

Journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk for travel on Saturday 5th August are expected to be updated from this Saturday, 29th July.

As context, the recent announcement of the ASLEF overtime ban from Monday 31 July to Saturday 5 August has meant we have had to carefully reassess all of our plans for the network on Saturday 5 August as this date sees peak demand for Brighton Pride with, in normal years, hundreds of thousands of additional journeys.

No services to or from the Brighton area on Saturday 5 August

It is with the deepest regret that, due to significant safety concerns, no trains will now run to Brighton or nearby stations on Saturday 5 August.

Keeping passengers and colleagues safe is the absolute priority and following discussions with the council, police and emergency services, as well as our own risk assessments, GTR has very sadly concluded that it cannot safely run any services as it would be impossible to avoid severe overcrowding and present a considerable risk to passenger safety.

In addition:

• An amended timetable will be in place across the GTR network (please see more details below)
• Stations between Three Bridges and Brighton will not be served all day
• Trains will not run along the southern coastways into Brighton because of the amended timetable.
• Services to and from Brighton will be unaffected on Friday 4th or Sunday 6th August

Every year, GTR runs a significantly enhanced service for Pride with additional late-night trains on Saturday evening. These enhancements are needed to safely transport the huge number of people that travel into Brighton during Pride’s busiest day but also home again after the popular Saturday community parade and Fabuloso fundraiser in Preston Park.

As these services are not part of the regular Saturday timetable, in normal times, these services are covered by volunteer drivers. The ASLEF overtime ban means that our volunteers cannot take part, and without the additional late-night services there is a clear risk of stranding tens of thousands of people overnight without accommodation. On Saturday evening there is always a massive demand for return travel over a short period of time, with a capacity shortfall of 20,000 passengers expected in the busiest hours of the evening alone.

Keeping passengers and colleagues safe is the absolute priority and following discussions with the council, police and emergency services, as well as our own risk assessments, GTR has very sadly concluded that we cannot safely run any services as it would be impossible to avoid severe overcrowding and present a considerable risk to passenger safety.

We cannot in good faith bring people into Brighton who we know would have no chance of getting home, or be caught up amongst tens of thousands of other people, all trying to get onto a very limited number of trains at the same time. We know that while people will understand the safety concern, this will not offset the frustration and we are really sorry to everyone who will be affected, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. We hope by making this decision now we enable as many people as possible to make alternative arrangements.

Further information specific to Brighton Pride is available at: www.southernrailway.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/brighton-pride

Significant impact to the wider GTR network on Saturday 5th August

Regrettably, there will be a significant impact to the wider network as a result. This is because Brighton is a terminus station – so is integral to the operation of the Southern, Thameslink and, by connection, Great Northern networks. On Saturday 5th, Three Bridges will be used instead of Brighton as a turn back point for the Brighton mainline, in particular to enable Gatwick Airport and other major stations on the route to be served.

However, the added complication of significant engineering work such as between London Bridge and Tulse Hill or on the Great Northern Metro means that we have had to revert to our contingency service, as previously used on some RMT strike dates as the only available plan that can be adapted and delivered in the time available.

As on previous earlier RMT strike dates, this means that fewer services will run, some stations will not be served and some routes, particularly north of London, will start later and finish much earlier than normal. As a general rule, hours of service will be between 07:00-19:00, with some extensions, particularly on the routes that directly serve airports. It is especially important that early-morning or late-night customers for the airports on our routes check their journeys and make alternative arrangements if required.

Customer information

Our websites contain the latest information on planned services. Journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk will be up to date for Saturday 5th August from this Saturday, 29 July.

We know how disappointing these changes are for our customers and we are very sorry. As always, if you have any questions, please let us know.

Best wishes,

Paul,

Paul Codd
Senior Stakeholder Manager
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)

Jobcentre staff are available for drop in’s on Monday’s, Wealden District Council,Vicarage Lane, Hailsham:

9am – 12.30pm

1.30pm – 3pm

Buxted Bonfire Summer Fayre and Dog Show

Saturday 15th July 2023

12 - 4pm

Buxted Recreation Ground, TN22 4LE

FREE ENTRY for all the family!

Stalls, Dog Show, Raffle, Tombola, BBQ, Bar, Cakes, Arena Events, Bouncy Castle, Face Painter, Ice Cream Van and much more!

Follow our Facebook event for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/259669443325528

The Street Learning programme has been released for September - December 2023.

The project offers Wealden and Eastbourne residents, aged 19 and above, a range of academic courses, wellbeing and practical classes.

The courses are provided in several local community venues including East Sussex College (Eastbourne), Uckfield College, Crowborough and online.

A council spokesperson said, “The Street Learning programmes provide learning and skill development for every age. They are designed to help residents boost employment opportunities whilst having fun. Anyone wanting to improve on a skill, learn something new or widen their social life should take a look at the courses available.”

Street Learning is a project run by Wealden District Council in partnership with ACRES, East Sussex College, East Sussex County Council Library, Job Centre Plus, GRH Training, Compass Community Arts and Heathercroft.

Visit www.wealden.gov.uk/streetlearning, @StreetLearning.Wealden on Facebook, or email streetlearning@wealden.gov.uk for more information. Updates, participant feedback and details of new courses can be found on the website.

Cabinet has recommended that Wealden District Council enters into a lease and contract at Uckfield Leisure Centre.

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) currently leases the leisure centre to the district council which was set to expire on 17 July 2023.

In March 2023, a public consultation conducted by ESCC, went live to give residents their chance to comment on the future of the leisure centre. The consultation received more than 3,000 responses helping all parties to address how the facility can continue to be operated.

A Full Council motion was passed for the council officers to investigate all opportunities to save the leisure centre. The new lease will implement new working arrangements to also include exploring investment opportunities to deliver greater energy efficiency measures and reducing potential overall operating costs.

A council spokesperson said, “We have been able to work together to save the leisure centre. Providing the opportunity for everyone to exercise safely is important.

“Annual attendance at Uckfield Leisure (in 2022/23) was 175,661, with around 680 members of the centre, and the Learn to Swim programme has 866 participants enrolled. We look forward to building on these numbers, so it is fantastic that we can provide continued use of services to residents in Wealden.”

There are three periods of industrial action confirmed to be taking place, with different impacts on different days:

1. A nationwide ban on overtime called by ASLEF between Monday 17 and Saturday 22 July
2. A nationwide RMT strike for Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 July
3. Separate RMT and ASLEF strike action between Sunday 23 July to Friday 28 July by London Underground (LU) staff, which may affect some of our services.

Given the overlapping sets of industrial action, the impacts on train services will vary on different days. We know that this will be inconvenient and difficult for customers, which is why we are strongly urging all customers to check every journey, every day, throughout this period.

The table below shows dates affected by industrial action, a high-level overview of the impacts on services and the expected update for journey planners: