Buxted Parish Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Latest Parish News

Stay vigilant for ticket fraud ahead of top events and concerts this summer

15

April 2025

Stay vigilant for ticket fraud ahead of top events and concerts this summer

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.

10

April 2025

Local Government Changes

There does seem to be some confusion about what the Labour Government are planning to do to Local Government. Their plans have been set out quite fully but they could change.

Often only politicians are concerned about government organization and management. Most voters just want efficient services to be delivered. However, it is important to explain what is planned.

In May 2026 we will all be asked to elect a Sussex Mayor covering East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

The Mayor will be selected in the same way as other politicians. Each political party will select a candidate from its members and then their names will be submitted to the electorate. There, can, of course, be any number of independent candidates. As far as we know, voting will be on the ‘First Past the Post’ system.

The Mayor will be responsible for Transport, Economic development, Housing and Planning strategy, Skills and employment support, Environment and Public Safety including Police and Fire Services…

The District and Borough Councils will be abolished as will East Sussex County Council and replaced by Unitary bodies which will each cover an area of about half a million people.

It looks likely that East Sussex will stay as one Unitary authority. West Sussex have put forward

3 different options for their area which has a population of 850,000 people. Brighton and Hove is much smaller and further discussion is needed on what the boundaries might be

There will not be a Mayoral authority or assembly advising or scrutinising the Mayor as there is in London.

He will consult a small cabinet which will be nominated by the Unitary authorities, two per authority.

The unitaries will be responsible for children’s services, adult social care, highway maintenance, waste collection and disposal, planning, housing management, environmental health, Public health, Libraries, trading standards , registration.

The cabinet of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has passed an interim plan, created with partners from borough and district councils which suggests that a new local authority on the current boundaries of East Sussex as an option for the geography of the new unitary body.

The plan suggests a single body could meet the government’s ambitions for streamlined local government and satisfy its criteria that new unitary councils should be created with a population of 500,000 or more. This initial plan drawn up by the six local authorities makes clear that council leaders remain open to presenting alternatives if the government changes its criteria and if evidence and strong public support suggest other options. There is a large measure of cross-party support for this.

Some are still arguing for one unitary authority along the coast and one for the rural hinterland. This would present some challenges. It would mean a fundamental reorganization of all care services which are currently of a good standard and major change could jeopardise delivery for vulnerable people. Another problem is financial. East Sussex is not a wealthy County and a coastal authority would have even more serious financial problems.

Highways: Lane Rental

East Sussex County Council is about to introduce a lane rental scheme on busy roads for utility companies-water, BT, gas, and electricity. This will mean they will pay for road closures and the length of time a section of road is closed. This will give them an incentive to do the work more quickly and efficiently.

Roy Galley

April 10^th 2025

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

01825 713018