Category: News

East Grinstead Station looks more welcoming to visitors after a new sign has been installed above the exit doors. The three metre long sign produced by the Town Council’s Town Promotions team show cases some of the attractions of historic East Grinstead.

Town Promotions Manager Dawn Spalding approached Govia Thameslink station manager Kate Richards last year with the idea of creating some artwork to enhance the station’s interior, especially the blank white wall facing passengers as they disembarked trains and was met with enthusiasm and support. Both Dawn and Kate are delighted with the improvement and met with Leader of the Council Cllr Dick Sweatman and Chairman of Amenities and Tourism Cllr Adam Peacock to reveal the new look.

‘I was taken by surprise as I expected there to be a lot of ‘red tape’ commented Dawn as she met with Kate to take a look at the newly installed sign. ‘Instead Kate’s enthusiasm made this project very easy. ‘I would like to thank Kate and the maintenance crew who installed the sign for all their help and I hope to welcome visitors into the town who are intrigued to find out what more East Grinstead has to offer’

Kate has now moved from East Grinstead Station and is based in Eastbourne.

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IN a regular feature on the Town Council website, we will be remembering, on the anniversary of their deaths, the East Grinstead soldiers who died during WWI,  and who are named on the High Street War Memorial.

This month we recall (as recorded on The Roll of Honour website):

Percy CURTIS

Private G/7659 7th Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment. 12th Division.

Died of wounds 6. 2.18. Aged 19.

Son of William and Lucy Curtis of 16, De La Warr Road, East Grinstead. Born in East Grinstead and enlisted in Guildford, Surrey.

Buried Estaires Communal Cemetery Extension. F. 769

James DOWNER

Private G/1137 2nd Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment. 8th Division.

Died of wounds 20. 2.18. age 32.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. James Downer of 145, West Street, East Grinstead. Born in East Grinstead and enlisted in Fulham.

Buried Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinghe, Belgium. B.3.

Lewis FARRAR

Private 33927 16th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. 5th Division.

Died of wounds in Italy 7. 2.18. Aged 23.

Son of Herbert and Elizabeth Farrar of East Grinstead.Born in East Dulwich, London and enlisted in London. Formerly with The Royal Army Service Corps.

Buried Giavera British Cemetery, Acade. Italy.

• Co-Option policy 2018

Call for candidates to be considered for co-option to the East Grinstead Town Council

The East Grinstead Town Council has a casual vacancy arising from the resignation of Cllr Adam Reeves who represented the Herontye Ward of East Grinstead

Eligibility criteria to be a Councillor –

[a] Be aged 18 years or over and included in the Electoral Register

[b] A British or Commonwealth subject or an EU state national

and

[c] Resides in the Parish or within 3 miles of its boundary

or

[d] Occupies land or property within the Parish

or

[e] Has his/her principal place of work within the Parish

Prospective candidates are advised to familiarise themselves with the disqualification restrictions under Section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972 relating to Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders and Criminal Convictions carrying a sentence of more than 3 months imprisonment, without the option of a fine.

Applicants are asked to submit a 1 sided A4 letter, giving their background and experience and what the candidate can bring to the role. Applications must be submitted to the Town Clerk at East Grinstead Town Council, East Court, College Lane, East Grinstead.  The closing date for applications is 5pm on 28^th February 2018.

Applicants will be invited to attend the Council meeting on 3^rd April 2018 when the co-option will be made.

Mid Sussex District Council has accepted the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award from the Ministry of Defence for the support it is showing to the armed forces community.

The Award was presented by Lieutenant Colonel Simon McMenemy at a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday 31 January 2018. It means Mid Sussex District Council pledges to support the armed forces; promote being armed forces-friendly and is open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

Working in the armed forces often requires servicemen, servicewomen and their families to be away from home for extended periods of time. It’s a different way of life to that of a civilian and Mid Sussex District Council has pledged that nobody will be at a disadvantage when accessing Mid Sussex District Council services as a result of serving in the Armed Forces.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community.

Veterans can find making the transition to civilian life extremely challenging, particularly in finding and securing lasting employment. The Council has introduced a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for veterans to help them fulfil their potential outside of the Armed Forces. The scheme helps veterans to overcome the barriers to finding civilian employment and the Council benefits from the transferable skills and qualities the veterans have to offer.

“This Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award shows our commitment to making sure members of the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly,” said Councillor Bruce Forbes, Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council.

“Working in the armed forces provides veterans with a wide range of skills that are of great value to prospective employers but they can be easy to overlook when compared with applications from candidates with a more conventional working background.

“We welcome applications from ex-service men and women for the job roles we have available at Mid Sussex District Council. Our Guaranteed Interview Scheme is not an assurance of a job for veterans but it means former armed forces personnel can apply with confidence, knowing that we will objectively assess the skills they have to offer, just like we would with any other candidate.”

Mid Sussex District Council has successfully secured £6.5 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund to support the delivery of new homes in Burgess Hill.

The funding will enable works to be carried out at the waste water treatment works at Goddards Green near Burgess Hill. This will support the delivery of 256 new homes.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme for new physical infrastructure which will unlock local housing projects. It’s a highly competitive process with local authorities bidding against each other to try and secure funding for local communities. The fund was significantly oversubscribed with bids of over £2 billion for a pot worth £866 million.

Burgess Hill will undergo a significant period of growth over the next 15 years, with the creation of around 5000 new homes, new schools, two new business parks and a new town centre. Significant investment in infrastructure from the private and public sectors is required to carefully integrate the new developments within the town.

The £6.5 million grant from the Housing Infrastructure Fund is the latest in a string of successful bids to support the strategic growth of Burgess Hill. Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council have already secured £32 million from the Local Growth Fund to dual the A2300, and for transport and other infrastructure improvements in the town.  These schemes will be delivered by the County Council.

Garry Wall, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council, said “Successfully securing this latest grant funding is tremendous news and is part of our overall programme to support the future growth of Burgess Hill.

“Infrastructure funding is essential to ensure Burgess Hill grows in a sustainable way to benefit both new and existing households. This is our third successful funding bid and the money we have secured so far will pay for key infrastructure projects including improved transport networks.

It’s important to remember that around 5000 new homes will be built in Burgess Hill over the next 15 years. We have been able to secure all this funding for infrastructure for the benefit of residents because of the strategic approach we have taken and the significant level of new homes that will be provided.”

Mid Sussex District Council has agreed to contribute £119,404 to help Citizens Advice provide their valuable services in Mid Sussex over the next 12 months.

The Citizens Advice Service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everybody, whatever the problem. They link to a network of over 300 local charities across England and Wales, helping people to resolve a range of issues from problems with benefits and tax credits to the impact of a breakdown of family relationships.

Mid Sussex District Council has provided financial support for the local Citizens Advice Service for many years as part of a county wide funding agreement with West Sussex County Council. The county council is preparing a new two-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further two years, that will see all District and Borough Councils join with West Sussex County Council to jointly fund the Citizens Advice Service in West Sussex. In the meantime, Mid Sussex District Council has agreed that it will extend the current funding arrangement until March 2019, providing the Citizen’s Advice Service with £119,404 over the next 12 months.

“We are fortunate to have a thriving voluntary sector in Mid Sussex, with a range of organisations working to help and support local people,” said Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community. “They do tremendous work but none of it would be possible without a steady source of income.

“I’m proud that our Council has pledged to continue its support for local Citizens Advice services by approving this grant and committing to fund them for the next 5 years. This funding will provide Citizens Advice with greater financial certainty, adding to the many charitable donations from the public and supporting the work of the self-less volunteers who give up their time to make a difference in our community.”

In Mid Sussex there are Citizens Advice drop-in centres in the three major towns of Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath. In 2016/17 the Central & South Sussex Citizens Advice, which serves Mid Sussex, helped 24,608 people to deal with 55,646 issues.

Almost three quarters of Citizens Advice Service clients said their problem caused anxiety and financial difficulty, so the support services they provide make a real difference to the wellbeing of local people.

For more information about the services provided by Citizens Advice call the Adviceline on 0344 477 1171 or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk.

In February 2015 Steve Morris was working out at the gym in the Kings Centre, East Grinstead, when he unexpectedly collapsed suffering a cardiac arrest. Fortunately for Steve, the staff had recently undertaken training to use the mobile defibrillator unit kept on the premises and they performed lifesaving treatment until paramedics arrived. Steve went on to make a full recovery and in the three years since the incident he has arranged for several units to installed around the town and held Defibrillator and CPR awareness courses.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, but thanks to Steve chance of survival has been increased as more and more people are being trained to give this lifesaving treatment.

Mobile defib units are in various locations around the town and if faced with an emergency, callers to 999 will be issued with an unlocking code and told where the nearest one is located.

Anyone wanting to attend an awareness session can contact Steve on survivalcanbeshocking@gmail.com.

The wrought Iron gateway signs that beautifully mark the entrances to East Grinstead, have been removed for repair. The Town Council will be working to replace the wooden posts which have become badly weathered. The damage was noticed when the decorative wrought iron work was being cleaned during scheduled works. The signs will be returned as soon as possible.