Remembering Edward Belsey

East Grinstead Town Council Cllrs and Staff are very sad to hear the news of the passing of former Cllr Edward Belsey and our thoughts are with the family.

(Excerpt Taken From MSDC 2474)

Mid Sussex District Council is extremely sorry to announce the very sad passing of Edward Belsey, husband of the Chairman of the Council, Margaret Belsey.

Married to Margaret for 56 years, Edward tragically died on Sunday 6 November 2022 whilst out walking with his beloved springer spaniels near his home in East Grinstead.  Our thoughts are with Margaret and his sons Giles and John, Deputy Leader of the District Council.

Born in Beckenham in January 1943 Edward spent a large part of his life working in the community and with voluntary organisations.  Since moving to East Grinstead in 1995, he was elected as an East Grinstead Town and Mid Sussex District Councillor for the Herontye Ward in East Grinstead. Whilst on the District Council he was passionate to serve as the representative on the Health and Social Care scrutiny committe[e, a subject he cared so much about.  Edward also served as a governor for the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust and was chairman of the East Grinstead Air Training Corps Squadron.  He had also been a trustee of Age UK East Grinstead and was one of the town’s first dementia champions.  Edward had many interests and was a very keen golfer, fisherman and sports enthusiast, as well as community advocate.

Edward’s family will release funeral details in due course but in the meantime the family and the Council mourn the devastating loss of a very special husband, father, grandfather, and friend to so many in our community.

Planning Applications & Decisions

Revised District Plan Set for Public Consultation

(Excerpt Taken From MSDC 2474)

Mid Sussex District Council has recommended a revised draft of the District Plan for public consultation, to ensure the plan remains up to date, properly plans for infrastructure to be delivered alongside new homes, and protects the district from speculative, unplanned development.

Public consultation on the revised draft District Plan will run for a period of six-weeks from 7 November to 19 December 2022.

Housing targets are set for local authorities by the Government and District Plans must set out in broad terms what, where, when and how development should take place. Although Mid Sussex District Council has an adopted District Plan for Mid Sussex which runs from 2018-2031, the Government requires that the plan is updated every five years to ensure that housing need is met, and policies remain relevant and effective.

The Government’s Standard Method for calculating future housing need sets Mid Sussex a minimum requirement of delivering a further 8,169 new homes from 2021-2039.

The revised draft District Plan sets out a strategy for how to meet the housing requirement. The starting point is to protect all designated landscapes, such as the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), from all but limited development.

The Council is seeking to ensure that all opportunities to use brownfield sites are maximised and that any application for development makes the most effective use of land. This approach will help to reduce the number of greenfield sites required to meet the housing target. However, as a predominantly rural district (less than 12% is within a defined built-up area) opportunities for brownfield development are limited.

The revised draft District Plan is guided by the ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ principle, which ensures new developments are provided in areas where most people’s daily needs can be met within a short walk or cycle ride. In line with this principle, sites within the district’s three towns and larger villages, which are sustainable locations that already provide a range of services and facilities nearby, have been proposed for development.

In areas with few or no local services or facilities, there is still opportunity for growth if developments are sufficiently large enough to provide new supporting infrastructure on site such as a new primary school, health facilities, neighbourhood centres, small scale retail, employment opportunities, open space, and sports provision. Providing such facilities will create more sustainable developments that benefit both new residents and the existing community.

The revised draft District Plan includes three new sustainable developments at Crabbet Park, Copthorne, Land to the West of Burgess Hill and Land to the South of Reeds Lane, Sayers Common, which will collectively provide 4,750 new homes. The remaining housing need will be met by 21 smaller housing development sites across Mid Sussex, and an allowance for housing built on brownfield sites and windfall.

Councillor Robert Salisbury, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Planning said:

“As our population grows, so does the demand for new housing, and the Government has a set formula for calculating exactly how many new homes are required to meet that growing need.

“Without a District Plan to provide a clear vision for the future, control passes to private housing developers, potentially leading to speculative and unwanted development in unsuitable locations.

“By having an up-to-date District Plan, we can set out where those new homes should go and include Planning Policies that ensure developers create sustainable communities with access to essential services and facilities like new schools, healthcare provision, community halls and leisure facilities. It provides certainty for communities, stakeholders, and infrastructure providers.”

The revised draft District Plan is available to view online at www.midsussex.gov.uk/districtplan and paper copies are available at libraries, Help Points, the District Council offices, and Town and Parish Council offices.

Comments can be submitted online at www.midsussex.gov.uk/districtplan or can be sent to Planning Policy and Housing Enabling, Mid Sussex District Council at Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH161SS.

Declaring Your Interests!

All councillors are required to provide a record of their interests in a public register of interests. This must be completed within 28 days of taking office, and any changes must be recorded within 28 days of that change.

You need to register your interests so that the general public, authority staff and fellow councillors, know which of your interests might give rise to a conflict of interest. This is a public document and aims to ensure that decision-making is seen to be open and honest.

This helps to preserve public confidence in the integrity of local government. You need to register a range of connections which includes membership of local authority bodies, membership of any body exercising functions of a public nature, political party or trade union, your job or any business contracts between the Authority and yourself any land or property in the Authority’s area.

If the form is not clear to you, please consult the Monitoring Officer or appropriate Town/Parish Clerk.

Mid Sussex District Council Set Net Zero Targets

(Excerpt Taken From MSDC 2473)

Mid Sussex District Council has adopted Net Zero targets for both the Council and the wider District to help tackle climate change and reduce global warming.

At a meeting of Full Council on 2 November 2022, Councillors overwhelmingly agreed to reduce direct council-controlled carbon emissions to Net Zero by 2040 and support the wider District to reach the national Government target of Net Zero by 2050.

Net Zero is achieved by striking a balance between the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and the greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere.

Mid Sussex District Council has already begun to reduce carbon emissions by installing PV solar panels on Council buildings that generate around 27,000 kwh of pollution-free electricity per year, a carbon reduction of 6.9 tonnes.

In September the Council started to trial a new recycling and general waste collection system that includes the separate collection of food waste to boost recycling and reduce the amount of general waste produced. Recycled food waste is turned into bio-fertiliser that helps crops to grow and renewable electricity that provides a sustainable source of power. Just one lorry load of food waste can generate enough renewable energy to power 20,000 televisions for an hour.

The Council is supporting sustainable methods of travel for employees by enabling them to access to Electric Vehicle Charging Points at the Council offices, borrow electric bikes for short journeys and upgrading the Council’s parking enforcement fleet to electric vehicles.

Over 50 new Electric Vehicle Charging Points have been installed across Mid Sussex as part of the new West Sussex ChargePoint network. These are just the start of a much bigger rollout that will see thousands more EV Chargers connected across West Sussex over the next 10 years.

West Sussex local authorities are progressing a joint programme to support businesses to lower their carbon footprint. A key part of the programme is the delivery of a ‘Low Carbon Business’ video series, telling the story of exemplary businesses from across the county who have embraced sustainability to realise tangible business benefits. Businesses from across sectors and representing each District and Borough feature in the series, hosted on the West Sussex County Council YouTube channel.

For Burgess Hill, the District Council has secured £20 million of funding for sustainable transport initiatives, that will be delivered through the Place and Connectivity Programme. In the past year, over 3,500 metres of footways, cycle paths and bridleways have been enhanced to provide safe and reliable alternatives to using the car.

The Council has also worked alongside a consortium of local authorities to secure funding from the Government to improve the energy efficiency of eligible homes through the Warmer Homes scheme.

Councillor Stephen Hillier, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Net Zero said:

“At Mid Sussex we are eager to support the UK government in the journey to Net Zero and the fight against climate change.

“Renowned sustainability and Net Zero consultancy firm Ricardo AEA has carried out detailed analysis of the Council and the wider Mid Sussex area to ensure our Net Zero targets are realistic and based on sound evidence.

“As a Council we are committed to reducing carbon emissions in our area and these Net Zero targets are an important part of our Sustainable Economy Strategy, which sets out how we’re working to make sure Mid Sussex remains an attractive, resilient and innovative District that balances social wellbeing, environmental protection and sustainable economic growth.”

Final consultation on revised proposals now open: Last chance to help reshape constituencies

(Excerpt Taken From MSDC 2476)

The Boundary Commission for England has published new revised proposals for parliamentary constituencies across the country and has opened a final month-long consultation, giving the public one last opportunity to send in their views.

The Commission has taken into consideration over 45,000 comments sent in by the public during the previous two stages of public consultation and has changed nearly half of its initial proposals based on this feedback. A third and final consultation on the new map of revised constituency proposals is open now until 5 December. The public are invited to view and comment on the new map at www.bcereviews.org.uk.

The Commission is undertaking an independent review of all constituencies in England as requested by Parliament. The number of electors within each constituency currently varies widely due to population changes since the last boundary review. The 2023 Boundary Review will rebalance the number of electors each MP represents, resulting in significant change to the existing constituency map. As part of the review, the number of constituencies in England will increase from 533 to 543.

After this final consultation has closed on 5 December, the Commission will analyse the responses and form its final recommendations. These will be submitted to Parliament by 1 July 2023.

Tim Bowden, Secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, said:

“Today we are announcing the publication of our revised proposals. Last year we published our initial proposals for new constituency boundaries – our first go at what the map should look like. We are delighted with the huge number of comments from members of the public on our initial proposals, many which included valuable evidence about local communities.

“Today’s publication is the culmination of months of analysis, and we have revised nearly half of our initial proposals based on what people have told us. We now believe we are close to the best map of constituencies that can be achieved under the rules we are working to.

“However, we still want people to tell us what they think of this latest map before we submit our final recommendations to Parliament next year. This is our final consultation and I encourage you to participate in the 2023 Boundary Review.”

Cost of Living – Website / Free and low cost events

Mid Sussex have published a Cost of Living support page (Cost of Living Support – Mid Sussex District Council) which will contain local support information on. These include:

Food support 

Heating and warmth 

Housing support  

Benefits support 

Bills, Budgeting and Finance 

Health and Wellbeing  

Business Support 

Employment Support 

Low cost activity ideas 

Gatwick Station

(Sent by Network Rail to all major stakeholders)

Cost of Living Support and Warmer Homes Programme

(Excerpt Taken from MSDC PR 2471)

Mid Sussex District residents are asked to check if they are eligible to receive a new grant to help them heat their homes, lower their carbon emissions, and save money on their fuel bills.

In partnership with other Councils Mid Sussex District Council has secured funding from the Government to improve the energy efficiency of eligible homes. Warmer Homes funding is available until March 2023, to install the following energy efficiency measures:

• Insulation
• solar PV panels
• air source heat pumps

Up to £25,000 is available per home if you meet the following criteria:

• Your home has an EPC rating of E, F or G (limited funding is available for EPC D rated properties).

And either:

• ​You have a total household annual income of £30,000 or less (before housing costs/bills)

Or:

• You receive a means-tested benefit

Residents can check the EPC rating of their home online at www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

This funding is available to owner occupiers and those living in privately rented homes on a first-come, first served basis and it only takes 5 minutes to make an application.

Councillor Norman Webster, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Community said:

“With energy bills almost tripling in just one year, our residents are already being affected by the growing cost of living crisis, and the colder winter months are fast approaching.

“This Warmer Homes Programme can offer vital energy efficiency improvements for those on low incomes. The range of measures available can help people to stay warmer, reduce their energy use and therefore lower bills whilst also making their homes greener by cutting carbon emissions.”

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council, said:

“The Council is delighted to have successfully secured this funding to help support many of our residents during this challenging time. I would encourage as many local people as possible to check if they are eligible, either by visiting the Warmer Homes website or calling the freephone number provided and reap the benefits of this scheme without delay.“

For further information about the programme and to apply online, residents should visit the Warmer Homes website: www.warmerhomes.org.uk/programme and click ‘apply now’ or email: retrofit@warmerhomes.org.uk

Alternatively, call 0800 038 5737 (freephone) Monday – Friday during office hours to find out more and apply by phone.

Gatwick Airport FASI-S Parish Council Stakeholder Briefing Sessions December 2022

(Received by FASI-S Project Team at Gatwick Airport)

In October 2018, following the publication of the Government and CAA co-sponsored Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Gatwick Airport Limited initiated a project to redesign its departure and arrival routes and procedures under the auspices of the Future Airspace Strategy Implementation – South (FASI-S) Airspace Change programme.

The development of this airspace change project is following the CAA’s CAP 1616 Airspace Change Process and has consequently up to this point focused engagement with a targeted group of stakeholders.  These included local government (some parish, borough, district and county councils) as well as key local environmental and community noise action groups.

The stakeholders already involved have been engaged throughout the airspace change process so far, contributing both to the Define Stage (Stage 1) and the current Develop and Assess Stage (Stage 2).

While the regulatory process does not require wider engagement at this stage we are expanding the range of stakeholders involved to include a broader range of parish council representation at the point the airspace design options being created are more mature and a meaningful shortlist of viable options is available to help simplify the process and make the potential impact clearer to the local communities, and you their representatives.

This process is under way now, with the anticipated final engagement, detailing the outcomes of ‘Design Principle Evaluation’ and progress of ‘Initial Options Appraisal’, being planned for January 2023. We should be clear that this is still relatively early in the process and well ahead of a full public consultation that will take place much later in Stage 3 but the sessions we have planned should help you to be as well informed as possible, which we believe will be helpful to you given the relatively complex nature of the process and the project itself.

We invited 75 of our nearest parish councils to two Parish Council Stakeholder briefing sessions on 5^th and 6^th October, where we explained the progress of this airspace change to date and updated on the Comprehensive List of Options we have developed as well as provided an overview of the Design Principle Evaluation and Initial Options Appraisal processes, so that you, the parish council stakeholders, could join and participate in the upcoming engagement sessions that we plan to schedule early next year.

In order to reach as many of you as possible we have decided to hold two further briefings.  The planned agenda and content in these sessions will be the same as the October sessions.

The briefings will be conducted as a virtual meetings using the Microsoft Teams application. Two virtual meetings are planned for:

• 17:30 to 19:30 on 5^th December
• 10:30 to 12:30 on 9^th December

Please email LGWairspace.FASIS@gatwickairport.com to confirm your intention to participate in one of the two virtual meetings by 30 November. The link to join the online briefing will be circulated the day prior to the meeting to all registered attendees.

EGBA Newsletter November 2022

Please follow this hyperlink to access:-  https://mailchi.mp/eeed9085029c/egba-newsletter-november-2022?e=8817e537ec 

Planning Application & Decisions

Thanks a Tonne – Council praises recyclers

(Excerpt Taken from MSDC PR 2472)

Mid Sussex District Council has thanked the residents taking part in a new food waste collection trial after they recycled more than 29,000 Kilograms (29 Tonnes) of food in the first four weeks.

Residents in the trial areas have embraced the new collection system by placing any food waste they have into a dedicated food waste bin, which is collected from the kerbside every week.

The aim of the trial is to work with residents to boost recycling and reduce the amount of general waste produced. If participants continue to recycle food at the current rate, then potentially over 377,000 Kilograms (377 Tonnes) of food will be removed the rubbish in the trial area and recycled over the course of a year.

Mid Sussex residents in parts of Ashurst Wood, Burgess Hill and Lindfield have been selected to take part in the new waste collection trial. These areas have been chosen because they include a mix of housing types and locations that ensure the trial is representative of the whole of Mid Sussex. The trial will enable Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council to assess the feasibility of rolling out a similar service across the whole of Mid Sussex.
Councillor John Belsey, Deputy Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said:

“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is working with us to trial this new collection system and reduce the amount of food that goes in our general waste bins.

“By collecting our food waste separately we can ensure it is being put to good use. Once collected, it’s taken to a specialist facility and placed in an anaerobic digester, which uses the gas that is produced when the food breaks down to generate energy and turns the left-over material into a soil fertiliser.

“A lorry load of food waste can generate enough renewable energy to power 20,000 televisions for an hour, so recycling it really can make a big difference to our long-term sustainability.

Councillor Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change said:

“Residents have done a tremendous job of recycling their food waste so far and I would like to thank each and every one of them sincerely for their efforts.

“We’ve already received lots of valuable feedback from residents and we will continue to take it all on board as the trial progresses. Your experiences will help us to provide a greener service in the future, with improved recycling rates.”

Building Connections

The Building Connections project aims to support young people age 16-25 in to opportunities, it will do this by supporting with things like C.V writing, short courses to pad the C.V, interview skills, volunteer work experience and mentoring. Please do share the flyers with any of your contacts that are working with young people age 16-25.

Meridian Line Newsletter

Monday 3^rd October was a special day – our 23rd annual Charity Golf Day, at Sweetwoods Park Golf Club.  18 teams entered and we were fortunate to have good weather. The day started with players being served a bacon roll with coffee or tea and after the game we all enjoyed a delicious 2-course buffet lunch.  For the first time ever we had a Shot Gun start – each team goes to their allocated starting hole and all teams start playing at 9:15am.

Chief organiser was Roger Lewis, who said afterwards “I had a great team of supporters, including my wife Dianne who ran the Registration Desk.  Barry Byrne organised 4-person Green Fee vouchers from 12 golf clubs for the Silent Auction; this raised over £1,000.  He also arranged the balls for the Yellow Ball competition which ran alongside the main Stableford competition.  Keith Harding, in charge of the Raffle, did a great job, assisted by Gill Frost, raising £595.  Judith Riches sold £425 of £5 Mulligan vouchers. The £10 note draw raised £250, with 50% going to the winner.  Bob Shaw was a great help, checking the scores as players returned with their completed score cards.  Brian Riches was a huge help setting up the banners from sponsors RH & RW Clutton, Beaufort Financial and the Caravan & Motorhome Club and taking photos of the players around the course.  Phil Baker and President Michael Haynes provided great assistance during the day in the club house”.

The day raised £3,000+ for charity: donations of £500 each have been given to the QVH Superheroes Fund for children with severe burns and the Rotary Fund to help Ukraine.   The remaining £2,000, now in our Charity account, will enable us to assist groups and individuals throughout the year as needs arise.  All in all, a very good result!

On 5^th October the four young participants in our 2022 Rotary District Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) scheme came along to tell us about their experiences.  Aged 15 – 16, two are at Imberhorne school and two at Sackville.  RYLA is a 5-day residential leadership course held at High Ashurst Outdoor Activity Centre near Dorking. The aims are to develop young people’s self-esteem and confidence and improve their social and leadership skills.  The activities include an assault course, orienteering, all day map reading walk, problem solving, aqua sports, raft building challenge – and more!

All four participants, Holly, Liam, Sienna and Brody shared their experiences with a PowerPoint presentation and said they gained self-assurance working in teams with those they had never met before. They all agreed Rotary had given them a unique opportunity to improve their confidence.

The planned talk on 19^th, about the UK charity ‘Tools with a Mission’, had to be postponed as the speaker was unwell.

“Grow the Tallest Sunflower” competition – results

We launched this free competition for children at the May Fayre.  Each young entrant received a packet of Sunflower seeds, pots and growing instructions.  The competition was generously sponsored by Orchard Nursery and King’s seeds.  On Sunday 16^th October the winners gathered, with their families, at Orchard Nursery, and were each presented with a prize and Meridian Rotary certificate.  The tallest sunflower was an amazing 9’ 11” (3.58 m)!

What are we doing in November?

Our meetings (7.30 p.m. at The Dorset Arms, EG) will feature:-

Wed 2^nd November    Jacquie Thomas from St Catherine’s Hospice will tell us about progress on the new Hospice, under construction in Pease Pottage. and the enhanced facilities it will provide.  If you’d like to find out more, log onto our website https://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=1561  scroll down to ‘This week’s meeting’ on right and click on ‘Details’.

Wed 16^th November    Business meeting (members and Associate members only)

Wed 30^th November    A talk about Chailey Heritage School, near Lewis.  This specialist school provides education and care services for children and young people with complex neuro-disabilities.

Guests are very welcome – if you’d like to come along, please e-mail us at info@meridianrotary.co.uk

On Tuesday 15^th November teams from local senior schools will compete in our annual  competition “Rotary Youth Speaks – a Debate”.  Each team has three members:- Chairperson, Proposer and Opposer, who debate a topic of their choice, in front of an audience (mostly teachers, parents and Rotarians, but all are welcome).  An independent questioner then ‘quizzes’ them on their arguments.  The winners are selected by independent judges, and go on to the next heat of this national Rotary competition.  The venue is St Swithun’s Church, start time 6 p.m.

Further details about us and our activities are on our website www.meridianrotary.co.uk

Remembrance Sunday 13th November 2022

This year’s Remembrance Services are being held on Sunday 13^th November and the Town Council plays a part in these.

There are two poppy wreath laying services.  The first is at 10am at the East Court Memorial.  Any members wishing to attend this Service must arrive at the East Court Memorial no later than 9.50am.  This Service will last no more than 10 minutes and consists of the Town Mayor and RBL laying a poppy wreath on the East Court memorial.  The service will be conducted and a few words spoken by a member of the East Grinstead Parish Clergy.  At the conclusion of this service, Members should make their way to Kings Street where the parade will start this year, please wait on the pavement until told otherwise.  Any Councillors not coming to East Court should meet at Kings Street, no later than 10.20am.

The Town Mayor will lead Councillors in procession up London Road and on to the High Street to gather by the High Street War Memorial.  There will be a parade marshal and Members will be instructed on when to move off.  Councillors should please march together and should be wearing their Town tie or scarf and/or any military ties, badges, regalia etc as appropriate.  Also please wear appropriate clothing for the weather, no umbrellas please, but hats may be worn if it is wet or cold.  Medals awarded may be worn on the left, medals of relatives worn on the right.

The Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex, Mr John Barclay DL, Town Mayor, Cllr Adam Peacock and many other organisations will lay wreaths.

After the service the procession will then continue along the High Street, turning down Church Lane and will disband at the Chequer Mead car park.

Councillors may be accompanied by members of their immediate family i.e. spouse, partner, children who can walk the route and following the service the Royal British Legion will attend the Ex-serviceman’s Club (opposite the Fire Station) and Councillors will be most welcome to join them.  There is a pay bar in the Club.

On Friday 11^th November at 11am, the Mayor will be laying a wreath at the High Street Memorial, if you wish to mark the 1 minute silence please be at the High Street Memorial by 10:55am.

SGN Presence in Blackwell Rd and Lewes Rd

Streetworks from WSCC have given us the following update regarding Blackwell Road (with thanks to Cllr Jacquie Russell who let us know about this)

I can confirm that the TTL’s at the Blackwell Road roundabout were removed by the end of 21.10.22. It was necessary to have these lights in place as there was an open excavation in the carriageway and the lights were there to protect the road users whilst works were being carried out.

There are still remaining works in the footway that need completing ( approx. 9-12 services to properties still need to be installed) but this will be done without the need for any positive TM so there will be no clash with the works that starting at the Beeching Way roundabout.

Latest update I have received from SGN in respect of the next phase of works is;

• Cranston Road – works to start 24/10/2022 until 23/12/2022 under Give & Take only.
• Cranston Road Junction with Blackwell Road – there will be a need for 3-way temp traffic lights for a duration of 2 weeks to excavate in the c/w and mains connections  – my understanding and the current agreement with SGN is that these will be Off Peak Only (09:30 – 16:00) but still manually controlled during these times.  Dates currently proposed for these works are 14^th – 25^th November 2022.
• The works will be completed at Beeching Way roundabout by this time with the works moving further away along Lewes Road to the East.

Unfortunately, we had problems at the start of the week as we had some illegal works in progress at a property near Cranston Gardens where the contractors has pick ups etc in the carriageway causing significant congestion and safety issues with the passing traffic.  This was actually brought to our attention by SGN and we were then able to rectify the situation and remove the illegal works.  (Weds 19^th Oct).

Planning Applications & Decisions

Rail Travel on Remembrance Sunday Weekend

(Sent by GTR to Key Stakeholders)

We are writing to let you know about the free travel available for serving military personnel and veterans to and from Services of Remembrance, as well as give early warning about important engineering work which will affect some rail passenger services on our network (Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express) over the weekend of 12-13 November.

Please note that our services for that weekend have been updated in journey planners such as www.nationalrail.co.uk however we are aware that some other operator’s services are yet to be updated. The information noted in this email is the latest position and should be used for planning purposes until journey planners have been fully updated.

Free Travel
We are delighted that we can confirm that Train Operating Companies will be offering free travel for serving military personnel and veterans to and from Services of Remembrance across Great Britain.

For those travelling to attend the Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, free travel on National Rail services will be available on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 November from a home station to any London Terminal station. It’s important to note that free return travel will be available on Sunday 13 November only.

For those travelling to attend a Service of Remembrance anywhere else in Great Britain, free travel on National Rail services from/to a home station to the closest rail station to the service will be available on Sunday 13 November.

Full details are available here – National Rail Enquiries – Remembrance Sunday

Engineering works 12-13 November – Midland Mainline
It is also important to note that there will unfortunately be some engineering work taking place on Remembrance weekend. Works on the development of the new station at Brent Cross; a new footbridge at St Albans and an upgrade of the overhead power lines south of Bedford require the railway to be closed to trains between Luton and London St Pancras on three forthcoming weekends including Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 November. The line will also close on 5-6 November and 10-11 December.

Rail replacement buses will run between Luton and West Hampstead Thameslink via Harpenden; between Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin via Luton; and between Harpenden and Potters Bar via St Albans.

Thameslink will run limited rail services from Kentish Town and West Hampstead to London St Pancras.

The work on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday was originally postponed from 17-18 September to allow people to travel to London to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. In rescheduling the work, the industry aimed to make sure that passengers would have alternative means to travel to London, albeit via a diversionary route. Whilst we understand and share the importance of Remembrance weekend, after discussion it was found that the weekend of 12 and 13 November is the only available weekend where significant work was not planned on alternative routes and is therefore the only weekend when this work can be completed.

Engineering works Saturday 12 November – Brighton Main Line
Work is taking place between Three Bridges and Brighton, and between Three Bridges and Lewes on Saturday 12 November so rail replacement buses will run between these stations.

Some Southern trains will still run directly between London Victoria and Brighton, diverted via Horsham and Littlehampton with extended journey times. Services on the London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton route will run to an amended timetable and they will split and join at Barnham instead of Horsham. Southern trains will run to an amended timetable between Brighton and Eastbourne/Ore. A reduced number of trains will run between Brighton and Hove.

Thameslink services will not run between Three Bridges and Brighton.

Gatwick Express will not run.

Engineering works Sunday 13 November – Arun Valley
Work is taking place between Pulborough, Horsham and Three Bridges on Sunday 13 November so rail replacement buses will run between these stations. The Southern service between London Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour will run to an amended timetable via Hove and the London to Horsham Thameslink service will terminate at Gatwick Airport.

Other works
As well as the three larger areas of work noted above, other local changes may affect journeys and we suggest that you check journey planners before booking tickets or putting together travel plans.

Check before you travel
Where journeys require a rail replacement bus, they will of course take longer than normal. For those travelling on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday the advice is for passengers to check their journey at www.nationalrail.co.uk, and to check again nearer the time for any further changes.

Charters Court Care Home Open Afternoon

Charters Court Care Home are having an open afternoon on Wednesday the 2^nd of November between 2pm-5pm as they have had a recent refurbishment.  The Mayor is attending but the invitation extends to all other councillors who wish to visit.

Welbeck Land – Land South and West of Imberhorne Upper School

Warmer Homes for Residents in Mid Sussex

(Excerpt taken from PR 2471 by MSDC)

Mid Sussex District residents are asked to check if they are eligible to receive a new grant to help them heat their homes, lower their carbon emissions, and save money on their fuel bills.

In partnership with other Councils Mid Sussex District Council has secured funding from the Government to improve the energy efficiency of eligible homes. Warmer Homes funding is available until March 2023, to install the following energy efficiency measures:
• Insulation
• solar PV panels
• air source heat pumps

Up to £25,000 is available per home if you meet the following criteria:
• Your home has an EPC rating of E, F or G (limited funding is available for EPC D rated properties).
And either:
• You have a total household annual income of £30,000 or less (before housing costs/bills)
Or:
• You receive a means-tested benefit

Residents can check the EPC rating of their home online at www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

This funding is available to owner occupiers and those living in privately rented homes on a first-come, first served basis and it only takes 5 minutes to make an application.

Councillor Norman Webster, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Community said:

“With energy bills almost tripling in just one year, our residents are already being affected by the growing cost of living crisis, and the colder winter months are fast approaching.

“This Warmer Homes Programme can offer vital energy efficiency improvements for those on low incomes. The range of measures available can help people to stay warmer, reduce their energy use and therefore lower bills whilst also making their homes greener by cutting carbon emissions.”

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council, said:

“The Council is delighted to have successfully secured this funding to help support many of our residents during this challenging time. I would encourage as many local people as possible to check if they are eligible, either by visiting the Warmer Homes website or calling the freephone number provided and reap the benefits of this scheme without delay.“

For further information about the programme and to apply online, residents should visit the Warmer Homes website: www.warmerhomes.org.uk/programme and click ‘apply now’ or email: retrofit@warmerhomes.org.uk
Alternatively, call 0800 038 5737 (freephone) Monday – Friday during office hours to find out more and apply by phone.

Mid Sussex District Council to Seek Investment Partner and Cultural Anchor Tenant for Modern Venue on Clair Hall Site

(Excerpt taken from PR 2470 by MSDC)

MSDC’s Cabinet met on Monday 17 October to review the final report of BOP, the Council’s lead specialist cultural and creative advisors.

At this Cabinet meeting MSDC agreed to proceed with the recommendations outlined in this final report. These are to produce a brief for the site in order to seek an investment partner and cultural anchor tenant for a new, modern venue on the Clair Hall site.

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said:

“I am grateful to BOP for the expertise that they have provided to our project to revitalise the Clair Hall site. Following careful consideration, we will be taking forward the recommendations in BOP’s final report.

“BOP’s report outlined the challenging economic climate that creates significant risks to investment in cultural facilities. However, they also outlined the positive findings from their investigations and confirmed that they are cautiously optimistic about the approach the Council is taking.

“Our goal remains to secure a cultural anchor tenant who can deliver a cultural and community offer for the whole of Mid Sussex now and in the future in a modern, fit for purpose venue on the Clair Hall site”.

MSDC Officers will now start work to commission a specialist broker/agent to develop a detailed briefing and legal pack for the site. This pack will build on the resident engagement and consultation, and all the information gathered by BOP and other specialists commissioned by the Council to improve the chances of successful delivery of this project.

The briefing pack will outline the expected deliverables for interested parties and it is anticipated that officers will feedback on progress of this work early in the new year.

Ofsted report: West Sussex Children’s Services Continues to Improve

(Sent by Press Office at WSCC)

West Sussex County Council’s Children’s Services continue to make improvements to the lives of vulnerable children and young people in the county, but more work is needed to increase the pace of progress.

These are the findings of a recent Ofsted report into the Council’s service, published today following a monitoring visit in September. Read the Ofsted report in full.

The visit focused on the quality of social work practice to support and protect vulnerable children and young people and the effectiveness of child-in-need and child protection plans.

Findings from the report include:

• There is evidence and a clear vision for ongoing improvement
• The quality and impact of social work is variable, although some practice is strong
• All children that Ofsted spoke to felt listened to and were visited on a regular basis
• Children’s Services have strong corporate and political support to improve practice
• Staff are enthusiastic about the new family safeguarding practice model
• There has been some fluctuation in performance due to the challenges in recruiting social workers, which is a national issue
• Increased demand and complexity have meant some children are waiting too long for help
• Children’s Services have been relentless in their focus and approach to recruiting social workers
• Ofsted saw evidence of positive social work to improve outcomes for children and families
• Children who have the same social worker have seen positive change and benefit from this consistency

Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Everyone in our Children’s Services teams is committed to putting children first and building strong relationships with our children, young people, and their families. This is at the heart of everything we do and a core part of Our Council Plan.

“We actively support more than 5,500 vulnerable children and young people and have made significant progress over the last few years to redesign and improve our services, with a determination to provide the standard of service our communities deserve.

“So, it’s encouraging to see that Ofsted has recognised the progress we’re making and highlighted areas where we need to maintain our focus.

“As part of our Children’s First practice improvement plan, we are working hard to address the variability within some of our practice that the report references. I am very conscious of the need to increase the pace of our improvement work, which is impacted by the increased demand and complexity of cases we’re managing. Recruiting to our teams remains a priority and I’m pleased to say that, following an overseas recruitment drive last month, we are looking forward to welcoming 36 new social workers to West Sussex in the new year. They will bring their knowledge, expertise, and experience, and provide much-needed support to help us deliver the best service to our children, young people and families.

“I would like to express my personal thanks to staff across the Council’s Children’s Services who work tirelessly to put children first.”

South East Water Invests Further in East Grinstead

(Sent by SEW to Key Stakeholders)

Following early completion of our £470,000 project to lay a new water main in Turners Hill Road and West Hill, East Grinstead, we’re now investing a further £350,000 in the area to replace 350m of aging, burst-prone main in Queen’s Road.

If you are interested in speaking to our engineers, we’re holding a public drop-in session in November where they will be on hand to answer any questions you may have (details at the end of this email).

The pipeline upgrade will take place between the junction with West Hill and Dallaway Gardens. The main will be installed in stages, with the road being returned to its original state upon completion of each stage before work progresses to the next section. This will prevent too many residential parking spaces being inaccessible at any one time.

As a safety precaution for pedestrians, motorists and our workforce, we’ll need to close Queen’s Road to undertake these works. Advanced warning signs will be in place along the road before it is closed. The diversion route, which has been agreed in conjunction with the local highways authority, will be clearly signed for the duration of the work.

Access to homes or businesses will be maintained throughout this project, although we are advising customers to park elsewhere to avoid delays.

Throughout the project can find the latest scheme news on our website: southeastwater.co.uk/queensroad

Drop-in session details

When: Monday 14 November between 4.00pm and 7.00pm

Where: Glen Vue Community Centre, Railway Approach, East Grinstead, RH19 1BS

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sussex Police National Road Safety Week

(Sent by Katy Bourne OBE)

This week it’s National Business Crime Week of Action, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Sussex Police’s dedicated Business Crime Team has been visiting premises to offer crime prevention advice, highlighting the importance of reporting and sharing information to target prolific offenders.

Sussex Police will be publishing the outcomes of the week from Monday and I’m sure the results will be of great interest to everyone.

You can read more about the initiatives in Sussex that help to tackle business and retail crime on my website.

This week is also Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) week of action.

Project EDWARD is the UK’s biggest platform showcasing best practice in road safety. Working alongside partners such as the emergency services, National Highways and British businesses, they promote what is being done around the four nations focusing on: safe vehicles; road use; speed; safe roads/roadsides and post-crash care.

It was a privilege to help launch the Project EDWARD national week of action in Brighton earlier this week. Not only does it provide a space to come together and discuss the good work that’s being carried out to make our roads safer but it’s also an opportunity to discuss what more we can do to really drive forward progressive and lasting change on our roads.

In today’s webcast Performance and Accountability Meeting with Chief Constable Shiner and Deputy Chief Constable McLaren, I scrutinised the progress on officer recruitment, how the force deal with unauthorised encampments and its response to tackling anti-social behaviour.

Following the HMICFRS inspection report on burglary, we also discussed how police locally were responding to criticisms of a national postcode lottery for victims and implementing criminal justice scorecards which look in particular, at the timeliness of police and CPS investigations and prosecutions.

Chief Constable Shiner was able to reassure me that Sussex is still on track with its recruitment programme.

With further intakes this year and in January and March, Sussex is adding 163 police officers from the national Op Uplift programme, an additional nine for the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit and a further 20 officers funded by local taxpayers through the precept.

This will take the headcount to 3,186 full time equivalent police officers by March 31st 2023.

I asked what financial and well-being support measures were in place to help officers with the cost of living and work pressures. I was pleased to hear there was positive dialogue between between Chief Officers and the Police Federation, Unison and the Superintendents’ Association and I was delighted that Sussex were winners in the national Oscar Kilo Wellbeing Awards.

Chief Executive’s Bulletin

Mayor’s Reception

What a superb evening! The Town Mayors’ reception celebrating some of our unsung community heroes.

Half Term Activity Day

Seventy Happy and Glorious Years

East Grinstead Museum are thrilled to announce their latest temporary exhibition which explores Royal memorabilia from Queen Victoria to King Charles III.

The exhibition showcases an eclectic array of items from the museums archive including a delicate Victorian clip from 1897, made to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, to more everyday keepsakes such as Coronation mugs and commemorative coins.

The exhibition also includes a selection of items loaned by local museum volunteers, including a wonderful scrapbook handcrafted in 1953 at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation and a trinket tray from the Balmoral Estate.

The exhibition is free to enjoy and runs until January 2023.

East Grinstead Museum is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm.

Planning Applications & Decisions

Warm Coats – Glen Vue Community Hub

The Rural Bulletin – News Section Updated

Please follow this hyperlink to access the last news from the Rural Services Network :- https://www.rsnonline.org.uk/category/news (this will open a new tab)