Representing the Community

The Town Council is one of three tiers of local government in the town.

West Sussex County Council are responsible for a range of strategic large scale services including Education, Social Services, Highways, Libraries, Structure and Strategic Planning and Fire Services.

Mid Sussex District Council has responsibility for providing a number of medium-sized services across the district area that includes the three towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill and over 20 villages. These services include Housing, Environmental Health, Local Planning, Leisure Centres, Community Halls (in the south of the district only), Elections administration, Council Tax, Benefits administration, Parks and Open Spaces, Car Parks, Public Toilets, Licensing, Pest Control, Dog Control, Refuse Collection and Street Sweeping.

The Town Council fulfils an important local representational role in monitoring the quality of services provided by the two principal authorities and in making representations on behalf of the local community either in response to service issues and problems or by responding to public consultation exercises.

Of course local and public services are provided by many organisations and agencies in addition to the local authorities. Other agencies include B.A.A. at Gatwick, the Queen Victoria NHS Trust, Sussex Police, West Sussex Ambulance Service and Mid Sussex Primary Care Trust to name but a few. Regular meetings are held with such agencies and there is a regular dialogue at both executive and elected Member level. To strengthen the partnership Councillors represent the Town Council on over 25 outside organisations.