| Buxted Parish Council |
Background
Buxted Parish Council came into being in 1894 when the present system of
Parish Councils was instituted to give rural communities a voice. We have
records from that time recording many of the *happenings' and issues in
the Parish. Parish Councils form the third tier of local government after
County and District.
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.
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Electoral Arrangements
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.
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Council Meetings
These are held on the second Tuesday in every month (except August), normally
alternating between Buxted Reading Room and High Hurstwood Village Hall, at
7.30pm.
Meetings agendas are displayed one week in advance on the Parish notice boards
in Buxted (outside Reading Room and the Old Bank), in High Hurstwood (near
Maypole Inn) and in Five Ash Down (outside Village Hall). 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 raise questions with the Council before the meetings formally begin.
To meet Wealden District Council deadlines, planning applications may sometimes
have to be considered by a sub-committee on a Wednesday morning in Buxted
Reading Room.
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Functions of Parish Councils
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 County), 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
(eg our trees and hedgerows). More and more we have to comment on government
policies for local government and voice our electors' concerns. |
Parish Assets
These include Buxted Reading Room, two recreation grounds (Buxted and High
Hurstwood), two allotment areas (Buxted and High Hurstwood), a children's play
area at High Hurstwood, and two bus shelters. We are conscious also of the need
for replacement of the children's play area in Buxted and hope that before long
that this will be realised as a community effort which the Parish Council will
actively support. |
Finances
A 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. The precept for April 1999 to March 2000 for example was
£34,800. 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.
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Your Councillors
Councillors sit on various committees (Finance, Footpaths, Reading Room) and
outside bodies (eg Ionides Trust and both Buxted and High Hurstwood School
Governors). Each keeps an eye on different parts of the Parish, eg for planning
purposes and 'trees'.
A list of your current councillors and their areas of responsibility can also be
found on this website.
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Council Staff
Our part-time Parish Clerk, Ms. Beccy Macklen (01435 812757) acts as
the Council's 'proper officer' on the Council's behalf and under its direction.
She is available at the Reading Room to handle enquiries personally from
parishioners on most Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:00am.
The Reading Room and bookings for public use (eg Buxted Players and Buxted Art
Group) are looked after by its Caretaker, Mrs. Holmes (01825 733554)
We hope that this information sheet provides you with a little more
understanding of the work of your Parish Council. We are 'your voice' at a local
level and we are conscious of our needs to ensure that our electorate's wishes
are well represented to both District and County Council.
In the tiers of government the Parish Council is not led by 'party politics' but
predominantly by local people keen to protect and improve the Parish, its
environment and facilities.
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If you would like to serve on the Parish Council please let us know by
contacting the clerk at:-
- Postal address
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- Beccy Macklen
Clerk to Buxted Parish Council,
PO Box 202,
Heathfield,
TN21 1BN.
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- Telephone
- 01435 812757
- FAX
- Electronic mail
- General Information:
clerk@buxtedparish.org.uk
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