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Apologies, Police and Public
Two Councillors had sent apologies for absence, with reasons which we are
nowadays bound to consider and approve, but we had a full complement of
County and District Councillors. We also welcomed our new local reporter
from the Courier, who scribbled earnestly but benignly all evening. In
the absence of any police representation, we noted that the Neighbourhood
Watch committee meeting scheduled for earlier in the day had been cancelled
for the same reason, and heard a brief report on the launch of the Safer
Wealden Partnership “Community Contact” initiative, whereunder anyone can
register to receive crime reports and police information by email, instead
of the former inefficient and unreliable telephone system. Then we turned
to the public gallery, packed with three people but none vociferous. So
we dealt with the minutes of our previous meeting and matters arising therefrom,
which led to a brief discussion of how to encourage local people to volunteer
as Special Constables (to help Sussex Police towards their target of recruiting
an additional 100); it is a responsible but enjoyable task, and far more
rewarding than sitting around complaining at the lack of police presence.
News from On High
Bob Tidy, hotfoot from the County Council Christmas celebrations, reported
on concerns, and in particular discrepancies' in life expectancy within
the County. Those who live in Hastings can on average expect to live to
72, whereas those in Wadhurst and Mayfield to 85, an undesirable difference;
for the avoidance of doubt, the aim is to boost the former. Experience
shows that money is not the answer and it is lifestyle, aspiration, education
and parental stimulation which hold the key. He then gave the good news
that the County’s rate support grant from central government was to increase,
but this is of course offset by our ever increasing elderly population.
Finally, the stunning news was that the County Council’s carbon footprint
had been reduced by 14 per cent over the last three years: tell that to
the Americans! Graham Wells then took the floor as District Councillor
to tell us of the new communication strategy which was intended to make
people more aware of what Wealden District Council does and how well it
does it; on the same tack, the “Putting People First” campaign aimed to
increase the involvement of local people in local decisions.
No Cold Calling Zone
Having found out a bit more about what is involved, and with the support
of Neighbourhood Watch and the Police, we resolved to designate the whole
of Wadhurst as a No Cold Calling Zone, subject to favourable outcome of
the preliminary public consultation exercise, of which particulars will
appear in the usual places. The idea is to deter unwanted tradesmen and
con men from knocking on doors uninvited, with the disquiet that this can
instill into residents – particularly the elderly and those living alone.
Crime in Wadhurst is very low but it is the fear of crime which is the
worry, and this measure should help.
Highways, Transport and Lighting Committee
Our gentle readers will already be aware that the High Street is to be pedestrianised
(if only temporarily!); we now have the dates. It will be closed for resurfacing
and kerb relaying on 26/27 July and 2/3 August 2008. The Committee also
informed us that it will be dug up for gas main work in January, but that
they had zealously obtained an undertaking that this would not actually
coincide with the closure of Blacksmiths Lane for most of January for repair
and the laying of kerbstones. The County Council insist that these are
needed to prevent swift deterioration of the road but our watchful Committee
had also obtained an undertaking that the kerbs would be sloping, not vertical.
Amongst a wealth of other items, we were informed that the new bus service,
financed in part by the Parish Council to replace the withdrawn post bus,
would start on 2nd January. It will run to Mayfield and Crowborough, with
two buses a day each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; particulars will be
widely available when the final details have been sorted out. It goes
without saying that if it is not used enough we shall have to reconsider
this expenditure of our parishioners’ funds.
Other Committees
The only planning excitement being activities in the Marlpit, we turned to
our old favourite the Recreation Ground. The main items here were various
proposals by the Junior Football Club, all of which received our support.
We are delighted to see the ground and pavilion being made such good use
of, thereby fulfilling the original intention of our Sport England lottery
grant to encourage sporting activities among as wide a number of people
as possible, particularly the young. The Environment Committee’s report
then led to one of our favourite occupations: all talking at once. The
cause of this was the suggestion that we should produce a guide to recycling,
saying what could and could not be recycled and how to use the dump in
Faircrouch Lane. Everyone had experience of being flummoxed by the instructions
on recycling bins, or of trying to empty a trailer without an authorising
voucher, and sundry tales of woe: we will try to put simplified instructions
in the next Parish Council Newsletter, due to appear in January.
Finance
After looking at the figures for our performance so far and the projections
for next year, we took a deep breath and faced up to making some decisions.
We have a useful amount in reserve in case we should be called upon for
any large items of expenditure, but we also still have some £55,000 of
the debt incurred to finance the Recreation Ground development. We pay
off a bit of this loan each year under its original terms, but it can be
repaid early in whole or in part subject to a modest penalty to compensate
the Public Works Loan Board for loss of interest. Under this arrangement
we made a part repayment some 18 months ago; we now resolved to make a
further repayment of just over half the outstanding balance. This reduces
but does not deplete our reserves, but also leads to a small reduction
in our annual outgoings. Thus armed, we approved the budget for next year
and decided to make no increase in our precept; any increase in council
tax next year will therefore not be the fault of your Parish Council.
Since this will not appear in print until after Christmas, we hope this
bit of news will serve to launch all our readers into a Happy New Year.
Our agenda being completed, we tottered off elsewhere for a similar purpose.
Next Meeting
The Council does not meet in January, so the next meeting is on
Tuesday, 12 February, 2008, at 19:30 in the David James Building at Uplands
Apologies and News from On High
The winter evenings are taking their toll because apologies were
received from three of our Councillors, a District Councillor, and for once
the police were unable to be represented. The police have donated £500 to
Wadhurst Rotary towards the Christmas event in the High Street.
Our County Councillor confirmed that we had not been successful in obtaining
a Lottery Grant towards a new Library.
There is to be a consultation on a Sustainable Community Strategy for East
Sussex and the Police are looking to recruit an additional 100 special constables.
Discussion ensued on the amount of time Police spent out on patrol and it
seems Police Community Service Officers spend the most time outside at 42
percent of their working day.
Our District Councillor reported that recently most of Wealden’s time has been taken with routine matters. Prime concern is next year’s budget which does not get easier as East Sussex receive the least funding from Central Government. Perhaps we can cede to Scotland?
Chairman’s Announcements and Correspondence
Wealden District Council has advised that in a survey of facilities
and services, only Wadhurst as a village ticks all the boxes, e.g. railway
station, senior and primary school, shops, etc. Nice to know, but puts us
top of the list in justifying housing development plans. The Parish Council
has already submitted a response emphasising we may have these advantages
but they are stretched to the limit. The Parish Council will be meeting with
the District Council to discuss these issues with the aim of trying to control
the future of Wadhurst.
A resident has written regarding his concern with crime in the village. He suggests we consider installing cameras, or employing a security firm, or forming a volunteer patrol with our own well marked van. A lengthy debate ensued. Our crime figures show that whilst issues such as graffiti are very irritating, the amount of serious crime is very low. The general conclusion was that we should not replace the obligation of our police force, which was given credit for becoming more proactive. Indeed it was reported that in the last few days, they had produced an officer to be present to allay the concerns of a local charity when they collected and banked their collections.
Committees
Highways reported that the High Street may have to be closed for
repairs next summer and it is earnestly hoped that this will be over a weekend
to minimise problems for those getting to work and for our businesses and
shops. The aim to improve car parking is shortly to be discussed with the
Chief Executive of Wealden to see if there is a way to make progress. Speed
limits on A and B classification roads are to be reviewed by ESCC in 2008
and hopefully some of our local wishes might be fulfilled.
Now that Wadhurst and Mayfield Parish Councils have agreed to provide some funding, a replacement bus service will continue on an experimental basis when the post bus stops at the end of December. The new timetable will be publicised soon.
Under Planning our possible intervention in the application for a gypsy site outside our parish but near Mark Cross was debated and referred back to the next Planning Meeting. Significantly there is a Planning Training Event being held for all our Councillors so that they are well briefed to cope with the eventual housing target to meet Central Government policy.
Recreation Ground issues were rapidly despatched relating to routine management.
Environment committee reported the completion of the Jardin d’Aubers clearance and tidy.
Finance
A report of the annual financial state was presented which showed
that, thus far, the council was within financial targets and hopefully there
will be little change for next year. Some adjustments were made to standing
orders with delegated powers to enable routine and emergency sums to be cleared.
The item of Grants is dealt with annually this month. This used to be an onerous task but the Policy for this has been newly written and those qualifying more readily identified.
The Meeting was therefore concluded well within traditional Licensing hours!
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday, 9 October, 2007
Apologies and Police Report
It was lucky no-one was in the public gallery, because the council proved
to be in an unusually frivolous mood this month, perhaps as an unconscious
reaction to the chilling weather outside. The Chairman, duly refreshed
by his holiday the previous month, was in sparkling form and did nothing
to discourage levity. After noting apologies for absence from our County
Councillor and one of our own number, we listened to a brief report on
police matters from a member of the Wadhurst Local Action Team on matters
raised at its recent meeting; this, as every reader knows, is a liaison
group representing a cross-section of local interests, including the Parish
Council, the District and County Councils, Neighbourhood Watch and the
schools, who regularly meet with the Police to discuss matters of mutual
interest. After reporting that, in spite of police budget cuts, the new
Chief Constable was encouraging even closer contact between the police
and local communities, he told of the successful operation reported in
the Neighbourhood Watch entry in this issue, in the course of which a bong
(a sort of latter-day hubble-bubble for inhaling drugs, made from a plastic
bottle) had been recovered; this led to an interesting division of councillors
between the more staid ones who knew exactly how to make one, and the more
easy-going who hadn’t a clue and got confused with Big Ben. Sobering up,
we decided to pursue the introduction of No Cold Calling Zones when we
had further information as to their implementation.
News from On High
Graham Wells, our newer District Councillor, then gave an interesting report
on Wealden matters and urged us to read the Wealden Design Guide, available
on the internet, which is not only pertinent to planning matters but provides
a fascinating insight into the District. He also told us of efforts to
encourage local secondary school pupils to develop awareness of local democracy
and become more engaged in it, of the continuing efforts to provide affordable
homes (with 1,837 Wealden households on the housing register), and of that
Council’s priorities for the next four years.
Chairman’s Announcements and Correspondence for noting
With great respect to our successive chairmen and correspondents, this is
not usually an agenda item to set the Thames on fire, but on this occasion
there were several items of unusual interest. One was an analysis of the
cost of the elections in May, which had cost us over £5,000, or 5 per cent
of our precept. Another was a request from the County Council that we
should set up a Swap shop for people to exchange their unwanted Christmas
presents – where, we imagined, all the neighbours could congregate to see
their mutual generosity being spurned. After another round of merry quips,
we returned to the earthy matter of committee reports.
Committees
The Highways, Transport and Lighting Committee kicked off with that perennial
blister the kebab van, which seems to be a permanent fixture, and to trade
on Mondays contrary to our expectations as it had excluded that day from
its licence application; however, we are told by our District council that
it has taken legal advice and no offence is being committed. The trickier
matter of the post bus was then discussed; apparently it is used by ten
people of whom six are from Wadhurst but public opinion seems to be that
its continuance is essential. An alternative had been found, which would
start when the Royal Mail service is withdrawn at the end of the year,
but we felt that we needed further details of what journeys our parishioners
actually make in the existing service before committing ourselves to support
a replacement. Next, having decided last month to ask the developers to
pay a contribution for attaching black-and-yellow signs to our lampposts
(which we maintain at some cost to our parishioners), we gleefully applauded
the committee’s decision to counter the businessmen’s reply that they were
not advertisements but directional only by taking them down for ourselves
and writing to prohibit further such abuses. After all this fun, Planning
matters were an anticlimax and raised little comment.
Recreation and Environment
Once upon a time, the Recreation Ground could cause us to miss closing time;
those days are long past. The major item was a plan for the planting of
further trees to help screen the tennis courts, the principal excitement
relating to which was whether one could mow under the proposed crab apple
trees or whether other measures would need to be invoked to maintain tidiness.
Even the repair of the sit-on mower and a replacement exit button for the
courts were approved without rancour. The Environment Committee’s minutes
were similarly uncontroversial. These days, the committees meet regularly
and produce minutes for our review in advance of our meeting, so we are
deprived of our former joy, the uninformed and unstructured debate where
everyone could add with full voice to the common ignorance, leading of
course to a sensible decision. Now, we seldom question the wise decisions
of our committee colleagues, and so it was tonight as we lent our support
to flower baskets being placed on the lampposts in the High Street.
Finance
As usual, our clerk had everything in immaculate order and had received a
satisfactory report of a meeting with our Internal Auditor. We noted how
our spending compared with budget, which too seemed satisfactory, we approved
the payment of accounts presented during the month, and authorised our
Clerk to attend a course at a swish hotel where she would, we hoped, not
suffer from the advertised ‘hot fork’ buffet at lunchtime.
Conclusion
After formally resolving to exclude the already absent press and public,
we indulged in a lively debate on another topic before the meeting closed
at ten o’clock, leaving plenty of time for the “usual suspects” to indulge
further in another place – swapping reminiscences of incidents on commuter
trains, and related (or unrelated) topics, before dispersing.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Council is on Tuesday, 13 November, 2007, at 19:30 in the David James Building at Uplands.
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday 11 September
Overture
In days of yore, when we met in the Institute, parishioners arriving by wheelchair
had to be carried upstairs. Now that we have moved to the all-singing all-dancing
surroundings of the Independent Learning Centre at Uplands, they remain
in their wheelchair but get stuck in the lift. So it was that the start
of our meeting was delayed a while in the hope that the prisoner would
be released; he was, and joined us shortly after we started our proceedings.
Apologies and Police
In the absence of the Chairman on holiday, Bob Standley took the chair, reported another apology for absence and called for any interests to be declared. These formalities duly completed, he invited Chief Inspector Neil Honour, District Commander for the Wealden District, to tell us what the police are up to and its impact on Wadhurst. Chief Inspector Honour gave us a very interesting few minutes; he started by stressing that Wadhurst is one of the larger areas in Wealden and because it is virtually an outpost it gets more cover than the more central areas, even though its crime rate is very low and continuing to fall. The police had realised that in spite of the 40 per cent drop in crime last year people needed to feel safer and therefore the police needed to get back amongst them, so Sussex Police had pioneered a return to neighbourhood policing. The biggest problem is burglary, which most often results from bogus officials being allowed into houses; people should be suspicious of all doorstep callers and dial 999 if they are worried and there is a chance of the perpetrator being caught. Road safety is also in the forefront of people’s minds and they had therefore bought a speed gun and were now using it in various locations across the district, including Wadhurst; this is in addition to the Traffic Division speed checks (one of which had been operating in Wadhurst that afternoon). Anti-social behaviour is also a problem and they not only visited pubs to keep an eye on them but continued to carry out test purchases in pubs and off-licences and prosecuted if an under-age sale was made. He then invited our Neighbourhood Constable, Steve Etherington, to add the specifically Wadhurst dimension – which was, as might be expected, the problem of graffiti and other vandalism. He repeated the appeal that people should report suspicious callers and said there were four sites in Wadhurst which had been selected for speed checks and that action was being taken on anti-social behaviour. The notable recent road traffic accident had been during the railway closure, when one of the buses had got stuck under the bridge and a car had decided to squeeze in too.
Cold Calling and Public Forum
Following on from the police comments on doorstep imposters, we debated a
proposal to set up a “no cold calling zone” in Wadhurst, from which unauthorised
callers could be ejected, possibly with a penalty. Others had been set
up elsewhere within the county, with great success; we resolved to join
them. Three members of the public had come to find out the Council’s position
on the proposed development at Courthope Avenue. They were told that the
site had been proposed for affordable homes for local people, subject to
the highways department being satisfied about the traffic problem at Washwell
Lane. There was debate about how one could police the occupancy of these
and the existing social housing to ensure that they were offered to locals;
the criteria have recently changed with the result that priority was now
based more on local connection rather than pure need. This should help
avoid the neighbour problems which were known to exist.
News from On High
After approving, as usual, our previous minutes without comment and finding
nothing arising from them, we invited Bob Tidy to report on County Council
matters. This was his chance to wax lyrical on gypsies and travellers,
whom the courts permit to buy plots and set up permanent homes where normal
mortals would be denied permission. East Sussex has to provide 33 pitches,
of which 16 will be within Wealden district. A pitch is a fixed site for
up to eight mobile homes with hard standing for three cars for each caravan,
electricity, water, toilet and shower facilities. An Area Of Outstanding
Natural Beauty is not a no-go area for such pitches – they must just be
smaller (up to four mobile homes) and discreetly sited. The occupants draw
benefits if entitled (some are extremely rich), and do pay for the services
provided. Gobsmacking has become a rarity on our Council, but this achieved
it, with poor Bob having to dodge a welter of well-aimed but undeserved
brickbats; in these enlightened times who would wish to be the bearer of
bad news? Through the hubbub, Bob was heard to say that the postbus service
would be continued for the rest of the year and that the County Council
was trying to find a successor, but could not afford to increase its subsidy.
After this, Bob Standley’s report on the Issues and Options (housing) questionnaire
seemed like light relief, even though the goalposts are shifting and the
number of dwellings to be sited in Wealden has increased by 20 per cent
to 9,600, while the target date has been advanced from 2026 to 2016. The
one cheering item was that Wealden had obtained a lottery grant for a mobile
play bus and that our clever Clerk had secured the first booking.
Committees
By now, not only was the news dire but so was the clock. Both were to improve,
enabling us to finish in good time after all. The Highways Committee reported
on plans to erect a bike rack in the Washwell Lane car park, and our old
friend the kebab van, which seems to be permanent and to be trading outside
its licence. The Planning Committee’s report raised only the issue of its
frustration over the unsuitably bright fascia to the new pizza parlour
in the High Street, and even the Recreation Ground matters were uncontroversial,
centred on security and vandalism, but leavened with proposals to convert
the old referee’s room for use by the Junior Football Club. The Environment
Committee reported good news in relation to the plans for hanging baskets
of flowers on the High Street lampposts and the discovery of a crested
newt in the pond by the Fire Station, more litter and dog bins were needed,
and finally entertained us with their problems getting a bus timetable
erected at the stop by Uplands.
Finance
Being of crucial importance to the running of the Parish, Finance warrants
its own heading but provides little to report, so smoothly does the Clerk
oversee our affairs. We approved the accounts payable and decided to stick
to our previous decision to consider the making of grants at only one meeting
a year. And so, to our amazement, the meeting finished in such good time
that small groups lingered, idly gossiping, unable to tear themselves away.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council is on Tuesday 9 October, at 7.30pm
in the David James Building at Uplands.
Notes in the absence of any meeting in August, 2007
Business
Although the Council no longer has a full meeting in August, this
does not mean that the indispensable business of governing the administrative
parish of Wadhurst comes to a complete halt. Heaven forbid! The broadband
network still hums with important emails, the Planning Committee still meets
to review applications and have their ears bent by interested parties, the
Environment and Highways Committees still agonise and debate, the Local Action
Team still meets, and those councillors who are not away on holiday still
feel weighed down by their responsibilities.
The Serious Bit
So it was that the Local Action Team met to hear about the recent acts of
vandalism and the police reaction. The LAT consists of Parish, District
and County councillors, Neighbourhood Watch representatives, a representative
from Uplands and of course the Police. First, there was the inevitable
discussion of speeding in the parish, and the cheering news that the speed
gun is now available and working and will be used to catch the culprits;
initially they will get letters reminding them of their responsibilities
rather than notices of intended prosecution, but this could change. Chillingly,
it is often mothers on the school run who are the worst offenders. Next,
the worrying outbreak of mindless vandalism, when gangs of youths roam
the village in the small hours causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage;
this always happens on those occasions when for one reason or another there
is no police presence, sometimes even between visits. But we must not rely
totally on the police to keep our children in order. Every vandal must
be someone’s son or daughter, and that someone should notice when their
son or daughter returns home well after midnight, particularly if drunk
or in a boisterous mood. It seems incredible that a group of up to a dozen
youngsters can be on the street at 2.00am causing damage to vehicles and
other property, and not a single parent has an inkling of what is going
on. We all have a duty to report it if we think we know the identity of
an offender; this can be done in confidence, either directly on 0845 60
70 999, or through Neighbourhood Watch.
Gratitude
We all enjoy the floral decorations in the High Street, and for many years
these have been paid for by donations from Magpie from the proceeds of
the sale of secondhand paperbacks. Partly through a quirk of timing and
partly through a misunderstanding, no donation was received in the 2006/7
financial year, but we are glad to be able to record our thanks to Magpie
for a further donation of £320 received in June.
Grants
The Council has a policy of making grants which contribute to the welfare
of the parish community, for example by improving or supporting local facilities.
We decided a while ago that, in order to achieve consistency of treatment,
all applications for grants must be submitted, in writing, supported by
appropriate financial information and projections, by 30 September each
year, for consideration at our November meeting. Now is therefore the time
to remind people of this, and that we will not normally support political
organisations, churches or activities of a commercial nature, major charities
or organisations which make their own appeals directly to the parish community,
bodies which may be considered to be self-funding, or organisations whose
funding is normally provided by other government authorities. We have to
be cautious in doling out public money.
The Silly Bit
Now that we are a Quality Council, and have been presented by Lord Lytton
with our certificate to say so, we have to ensure that our proceedings
are impeccable in all respects. As reported last month, we have adopted
the revised model Code of Conduct which prohibits us from bullying each
other and requires us to comply with the Ten General Principles of Selflessness,
Honesty and Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Personal
Judgement, Respect for Others, Duty to Uphold the Law, Stewardship, and
Leadership. So what is left? A quorum of councillors decided at their post-meeting
assembly in another place after our July meeting that what was lacking
in society was grammar, and that this deficiency should be tackled in easy
steps. Two years ago in this august publication we took the first step
by waxing lyrical about the difference between gender and sex, pointing
out that most languages have only two of each, but that ancient Latin and
Greek had three genders. What we failed to mention was that this exciting
and imaginative idea is still embraced by the Germans, who also enjoy three
genders but sadly only two sexes; in particular, the female of the species
goes through some fairly traumatic mutations. When a girl, she has the
diminutive suffix –lein, which makes her neuter; as she blossoms into womanhood,
she drops the diminutive and becomes a fully fledged Frau, which makes
her feminine; this is blown when she marries and becomes a Weib, neuter
again; but as a widow or relict she becomes a Witwe and her femininity
is restored. Now, gentle reader, that that has been sorted out let us move
from sex to declension. We all know that me is the accusative and dative
cases of the personal pronoun I, so why are even cultured children allowed
to start a sentence “Me and Sam [did something]” and even worse why do
people think it sounds posh to thank people for “[the presents you gave]
to Sam and I”? And whatever has happened to the tonic accent? Everyone
knows that research is investigation, but that re-search is what you have
to do if your first search failed, and yet so many nowadays stress the
first syllable, just because that is what they do in American films on
Telly! Well, gentle reader, if I have not lost you, you will be delighted
to know that I am now running out of space so the next lesson will have
to wait.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council is on Tuesday 11 September, at 7.30pm in
the David James Building at Uplands.
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday 10 July
Apologies and Attendance, Press and Public
Four councillors having tendered apologies for absence, we were a select
gathering; but it would be wrong to attribute the brevity of our meeting
to the absence of the wafflers, since we like to think that there are none
these days. The four absences were more than made up for by the presence
of PC Steve Etherington who reported with aplomb and candour on a number
of recent problems; graffiti and vandalism seem to be back in fashion,
whilst Operation Crackdown (automatic checking of vehicles for licence
and insurance cover) was producing results. One vehicle had been spotted
with a discrepancy between its number plate and that stated on its licence,
this being of particular interest to the Metropolitan Police. The only
member of the public, a not infrequent occupant of the visitors’ gallery,
declared that he had come purely to listen to the debate so we moved on
under both his and our Courier reporter’s firm gaze.
News from On High
The minutes of our previous meeting being approved, as usual, without comment
and with nothing of great moment arising from them, all eyes turned to
Bob Tidy to report on County Council matters. He described a few matters
for which the County Council had to pay but which were of no direct benefit
to the citizens of East Sussex: an Audit Commission report imposed upon
us at a cost of £175,000 and a corporate risk assessment costing £92,000,
whose combined and mind-numbing principal conclusion was that substantial
savings would have to be made over the next three years. Once our collective
snort of indignation had subsided, he was able to add the better news that
the Age Well project to provide proper accommodation for old people had
procured a fair amount of funding for the north Wealden area. After this,
poor Graham Wells, our new District Councillor, found it hard to excite
us with his anecdotes about the medium term strategy and the corporate
plan 2007/2010, but did manage to impart the message that we were in for
a “cleaner, greener, brighter Wealden” with many services devolved so as
to be provided more locally to their users. He also drew attention to
the recently-commenced consultation exercise about planning, and the expectation
that over the next 20-odd years Wadhurst could expect some 300 new dwellings.
Everyone should have their say!
New Things
Perusal of the list of correspondence before us led to a brief discussion
of the dire inconvenience which would result from the closure of the road
under the railway bridge on the B2099 while the railway to Tunbridge Wells
was closed in August and the replacement buses were forced onto a more
scenic route. Whilst it made sense for the bridge to be repaired while
the railway was upgraded, we would ask Network Rail to ameliorate the position
by minimising the bridge closure period. We then adopted by unanimous
vote the revised model Code of Conduct, which would bring England into
line with Wales and no longer require us by law (but not practice) to disclose
receipt of personal generosity unconnected with our office; it also makes
a few other sensible alterations.
Old Friends
Basking in our own self-satisfaction at being so up-to-date, we
then returned to the normal business of reviewing committee reports. The
Highways, Transport and Lighting Committee reported that the street lighting
experiment had stimulated a lot of comments: one in favour and one against.
By contrast, the last Planning Committee meeting had been “standing room
only” and the committee had supported the objectors’ reservations, and in
particular the safety aspects, about the proposals at Queens Cottages. The
Recreation Ground Management Committee reported little of moment, except
that a new application for planning permission for floodlighting was likely
to be made by the Tennis Club; also Pay & Play users were failing to
return their swipe cards leading to a severe shortage.
Other Committees
The Environment Committee was happy to report that all three grass snakes
and a newt were back in the pond at the Jardin d’Aubers following the recent
clearance work, and that consideration was being given to erecting hanging
baskets of flowers in the High Street if the problem of watering them could
be overcome. Finance matters were confined to noting the immaculate internal
audit report and draft internal audit visit report (shades of the County
Council?) and agreeing that it was too early in the financial year to draw
any serious conclusions from the income and expenditure to date. Finally,
we debated at leisure a personnel matter, and supported nem con the committee’s
proposal. So languid was he becoming that the chairman, having contributed
to the debate, forgot to cast his vote on this important matter; the only
explanation can be that he was exercising his mind over how to detain us
any longer, for the clock had scarcely reached nine. How things have changed
since the days of the mad dash to beat “last orders”; may our meetings
continue to be so brief.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Council is on Tuesday 11 September, at 7.30
pm in the David James Building at Uplands, when we shall have two months’
government to catch up on. The Council does not meet in August.
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday 12 June
Police Report
There has been a 10 percent rise in crime over last three weeks primarily
caused by doors and windows left open in warmer weather.
The facility of leaving messages for PCSO Marc Simmonds at the Fire Station
has been removed - for emergencies call 999 and all other reports call 0845
60 70 999 .
Wealden District Council has been provided with graffiti locations for clean
up.
The Emergency Day at the fire station was well supported and there may be another in view of its popularity. It is hoped the speed gun will be available shortly to curb speeding particularly as the Primary School is to start a ‘walking bus’ scheme.
County Council Report
Councillor Bob Tidy who loyally attends almost every meeting advised that
Central Government has arbitrarily announced another cut. This time of
14% in ‘Building Safer Communities Fund’. The new Neighbourhood Watch email
alert system replacing phone calls is proving successful.
The most common crime in East Sussex is domestic violence and there is now
a support network in place for confidential access which will be published
on our notice board as Wadhurst is not excluded from this problem.
District Council
Councillor Bob Standley reported that Wealden District Council is working
on its Medium Term Financial Strategy aiming to achieve more efficiency
savings. Not easy as they pay out fixed welfare benefits.
Planning for how Wealden will look until 2026 is in hand. Local Residents
will have the opportunity to participate in discussions primarily on the
extent of building development. This prompted some discussion on how the
needs of Wadhurst may best be represented especially focussing on the limits
to our ability to grow with the limitations of rural village roads, parking
issues and the need to preserve our environment.
Annual Parish Meeting
A record number of 74 residents attended. The fact refreshments were served
did not detract from a lively meeting. Points raised were reviewed. Many
being the continuing issues of speeding, parking and recycling location.
A new item was the threat to the withdrawal of the Post Bus and moves were
agreed to research this and involve our Member of Parliament Charles Hendry.
Congestion at the top of Washwell Lane needed police attention.
Highways & Lighting
It was learnt that Uplands College has
formed an Eco Travel Group and reported on traffic and parking problems.
Some residents think the school is the problem so this was refreshing news.
It is hoped that a survey of feasibility and need for zebra crossings will
be carried out shortly on Sparrows Green Road and in the High Street.
Environment Committee is an enthused new team that is currently in discussion with DEFRA about funding for recycling initiatives and the Wadhurst Household Waste Site. This is to explore the possibilities of introducing a waste drop off service, eliminating the need to actually empty the waste at the site. They also proposed a plan of work at Jardin d’Aubers and around the War Memorial area complementing the recent planting carried out by British Legion.
Finance Usual housekeeping matters but including small expenditure to meet the obligation to put no smoking notices in the parish bus shelters
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 10 July at 7.30pm in the David James Building at Uplands – all welcome to attend. There will not be a meeting in August.
SOME IMPORTANT NEWS!!
Trains A reminder that the line between Wadhurst and Tunbridge Wells will be closed for the whole of August for long-term overdue works. See posters at the station for alternative bus and extra train services from other stations. There will be ‘MEET THE MANAGER’ sessions at Charing Cross on 21 June and Cannon Street on 26 July from 8.00 to 10.00am so passengers can ask questions.
New homes How will Wealden look until 2026??
A six week public consultation on where the new homes will go begins 2 July. Wadhurst ticks all the boxes – schools, railway, medical facilities, main roads. Check the Wealden District Council website for details or attend one of the following drop-in sessions between 10.00am and 1.00pm:
Saturday 7 July District Council offices, Crowborough
Freedom Leisure centre, Hailsham
Saturday 14 July Community Centre, Polegate
Saturday 28 July Civic Centre, Uckfield
Co-op, Heathfield
Make your views count
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday 8 May.
What’s new? This being the first meeting of our new Council, it is worth looking at what has changed. For starters, every member has actually been elected after the first real hustings for many years. There was a 35 per cent turnout (higher than the national average!) of the eager electorate, but a number of spoilt papers because voters claimed not to know anything about any of the candidates; this is shameful on both sides but candidates’ profiles had been posted in the High Street and on the website for some time beforehand. We will try to make ourselves better known, but without impairing propriety.
What’s changed? We have two new members of the Council, which represents a 13 per cent unproven membership; appropriately, the doors of the chamber bore signs reading “Silence: Examinations”. Both new members being of the supposedly gentler sex, this represents a 50 per cent boost for the distaff side; we shall have to watch our Ps and Qs. We welcome the newcomers but shall miss Gordon Thomas and John Pickering who in the past have kept us up to the mark in their very different ways. So far as Wealden District Council is concerned, Bob Standley has been joined by Graham Wells as councillors for Wadhurst; Anna Monaghan is now again devoting her energies to Parish Council matters. Bob Tidy remains our East Sussex County Councillor
Who’s who? The Council now consists of Bryan Bell, Bernard Berger, Daphne Colvin, Tom Doyle, Serena Gadd, Melissa Gates, Michael Kent, Julian Mamlok, Anna Monaghan, Jan Pearman, John Phipson, Chris Price, Bob Standley, Hilary Whatmore and Brian Wheeler.
Chris Price was re-elected Chairman and Bob Standley Vice-Chairman. We then allocated committee memberships as follows (the first named being chairman in each case): Environment: Cllrs Pearman, Gadd, Gates, Kent and Mamlok; Finance: Cllrs Price, Standley, Doyle, Monaghan, Pearman and Wheeler; Highways: Cllrs Monaghan, Berger, Colvin, Doyle, Gadd and Whatmore; Personnel: Cllrs Wheeler, Bell, Kent and Monaghan; Planning: Cllrs Berger, Bell, Kent, Mamlok, Monaghan, Standley and Whatmore; Recreation: Cllrs Doyle, Standley, Whatmore and Wheeler. After that, we appointed members to represent the Council on the various local bodies on which we have representation or of which the Council is a member.
Next There being neither a policeman nor any member of the public present, we approved the minutes of our last meeting without comment. The kebab van, being never far from our minds, then put in its ritual appearance as the only matter arising; it is again mobile so does not need planning permission to be in the layby.
News from On High Our County Councillor not being present, we turned to Bob Standley for a report on District matters. Having introduced Graham Wells for the benefit of those few who did not already know him (if only in his former life at Uplands), Bob said that in view of councillors’ recent purdah, he had nothing to report and that in spite of various seats being lost and gained the numerical position of the major parties was unchanged, although both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had lost their leaders and would have to find replacements.
Annual Parish Meeting The most controversial item of the whole meeting then hove into view – how to jazz up the Annual Parish Meeting in order to try to encourage greater attendance. Many suggestions were made and some were even approved. By the time this appears in print, one or two of our gentle readers may have witnessed the outcome on 30th May. Committee chairmen’s reports are to be replaced by displays, there will be a less formal line-up of councillors, more general discussion will be encouraged, and to this end there may even be free booze. It is the duty of all parishioners to raise at this meeting anything which is troubling them and the duty of the Council to encourage good governance by enticing them to come along to their own assembly.
Old Friends Highways, Transport and Lighting matters led to a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion on the decision to switch off certain street lights at midnight, the petition received against doing so, the organisation of the petition, Neighbourhood Watch and its apparent little sisters, Wadhurst N.W.Association and Wadhurst Parish Concerns, their role and organisation, whether we should change the Council’s name to avoid confusion at the hijacking of our initials, and sundry other related and unrelated topics. We agreed that the experiment would be reviewed in a year’s time and that due notice would be given before it came into effect. The illegal and dangerous parking opposite the station will be dealt with; it is not the result of the station car park being full, but happens long before that occurs. The VAD (SID’s new pseudonym – vehicle activated display) will be in place in Cousley Wood Road within a few weeks, we were also glad to hear.
Other Committees After all that excitement, Planning matters were quickly disposed of, as were Recreation Ground matters. How times change! It is not long since the recreation ground used to keep us happy for hours, with members of the public engaged in the ancient sport of throwing brickbats; nowadays all seems quiet on the sporting front. The highlight of the Environment matters was a proposal for bark chippings instead of weeds by the War Memorial; this was so revolutionary that the new chairlady cracked her whip and asked her children to stay in after school to consider matters. With a hedge overgrowing a footpath by the church during the nesting season, they indeed had problems to trouble them.
Conclusion It seems almost irresponsible to refer to Financial matters as merely the conclusion, but so well does the Clerk look after our affairs that there is little controversy. We approved the annual return we have to make on our financial situation and governance to higher authority, and even authorised expenditure on an afternoon’s training for our new councillors so that they can ensure that we are, or are not, up to all the latest tricks. We then dealt with the remaining agenda items with speed and harmony and were released to another place by our noble chairman almost before the clocks had reached 9.30.
Next Meeting The next meeting of the Council is on Tuesday 12 June, at 7.30pm in the David James Building at Uplands, when we all hope to be buzzing with matters raised at the Annual Parish Meeting on 30 May.
Notes on the meeting held at the David James Building, Uplands on Tuesday 10 April
Public Forum
A petition was presented to the council by members of the public. This was
against the turning off of some street lights in residential and rural
areas after midnight. There was extensive press coverage of this in January
this year and a full public consultation where most residents were enthusiastic.
The Highways and Lighting Committee will review it again at their next
meeting.
County Council Report
ESCC is preparing for the forthcoming Comprehensive Performance Assessment
and Joint Annual Review of Children's Services. The review will last three
months and involve 21 Government inspectors who will be consulting with
ESCC employees and service users.
District Council
No committee meetings are being held in the period before the elections on
1 May with the exception of planning committees. WDC has been rated a 'good'
council by the Audit Commission and the Planning Section is now out of
'standards'.
Update on Library Project
The ESCC bid for new libraries at Wadhurst and Ringmer has been submitted
to Government. IThere are 80 authorities bidding for £50million of
funding.
Update on car parking proposal
A site meeting has been held with Daryll Luxford of the Fire Service regarding
the possibility of creating a car park for 22 vehicles on land at the fire
station. Costs of this are, as yet. not known. The aim is for a new car
park to provide long term parking; this would require a review of parking
arrangements at existing sites. Initial plans had included provision of
affordable housing on a different area of the site but this is unlikely
to be achieved in the medium term.
It was felt that WPC should request that WDC be financially involved in the new parking scheme and that Uplands increase their parking provision on their site.
Update on affordable homes proposal
Plans are awaited for the affordable homes development at Courthope Avenue.
There is concern that any delay will impact on the tight timescale for
development. T he wind turbine and bio-fuel system have been removed to
contain costs.
£15,000 is to be included for provision and maintenance of play equipment.
There will be a payment to WDC for access to the site over their land. Highways
issues for Washwell Lane and the junction with the High Street continue to
be of concern.
ESCC Transport Seminar
Cllr. Mrs Monaghan reported on the recent seminar. The Village Maintenance
Team has been funded for a further year for minor highways maintenance
in parishes. There will be a review of speed limits and a trial of 20mph
limit in Lewes. National Driver Improvement courses will aim to improve
the attitude and skill of problem drivers and attendance at a course can
be offered as an alternative to prosecution. There is a Fire and Rescue
Service initiatiye to change driver behaviour in youths. Freight Transport
department reported on problems caused in county due to poor road network
and use of satellite navigation.
Other items
Junior football continues to be successful. The Recreation Ground Management
Committee is to look at alterations to the referee's room. Landscaping
has been installed.
A Health & Safety assessment of Jardin d'Aubers has been undertaken. The border area behind the war memorial is becoming very overgrown and the new committee will need to consider addressing this issue.
Smoke free legislation comes into force 1 Juiy. An approach is to be made to pub landlords to ask them to provide a suitable receptacle for cigarette ends outside their premises.
Cllrs. Pickering and Thomas are not standing for re-election. The Chairman thanked them for their commitment.
Annual Parish Meeting, 30 May 8.00pm at the Commemoration Hall
Come and hear reports of council activities for the last year. Talk to your
local Police officers and question your councillors.
It's your meeting, so please come along!
Parish Council Elections, 3 May
Sixteen local people have put themselves forward as candidates for the 15
seats on the Parish Council. You may not know all the candidates so they
have written a few words about themselves which you can view on the council's website or
on the notice board outside Crittles
Notes on the meeting
held at the David James Building, Uplands
on Tuesday 13 March at 7.30pm.
County Cllr. Tidy reported from a recent WLAT (Wadhurst Local Action Team) meeting. There have been five visits to the social club and the revised management procedures are being adhered to which is good news. Cars parked on the bend at Wadhurst Station have been ticketed. Graffiti continues to be an issue and is causing concern for residents as it appears to be increasing. Residents and businesses have an obligation to clean their own premises of any graffiti. There is an anti graffiti paint but this is expensive and it is unclear how effective it is. There have also been reports of vandalism in the High Street. PC Etherington is being trained in the use of a speed gun and will be carrying out some speed monitoring. PCSO Marc Simmonds has received an award for bravery for an incident in Crowborough. Well Done Marc.
Parish councils have been asked by the Police for a contribution towards the funding of transport for Police PCSOs. It was unanimously agreed not to fund the PCSO transport and that any future request must be received in time for budget discussions in the Autumn. It is unlikely that other Parish Councils will approve this funding request.
There were no members of the public present so we moved swiftly on.
County Cllr. Tidy continued and reported that a meeting had been held with members of East Sussex Youth Parliament who have highlighted areas of concern. These include exam pressure, fear of safety and a fear of bullying. They have requested a common method of dealing with bullying across East Sussex schools as this does not seem to be consistent. He was very impressed with the calibre, commitment and enthusiasm of the young people.
A bio-fuel heating system has been installed at Beacon Community College.
There has been a review of the admission policy for primary schools. At present, the Government states that children be admitted to primary school in the September following their fourth birthday although it is not compulsory until the child is aged five. In effect, summer born children generally start school soon after they have turned four. It has now been agreed that entry be deferred until January for those very young children.
There are ongoing discussions regarding home/school transport arrangements. ESCC wish to abolish free transport arrangements for children attending faith schools unless families are in receipt of free school meals or other agreed benefits.
All district councillors. must undertake planning training to support the changes in the planning system.
The change management process continues to work towards all functions operating from the Hailsham site. Various locations in the district are being considered for suitability of hosting council meetings.
WDC has written to central Government urging them not to allow the proposed closures of rural post offices. There are 44 post offices in Wealden District and many also provide the only shop for a community. We are lucky to have two post offices in Wadhurst.
Parish Council elections will be held on 3 May. Nomination papers for new members can be obtained from the Parish Clerk on 752111. The papers must be returned direct to WDC by 4 April.
We received an update on the Library Project. A number of meetings have been held to consider the feasibility of a bid for new library facilities at Wadhurst and Ringmer, the bid is to be submitted by 31 March. The proposal for Wadhurst is to use the site of the social club to provide a library, meeting rooms and other flexible community space whilst still retaining a small social club area. The Library Service will not be able to fund an extension to the existing library opening hours and community support would be required for this function. If the bid is successful there will be an opportunity for the community to influence the design.
The highways, transport and lighting chairman reported that almost half of the street lights will now be fitted with half night cells. The SID operator will be deployed twice a month during the next financial year and WDC has agreed to pay for the installation of a cycle rack behind One-Stop. This is all good news.
Other highways issues, such as kerb stones missing, and broken street lights, were brought to the attention of the committee and will be dealt with. The railway will be closed for one month in the summer for urgent repairs. A bus service will be in operation – more details to follow.
The planning application for the affordable homes development at Courthope Avenue has not yet been received at WDC. In view of the size of the development, the Housing Association will have to provide play equipment on site or give funds to the parish for additional equipment at the recreation ground.
Landscaping work has started at the recreation ground. The pavilion has been repainted internally and some external doors have been repaired. Junior football is very popular and a successful venture. The village is looking lovely following the recent bulb planting project. Many thanks to those involved.
WPC has agreed the payment of £17.50 lottery registration to WDC to allow WORD to undertake fund raising for recreation development in the village.
Our Quality Council submission has been delivered to Lewes and we await their comments. With regards to the Parish Plan, a meeting has been held with AIRS to discuss progress. Some further consultation is required and there will be suggestion boxes at key locations in the village. The ‘drop in’ consultation has been rescheduled for 7 July.
The next meeting of Wadhurst Parish Council is on 10 April at 7.30pm at the same venue.
Notes on the meeting held on Tuesday 13 February
The Parish Council no longer meets in January and therefore one might assume that the February meeting would be twice as exciting and controversial as any other. Seventeen items on the agenda suggested that we were in for a late night, especially as we had the too infrequent pleasure of a report from PC Steve Etherington.
Whilst the statistics showed a number of incidents in the parish, including nine criminal damages, four burglaries, a couple of public disorders and a boundary dispute, the most disgraceful of all was the report of a racist incident in the High Street. It is understood that the police have good information about the perpetrator, and we can only hope that justice takes its successful course.
The strong winds of recent weeks and the damage caused led to 400 calls, and thanks are offered to neighbourhood watch for helping with the road closure of Jonas Lane. There were in fact several traffic incidents during this period, but speeding is still considered to be a major issue on many of our roads. PC Etherington is being trained in the use of a speed gun, and he will shortly be using part of his time on speed enforcement in rural areas.
The Wealden District Council member of the Parish Council informed us that the District Council’s element of the Council Tax for 2007/8 will be 4.2%. Wealden has received the lowest rate support grant in East Sussex at £54.00 per person when Hastings was awarded £114.00 per person. This is the third year running that Wealden has been treated in this way.
Due to government pressure to speed up and increase the number of planning applications that are decided by planning staff rather than elected District Councillors, local members now have to alert officers if they wish to be involved in any applications. The exceptions are where the Parish Council or more than three residents submit objections.
We were also pleased to learn that Wadhurst Junior Football Club has been awarded a £500 Community Grant by Wealden District Council.
The Government has made some £30 million available for projects and East Sussex has identified a joint project to provide new library facilities in Wadhurst and Ringmer. Apart from the facilities in these two places, East Sussex County Council is now providing a top ten service. The total amount that the County might be awarded would be £1.5 million split equally between the two parishes. The Wadhurst project is likely to include redevelopment of the social club site and if the bid is successful, the new building would also contain community facilities which might include somewhere for a social club as well as meeting rooms, café, possibly a bar and other amenities.
The dedicated Parish Council website is now up and running at www.wadhurstpc.info. This website will allow access to the minutes of past meetings and the agenda for the forthcoming meeting. It will also have the newsletters and consultation documents available for all to see.
The Sparrows Green Recreation Ground is usually a subject that one can rely upon to stimulate vigorous debate, but on this occasion the issues were readily agreed. The original landscaping proposals for screening the tennis courts had been amended in consultation with Ken Turner, our tree warden and these proposals were approved, despite certain reservations in some quarters that they are a precursor to a further application for floodlighting.
The highways committee reported that the station bus shelter has been repaired and yellow lines painted around the bus stopping zone. Finger post repairs will be starting soon and a warning sign is to be provided at the main entrance to the Recreation Ground.
A second vehicle activated sign is to be provided on the Cousley Wood Road and paid for by the Parish Council. Speed indicator tests showed a high proportion of vehicles were speeding on this road and the speeds ranged from 57-78 mph.
Under the planning committee report we were informed about the forthcoming public consultation on the proposed affordable housing development at Snape View. There is undoubtedly a very real need for this housing in the village, and in earlier discussions the Parish Council was reassured that the accommodation would be retained with priority always being given to people with a strong local connection. Whilst this issue of Focus will appear after the consultation has taken place, a further opportunity to express your views will arise if and when a formal planning application is submitted. Anyone who knows someone whose name should be on the Housing waiting list for accommodation in Wadhurst should encourage them to send in an application. The more that we can prove the need for local affordable accommodation for our own residents the stronger the case will be for providing the housing.
Three local residents have come forward to help the parish council to take the draft Parish Plan forward to a second public consultation. The Parish Plan is intended to be a community document prepared with the help of the Parish Council, but not driven by the Parish Council.
A meeting has been arranged for 1 March with advisors from Action in Rural Sussex, and the public consultation, probably in the form of an interactive exhibition, is to be held at the Commemoration Hall on 11 April. Once published, the Wadhurst Parish Plan will contribute to the Parish Council’s application for Quality Status, which is well advanced. The website has taken us a big step forward and we felt it appropriate to thank Michael Harte and Michael Kent for all their hard work.