Author: Andrew Taylor

East Grinstead Town Council has a vacancy for a Councillor on the Herontye Ward.

The Vacancy was advertised on Monday 8 th January following the resignation of Adam Reeves. An election to fill the vacancy will occur if 10 electors submit their names to Mid Sussex District Council calling for an election within 14 days of the vacancy being advertised (not including Saturdays or Sundays). If the deadline of 25th January passes without the required 10 names being submitted the Council will look to co-opt a person to Council to fill the position through to the elections in May 2019.

Mr Reeves resigned in order to spend more time with his young family. He was originally elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2015. The Town Mayor Councillor Julie Mockford speaking at Council last night thanked Mr Reeves for his service and wished him well for the future, commenting that “difficult decisions, once taken are to be admired, when there are not enough hours in the day to meet all your obligations you must designate your priorities and family should always come first.”

The notice of the vacancy can be seen in the Town Council noticeboards and website as well as the Mid Sussex District Council website.

Anyone wishing to have an informal discussion as to the role of the Town Councillor or the qualifications necessary to stand for the Town Council can contact the Town Clerk Mrs Julie Holden 01342 323636 townclerk@eastgrinstead.gov.uk or the Mid Sussex District Council Elections Team on 01444 458166 elections@midsussex.gov.uk

Mid Sussex District Council has set up Christmas tree recycling points at convenient locations across the district to help residents dispose of their trees when the festive fun is over.

The Council has arranged for 25 temporary Christmas tree drop-off points in towns and villages across the district, so there will be a place nearby where residents can recycle their real Christmas tree. All people have to do is take along their tree to the most convenient local site, place it in the marked bay and it will be taken away to be recycled locally.

Residents with a green garden waste collection bin can put their tree directly into it, as long as the lid can still close firmly. Alternatively, people can take their real tree along to one of the Household Waste Recycling Sites at Fairbridge Way in Burgess Hill or Imberhorne Lane in East Grinstead.

Sites will be open between 30 December 2017 and 12 January 2018 at the following locations.

Mid Sussex District Council will be open between Christmas and New Year to provide a full range of services for residents.

The Council’s Oaklands office in Haywards Heath will close for Christmas at 4.15pm on Friday 22 December. The Council will reopen on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 December, before closing for the weekend and New Year Bank Holiday. Normal opening hours will resume from Tuesday 2 January 2018.

At any point while the office is closed, residents are reminded that they can still make payments or bookings by using the Council’s website at www.midsussex.gov.uk/selfservice. Residents are also able to find out about changes to bin collections, festive events and Christmas tree recycling on the website.

Details of Christmas opening times for leisure centres and civic halls can be found online at www.placesforpeopleleisure.org

East Grinstead Youth Council is pleased to introduce the new East Grinstead Youth Council Website https://egyc.org.uk Members have worked tirelessly to develop this site dedicated to the youngsters of East Grinstead, allowing them to keep up to date with local events in the town.

The Youth Council is a group of 11-18 year olds living within the East Grinstead area who take an active role in the community in order to make a difference by undertaking various fundraising ventures to support local charities. Opportunities are created for young people to achieve and to be involved in influencing local policies and attitudes, developing skills and abilities which are needed in later life.

East Grinstead Mount Noddy Cemetery opening/closing times for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: open 8.30am, close 4.00pm.

The town came together again on Saturday 25 November for the Rotary Tree of Light and Town Switch On.

The Town Crier heralded the start of the event and the East Grinstead Concert Band were already in place as Revd Andrew Hawken welcomed the gathered crowd and gave his Christmas message. Father Christmas, pantomime characters and pixies mingled with the children as Sackville School Junior choir entertained, the concert band played and Christmas carols were sung.

The winners of the Big Reveal were announced before the Town Mayor Cllr Julie Mockford began the countdown to the switch on the lights.

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