Present:

Cllrs. Crowe (Chairman), Chalmers, Downing, Harding, Rose, Sheard, Treacher and Warner. ESCC Cllr. Reid WDC Cllr. Buck (part).

Public :

None this meeting.

1/01/08

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies received and accepted from Cllrs. Coxon and Daniel. Cllrs. Rogers and Wilkes did not attend.

2/01/08

DECLARATION OF MEMBERS INTERESTS.

None this meeting.

3/01/08

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

Cllr. Treacher proposed and Cllr. Sheard seconded that the minutes of the meeting of 11 December 2007 be accepted and signed. Carried.

4/01/08

ESCC REPORT

Cllr. Reid said that this was budget time again and he was putting together proposals for the ESCC meeting next week. The Government had lifted ESCC and Kent CC off the floor in this round, ESCC was to receive a 3.2% increase and Kent a 2.0% increase. The 3.2% increase represented an additional £3M for ESCC - this increase was more then ESCC expected but even so the budgeting would still be tight to meet all needs In the SE the average settlement for the Counties was 2.6% whereas the average across the country was 5.6%. Dorset had got an 11% increase, so there was a huge spread. It should be remembered that East Sussex had the highest elderly population in the country. The Government is to shortly announce the required housing numbers for the country. The number for the SE was expected to rise to 32,000 but the Government may ask for more. The Government was to make a contribution of £70M to the County for infrastructure and give authority for more borrowing. Cllr. Reid had spoken to the ESCC lawyer about the parking problems at Five Ash Down and had been advised that an application to the Court to stop the parking was to be made next week. The County speed management programme was to be launched shortly and the new speed limits would be progressively introduced in electoral divisions. He thought that Hadlow Down would benefit by having a lower speed limit but that the appraisal of Hadlow Down would include Buxted. Cllr. Reid said that with the coming budget it should be possible to address the High Hurstwood School refurbishment project.

Cllr. Crowe said that she was pleased to hear that Hadlow Down would benefit from the speed management programme but asked about the stretch of road from Buxted to Buxted School and the bends towards Hadlow Down be considered. Cllr. Reid advised the Council to talk to Colin Clarke at the start of the programme likely to be at the beginning of the new financial year. Cllr. Reid said that he had had a recent meeting with Mark Dunn of the Sussex Police Roads Unit and Inspector Dunn had agreed to two new 50 mph speed limits being introduced. Cllr. Crowe said that Cllr. Warner, as a School Governor, would need to garner support from Buxted School towards attention to the speed limit to the school.

Cllr. Reid, in conclusion, asked the Clerk to remind him in due course about the Five Ash Down parking issue and said that it had been helpful hearing from Cllr. Warner about the school transport issues – matters he was hoping the relevant people would consider.

5/01/08

PARISH COUNCIL NEWSLETTER

The Clerk said that Cllr. Daniel had asked for Cllrs. to suggest ideas to her for the next Community Voice. It was aimed to publish the next edition on 1 April 2008. Cllr. Crowe asked Cllrs. to make contributions for ideas as soon as possible. Cllr. Buck congratulated Cllr. Daniel on the latest edition.

6/01/08

OUTSTANDING MATTERS

Item 1 Parish Plan:

PP/ Action 1.  Youth Council: Cllr. Warner said that at the last meeting members had discussed public transport issues and were planning ice skating and thinking of new activities and would perhaps attend the South of England Show. Members of Next Step were keen to be able to vote at 16. Cllr. Crowe said that the new landlady at the White Hart had been accommodating – and noted that the landlady’s daughter had to go to school at Burgess Hill because there was no room at UTC. This despite ESCC’s assurances at the time of the Grampian application that there was no need for additional spaces at UTC. Cllr. Reid said that the County was now doing longer term planning; it had been piecemeal in the past. Cllr. Rose asked if it would not be possible for students to use their bus passes on the trains. Cllr. Reid said that there had been studies in other areas but there was no subsidy at all.

PP/ Action 3. Public Footpaths: Nothing to report.

PP/ Action 6. New Parish Hall:  Cllr. Crowe said that it was sad that the Big Lottery had not awarded a grant but the Council would press on with the project. There was the community contribution due from the Grampian site, potential community contributions from other developments including the site at the rear of the High Street, plus the value of the Reading Room site. There would need to be a bridging loan arranged for the Reading Room in due course but that she hoped the working party would garner action to move forward on the project. Cllr. Rose said that in Five Ashes no grant had been awarded but there had been some fund raising and a village hall refurbishment was planned. It appeared that most of the Big Lottery grant money was going towards the Olympics.

Item 2 Road Safety: Cllr. Crowe said that she had asked via BPEC for some more volunteers for Speedwatch and would also ask for Cllrs. to ask around for volunteers. There had been two responses to the email but no volunteers as yet. Cllr. Crowe said that she was waiting for a response from Graeme Lake about the progress on the Buxted Traffic Order.

Item 3 Grampian site FAD: Nothing to report

Item 4 South East Plan: Nothing to report

Item 5 Wealden LDF: Nothing to report

Item 6 Emergency Plan: The Clerk said that he was working on the Emergency Plan with George Claydon and hoped to bring a draft to the February Council meeting

Item 7 Property Issues: The Clerk reported that there had been an attempted break-in at Buxted Pavilion.

7/01/08

CORRESPONDENCE

The various items were noted as follows:

Item P1 Minutes of Uckfield Railway meeting 10 December 2007 – the Clerk was requested to forward copies of the minutes to Cllr. Buck and Cllr. Downing. Cllr. Buck said that he had spoken to Cllr. Bennett of Uckfield, and also to T&E ESCC but it appeared that there had been no progress since the 10 December meeting which was disappointing. Cllr. Crowe said that it appeared that the ESCC people at the meeting were reluctant to actively support the parking proposal. Cllr. Reid said that County would support the scheme. Cllr. Downing said that the situation would be discussed at the next Uckfield Railways Parishes Committee meeting.

Item P3 Big Lottery Fund rejection of grant application – see para 6/01/08 above.

Item P4 WDC Planning Consultation survey – Cllr. Crowe to copy & circulate.

Item P5 WDC Planning Conference 4 March 2008 – Cllr. Chalmers to attend – the Clerk to book.  Any other Cllr. who wishes to attend should contact the Clerk.

Item P6 WDC Budget Consultation – Cllr. Warner had sent a response. The Clerk had had a telephone interview.

Item P7 Rev. Challis offer to fund raising for new Community Hall – the Council welcomed Rev. Challis’ offer; Cllr. Crowe to reply.

Item S3 English Heritage War Memorial contractual conditions – Cllr. Chalmers noted this item. The Clerk said that the revised terms were less onerous.

8/01/08

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

No meetings this month.

9/01/08

FINANCE

The Clerk noted that the allowances to the Youth Council members had been paid this month and that the Council’s funds were in a satisfactory position. The reports for Quarter 3 had been given out to Cllrs. Cllr. Rose proposed and Cllr. Warner seconded that cheques 389 to 405 drawn on the current account totalling £2,368.63 including voucher charges be authorised for payment - Carried.  The month’s bank statements were verified against the bank reconciliations.

10/01/08

OTHER MEETINGS

Cllr. Treacher reported that she had attended a High Hurstwood School Governors meeting. Peter Radford was the new Chair of Governors. The School would be attempting to persuade ESCC to complete the outstanding building project. There were some new teaching policies and more visits for the children were planned. Cllr. Warner noted that High Hurstwood School was now number 3 in the league tables. Cllr. Treacher said that the Bishop had visited the School to dedicate the new gate between the School car park and the Church. Cllr. Downing said that there would be an Uckfield Railway Parishes meeting tomorrow (9 January 2008). There had been some indication that bus services in Buxted may be improved. Cllr. Chalmers said that there had been a meeting of the Basil Ionides Memorial Centre Management Committee. The Committee would like to invite a member of the Youth Council to be a voting member of the Committee and they hoped that Cllr. Warner would join. The Committee would also like to put an article into the next Community Voice. Cllr. Crowe said that it would be good to involve Next Step members in the Ionides Committee; there were some good people who could be involved. Cllr Warner advised she be happy to accompany a Next Step representative as required. It was agreed that the Ionides Committee and Next Step would discuss the suggestion. Cllr. Warner said that she had attended a Buxted School Governors meeting. The School had been rated ‘very good’ in the latest OFSTED inspection. The role was currently 92 but the School would like to take more pupils and was hopeful for the coming year. The School was currently doing a Travel Plan.

11/01/08

MEMBERS QUESTIONS.

Cllr. Sheard raised the matter of the level of lighting at High Hurstwood School. Governors had been trying to get the lighting reduced over the Christmas school holidays but it needed an engineer to change the timing. The Clerk said that Tony Wright had complained about the school lighting levels. Cllr. Sheard said that there needed to be an article about lighting in the countryside in the newsletter given the high levels of illumination by some newer residents. Cllr. Treacher said that there were parking problems in the cul de sac at the end of Maypole Cottages; cars were being parked at the end and stopping vehicles turning. Ambulances and the cess pit emptying vehicle often had difficulties. The previous road markings had not been replaced when the road was last re-surfaced. Cllr. Reid said that he would take the matter up. Cllr. Treacher said that there was a pothole in Hurstwood Road. The Clerk said that a resident had raised the matter with him and he had already reported it to Highways.

12/01/08

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Clerk announced that he intended to retire in 2008 and would be giving notice so as to leave his post in July 2008. Cllr. Crowe said that she fully understood his wishes to pursue other interests but that she personally would be very sorry to see him leave and thanked the Clerk for his enormous contribution to the Council and the Parish community – this was unanimously agreed by all members. She suggested that a Finance & Policy Committee working party be formed to look at the recruitment of his successor and requested the Clerk to be involved.

Signed:                                                    Chairman                                                 

Date: