2 February 2023

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

East Grinstead Town Council is going to the Polls on Thursday 4 May

The East Grinstead Parish is in the District of Mid Sussex, in the County of West Sussex.   This election there are Mid Sussex District Council and East Grinstead Town Council seats to be decided for the next four years.

There are some requirements to stand:  you must live or work in the parish (or within 3 miles),  you must be at least 18 years of age and must appear on the register of electors, you must be a British or Commonwealth Citizen and must not be disqualified (by way of criminal conviction or bankruptcy. more information on this can be provided)

Councillors can come from a political party or be totally independent (there is no need to be a member of a political party in order to stand).

All you need is to be interested in representing your neighbours in an area of East Grinstead, have some time to attend Council Meetings, working groups etc and respond to queries and concerns of your electors. We also have trustees nominated to the Chequer Mead Arts Centre,  the Henry Smith & Sidney Bletchley Trust and the Beef and Faggot Trust who all work locally. Being a Town Councillor probably takes up around 5-10 hours work each week.    For this work and to cover any expenses you can receive an allowance of £1190 per year.  (this is reviewed annually). Our Councillors sit on one or more of the four committees and all Councillors sit on Council which scrutinises the work of the committees and makes major decisions.

The Town Council is responsible for 2 public toilet blocks, 2 Cemeteries, 4 community buildings, 2 War memorials, the east court terraces, drive and playpark, a recreation ground,2 allotments (run by management companies), civic pride such as hanging baskets, public flowerbeds and Christmas lights, graffiti and fly post removal on council land, provide 68 grit bins (for WSCC salt), grit the town centre pavements in the event of snow and ice, replace street name plates, run the tourist information desk in the library, contribute to the visit East Grinstead Web Site and arrange community events such as East Court Live.   In addition we feed in views and  influence other organisations such as Mid Sussex District Council,  West Sussex County Council, Gatwick Airport, South East Water, train and bus companies.  We provide a grant scheme to support local sports, community groups and the Chequer Mead Arts Centre.

If you want to stand to become a Councillor you need to be nominated.

Mid Sussex District Council will publish the district, and town council Notices of Election on Monday 20 March 2023. Candidate Nominations will open on Tuesday 21 March with the absolute deadline for submitting nomination papers in-person at Mid Sussex District Council offices at 4pm on Tuesday 4 April 2023.  It is not advisable to do so on the last day because if there are errors there would little or no time to for candidates to rectify any issues.

A suite of Candidate Nomination Packs is available now and can be found here: https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/ .

Please note that from the; packs 1 and 2 are for district council elections. Packs 3 and 4 are for the town council elections. Please note: Packs 1 and 3 are for political parties, and packs 2 and 4 are for prospective Independent Candidates. Given that the set of forms required for each are different, please ensure that the correct pack(s) are used.

If there are more nominations than seats available in each ward there will be elections.  You will need to identify which ward that you wish to stand in as part of the nomination papers.   You can stand to be just a Town Councillor, Just a District Councillor or both!  If standing in both elections this can be for the same or different wards.

Parish Council:  East Grinstead Town Council wards and seats

• Ashplats North 3 seats
• Baldwins 2 seats
• Herontye and Ashplats South 3 seats
• Imberhorne 3 seats
• East Grinstead South 1 seat
• Town North 1 seat
• Town South 3 seats

District Council:  Mid Sussex District Council wards and seats

• Ashplats 2 seats
• Baldwins 1 seat
• Herontye 1 seat
• Imberhorne 2 seats
• Town 2 seats

Mid Sussex District Council Elections team encourage those wishing to submit nomination papers to make an appointment for any working day between 21st March – 4 April. We strongly recommend making an appointment for the earliest possible date in this period. Those submitting nominations should please contact Electoral Services (elections@midsussex.gov.uk) as soon as possible to secure the desired appointment date and time. The team’s direct telephone number is 01444 477222 (option 1).

The Count following the election to determine who has won the seats will take place at the Triangle leisure Centre in Burgess Hill on Friday 5 May, all those standing in the election are able to attend (more information will be sent from the District at that time).

Successful candidates then have to sign a declaration of office and will attend their first Town Council meeting on 15 May.

If anyone wishes to have a discussion, before nomination, as to the work of the Town Council please contact the Town Clerk Mrs Julie Holden  01342 323636

Good Luck!