Home
Home
OgImage:

Buxted Parish Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12 November 2024

Parish Council Meeting

Five Ash Down Village Hall Tuesday View Details
12 November 2024

Planning Committee

Five Ash Down Village Hall Tuesday 7:00 pm View Details

Latest Parish News

ESCC Cllr Galley Monthly News November 2024

06

November 2024
ESCC Cllr Galley Monthly News November 2024

The effects of the Budget on East Sussex

At County level, we are still assessing the impact of the Rachel Reeves Budget on communities in East Sussex.

There is still some uncertainty, but a picture is emerging.

The Budget includes an extra £600 million for Social Care and an unallocated £700 million for local government which will be distributed as part of the Local Government settlement in December. There is some extra money for potholes but no more than we received recently from the previous government.

The anticipation is that this will mean an extra £13million whilst the gap in East Sussex given rising demand for social care and Children’s services is about £57million.

Whatever increase there is, we have to factor in the impact of national insurance increases and the rise in the minimum wage up 6.7% for adults 16% for 18- to 24-year-olds. National insurance costs for the County will apparently be funded by the government but this will not apply to our contractors and service providers. Unless there is a change of heart these increases will have a big impact on Care Homes, not only those for the elderly but those used to house young adults and children with multiple needs.

There are further pots of money available for specific projects such as Active travel, buses and improved recycling.

However, the key problem in East Sussex is the rising demand for social care across all age ranges.

Other impacts in East Sussex will include the threat to our farms from the removal of Inheritance tax reliefs. We have many family agricultural businesses and our local economy could be badly effected in the long term.

We also have many excellent independent schools where parents will now face 20 %Vat on their fees. Whether they will all survive and whether state schools will have the capacity to take additional children remains to be seen.

Interestingly the Green Party favours not only the VAT charge but the removal of charitable status which would be another blow if they ever came near to power.

Maresfield

As I write work has begun at last on resurfacing High St and School Hill in Maresfield. I have been campaigning for this in the last 3 years and I’m delighted it is at last being done.

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

01825 713018

New tenants’ board created for Wealden residents

05

November 2024
New tenants’ board created for Wealden residents

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.”

My Parish
°C
Weather Humidity percentage %
mph
Weather Description
FRI Weather Day One ° °
SAT Weather Day two ° °
SUN Weather Day three ° °
MON Weather Day four ° °
TUE Weather Day five ° °