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    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

    ESCC Cllr Galley Monthly News August 2025
    08
    August 2025
    ESCC Cllr Galley Monthly News August 2025


    Not a lot of good news!

    Local Government Reorganisation.

    The Mayoral Combined Authority as the government calls it will be going ahead next year and elections for a mayor will take place in May.

    However, the plans for Unitary authorities which will effectively take over from County and District or Borough Councils are, at this point, in disarray. The East Sussex proposal across parties is for an East Sussex authority based on the current County boundaries. However, Labour controlled Brighton wants to add Newhaven, Peacehaven and other parts of Lewes District into a new Brighton Council area. This would upset the plans of other councils. East Sussex will be putting forward its preference in late September, but we will not know the final shape of things until Ministers make their decisions which could be early in 2026.

    At a recent Local Government Association briefing, it was strongly suggested that the government want a strong Regional government system with the Mayors being much more powerful than the Unitary Authorities and even more powers moving to the Mayors who will be accountable to voters but much more remote from local communities .

    The mayors will be able to levy taxes to fund their services but despite this process being called ‘devolution’ there is no current plan to devolve more tax decisions to this level. Currently no-one has any idea how the finances will work.

    More alarming is the indication that the government does not want to create more Town and Parish Councils. They are looking at neighbourhood-level committees which may add another layer to local governance or perhaps take over from town and parish councils.

    We will have quite a wait before we have more clarity.

    Local Government Finance.

    What we do have more information about is short term local government spending.

    One positive point is that Councils will have a financial settlement for the 3 years from 26/7 to 28/9.

    East Sussex is mainly funded by Council Tax and Business Rates. There are, however, a number of national grants. The government is planning sensibly to simplify the grant system but to adjust it so it reflects local wages, types of accommodation, property characteristics and remoteness. They are apparently going to move resources from elderly services to services for children and young adults

    We might have thought that some of this would help East Sussex, but we are regarded as better off than the North and Midlands.

    As yet we have no definite figures, but independent modelling has calculated that East Sussex could lose £18 million per year. Given that funding is already very stretched , that will affect our services adversely.

    Roy Galley

    August 8th 2025

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

    01825 713018

    Royal British Legion - Real Life Accounts SAS Rogue Heros
    04
    August 2025
    Royal British Legion - Real Life Accounts SAS Rogue Heros

    Buxted Royal British Legion 

    Did you enjoy SAS Rogue Heroes? 

    Then join us for real life accounts by Lieutenant Dennis Learmount RN on the Allied Landings into Sicily and Southern Italy. This is brought to us by Robin and David (relatives of the man himself). Learmount was awarded his second Distinguished Service Cross for leading the landing craft flotilla successfully over a period of 4 months. Only 44 people were awarded a 2nd DSC in WW2. Wednesday 24th September from 7pm at Buxted Cricket Club. The bar will be open and food will be available (details tbc) Please contact me on Buxted.POC1@RBL.Community if you would like to come along. 

    EVERYONE IS WELCOME

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