Mid Sussex District Council is working with Burgess Hill Town Council to bring free ice skating and a free family fun day to Burgess Hill town centre this Christmas as part of a range of ‘Ho-Ho Holiday Fun’ activities.

On Saturday 3 December a giant marquee will house two sessions of Christmas activities for families @RH15 9NN. From 10am until 12 noon, local firm Scrapless will help everyone get ready for a sustainable Christmas by demonstrating how to make salt dough decorations and The Kiln will be providing craft activities.

There will be the chance to exchange old toys and decorations for something different as part of a Swap Shop and little ones can enjoy story time with Burgess Hill Library or songs and rhymes with Music Bus.

In the afternoon from 1pm until 3pm children will be able to enjoy a round of crazy golf and a puppet show or marvel at the stilt walker and giant bubble maker. Youngsters that want to try some circus skills themselves can join the creative and trained Circus performers at Poi Passion and learn to juggle, hula-hoop, tightrope walk, and balance on stilts. Music and DJ lessons will be provided by DJ Neel and Sussex Clubs for Young people will be providing arts and crafts activities.

A synthetic ice rink will be in the Martlets Shopping Centre from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 December to provide people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to skate for free.

Everything has been taken care of, with a dedicated changing area, ice skates in all sizes to borrow, seating for spectators and trained staff on hand to ensure everyone is safe.

The rink, which is 13 metres square and capable of accommodating up to 45 skaters at a time. The area will be decorated with Christmas lights and Christmas music will play in the background to create a festive atmosphere for everyone visiting the town.

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

“Christmas is a wonderful time for people to come together and Burgess Hill is a great place to meet up with friends and family this year.

“We want Burgess Hill town centre to be buzzing for our local traders this Christmas so please make sure you pop into town and show them your support while having fun with the family.

“We’ve got a whole host of free activities for local families to enjoy, from ice skating to crazy golf, so there really is something for everyone at our Ho Ho Holidays events this Christmas.”
The programme has been put together by Mid Sussex District Council, supported by Burgess Hill Town Council and New River REIT.

From 23 December 2022 to 1 January 2023 Benson’s Fun Fair will be visiting the site, offering discounted rides in the town centre.  In addition, during December MSDC are offering a flat fee of £1.50 to park on Saturdays (Sundays are free) in some of the longstay car parks in Burgess Hill.

Mid Sussex District Council is providing all-day town centre parking for £1.50 on each Saturday in December.

The Council is supporting shoppers and traders with discounted parking on Saturdays in the towns of Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath. The £1.50 parking offer will be available in long stay car parks owned by Mid Sussex District Council.

Parking in Mid Sussex is completely free on Sundays, so that’s a whole weekend of shopping for the same price as a loaf of bread.

The £1.50 all day parking charge will apply on 3 December 2022, 10 December 2022, 17 December 2022 and 24 December 2022.  The parking discounts will be available at the following locations:

Cyprus Road (long-stay section) car park – Burgess Hill

Queens Crescent car park – Burgess Hill

Station Road car park – Burgess Hill

The Vicarage car park – East Grinstead

Norton House car park – East Grinstead

Franklynn Road car park – Haywards Heath
Muster Green car park – Haywards Heath

This free weekend of parking in MSDC’s Burgess Hill long stay car parks will help those visiting the town to enjoy MSDC’s festive family activities in the town on Sat 3 December. A town centre marquee will be hosting family entertainment, crafts and fun – all completely free, for more details on these please see www.midsussex.gov.uk/playdays

Short stay car parks in Burgess Hill and East Grinstead were made free after 1pm on the day of the Christmas light switch-on events in the two towns. To coincide with the Christmas Market at the Orchards in Haywards Heath this Saturday, 26 November, parking will be free after 1pm in the following car parks in Haywards Heath:

The Orchards, Haywards Heath

Hazelgrove, Haywards Heath

Haywards East, Haywards Heath

Gower Road, Haywards Heath

Haywards West, Haywards Heath

Councillor Ruth DeMierre, MSDC’s Cabinet for Leisure and Parking said ““We’re reducing our parking charges in the long stay car parks across our three towns to really help families and businesses during the busy festive period. We hope that as many people as possible will come into our towns to make the most of all the Christmas festivities and, of course, support local business”.

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.”

The next meeting of Poynings Parish Council is to be held on the Village Hall on Tuesday 8^th November 2022 at 7pm.

Agenda

• Apologies for absence
• Minutes of last meeting
• Matters Arising
• MSDC and WSCC
• Public Participation
• Expenditure for August and September 2022
• Planning applications
  a) SDNP/22/02252/FUL |Installation of 30 solar panels on ground mounted consoles | Rushfield Paddock Henfield Road Poynings BN45 7AY
  https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RKGL1KTU08600&activeTab=summary
  b) Rushfield Paddock Henfield Road Poynings BN45 7AY | Creation of a rooftop terrace, including enlargement of existing rear dormers to form single dormer, and erection of an external staircase.
  DECISION
  c) 2 Park Cottages Henfield Road Poynings West Sussex BN45 7BA
  Conversion of garage into habitable room has been in situ for a period surpassing 4 years
  DECISION
  d) Land at Grid Reference 525914 111059 Devils Dyke Road Poynings West Sussex – 5 day notice for felling and lopping dead, dying and dangerous trees covered by TPO – PN/1/TPO/64
  DECISION
• Village Hall
• Remembrance Sunday
• Tommies
• Village Gates
• Councillor photos
• Item’s for next month’s Agenda
• Dates of Next year’s Meeting
• Dates of Next month’s Meeting

Colin Warburton

Clerk

01273 857 024

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.”

The County Council’s investment in low carbon, renewable energy is continuing to pay dividends according to the latest annual report.

Over the past decade the authority has steadily increased the amount of clean, green electricity it generates by installing solar panels on its buildings and schools and using surplus land to develop two solar farms at Tangmere and Westhampnett near Chichester.

In line with its Energy Strategy the County Council is also investing in energy storage and developing ‘grid scale’ battery sites. The batteries provide a service to the electricity grid and can store and supply electricity as required, for example, to help maintain grid stability as intermittent sources of renewable power, such as solar farms and wind farms, fluctuate throughout the day.

According to the County Council’s latest solar generation report for the 2021/22 financial year, its renewable energy systems generated more than 16,000 MWh of clean electricity for the grid, which is enough to power more than 5,500 average UK homes. This prevented 3,700 tonnes of CO2te being released into the atmosphere compared to generating the same amount of electricity from fossil fuels.

By selling much of the electricity to the grid and making use of its batteries at Westhampnett solar farm, the County Council earned more than £2.5 million after running costs during 2021/22. This is helping to offset, but not completely cover, the increase in the authority’s own energy bill.

Deborah Urquhart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “It is important for organisations such as ours to lead by example, demonstrate the urgent need to invest in clean energy and take action on climate change. This is a good set of results, but I am keen to go much further, and faster.  

“With our new battery site at Sompting due to open next year, plans to decarbonise the heating systems in our buildings and further solar and battery systems planned over the next three years, I am confident that the County Council will have an increasingly prominent role to play in supporting the transition to clean energy in the county.” 

With an increase in corporate renewable energy systems coming on stream, the authority has also put in place new operation and maintenance arrangements with a specialist private sector provider. The company is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the systems round the clock and reducing system outages to maximise generation.

The County Council also works with a specialist energy partner to market the energy it generates and operate its batteries to deliver the best financial return. 

West Sussex County Council is working in partnership to support people and families who are struggling the most with the rising cost of living.

The County Council is using its £4.8 million Household Support Fund, from Government, to provide a package of financial and practical assistance to people this winter. Working closely with district and borough councils and charities we will get help to those most in need.

Our Community Hub continues to offer direct support to vulnerable households, providing essentials such as food and supplies, as well as grants to those who are eligible.

Our 36 West Sussex libraries offer a warm welcome to all visitors. Friendly library staff are on hand to help and advise people on a range of topics, from money management to energy saving, job seeking and benefits guidance. Regular library events like Story Time are free for families of young children.

On our ‘Here to help – Cost of living’ webpages, people can find lots of practical advice and information about how to apply for extra local and national support.

Paul Marshall, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “Families and households across our county are understandably worried about increasing cost-of-living pressures, in the face of rising energy prices, inflation and interest rates.

“These are national issues, driven in part by international factors, and in response the government has introduced a range of measures to help reduce the pressures on UK households.

“This includes the £4.8m this council has been allocated through the Household Support Fund, which will be going to households most in need and those who support them this winter.

“Together with our partners, we are here to help anyone who needs it, so I would urge those who are struggling to seek the support that is available to them.”

The Council is using part of the £4.8m Household Support Fund to provide food vouchers for every West Sussex child who receives benefits-related free school meals this October half-term. Over 17,000 children will be given a £15 supermarket voucher through their school, supporting around 10,000 households.

Household Support Funds will also be available through a range of different distribution methods, including via district and borough councils, direct support through applications via the Community Hub and also distributed in partnership with other organisations including Citizens Advice and Food and Fuel Banks.

Over the Christmas school holiday, the Council will again be running its popular Holiday Activities and Food programme for children who receive benefits-related free school meals. Over the summer, 2,395 eligible children took part, and this Christmas we will be offering a range of free holiday club places where all children will be given a nutritious meal.

For children starting school in West Sussex next year, it’s now time to apply for places.

Applications are now open for children who start in reception at primary and infant schools in September 2023. The quickest and easiest way is to apply online and the deadline for applications is 15 January 2023. Children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 are eligible to start school next September.

Children who are currently in Year 2 at infant school will also need to apply for a place to start junior school in September next year.

It is strongly advised that parents and carers apply on time, before 15 January 2023, so as to give themselves the best chance of being offered one of their three preferences. Those who apply late are far less likely to get a place at one of their three preferred schools and will still need to apply, as they will not automatically be given a place.

Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “Helping people and communities to fulfil their potential is one of the key priorities in Our Council Plan and our schools play a significant role in helping to achieve this.
“When considering your three preferences, I encourage families to do as much research into the schools as possible. Please look at a school’s website and make contact with schools directly to ask questions and find out about their open days.”

All of the information about applying is on the Council website. Free use of computers with internet access is available in all West Sussex libraries, there’s no need to book. Those unable to apply online can request a form through the post by calling 033 301 42903.

Parents/carers are advised:
• to include three preference schools on your application, listing them in order of preference.
• Parents/carers who want their child to go to their catchment school will need to include that school as a preference for it to be considered.
• If you apply after the closing date you are far less likely to get a place at one of your preferred schools.

County Council admissions staff are available for those who need help with their application. Contact the admissions team by phoning 033 301 42903 or emailing the admissions team north: admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk or the admissions team south: admissions.south@westsussex.gov.uk
Secondary school applications are currently open for September 2023 and close on 31 October 2022.

PARISH COUNCIL EXTRAORDINARY MEETING

An Extra Ordinary planning meeting of Poynings Parish Council is to be held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 5th October 2022 at 7pm.

Agenda

1) Apologies for Absence
2) Minutes
3) Planning
Planning applications
a. SDNP/22/04225/CND | Variation of condition no. 1 on 10/03771/FUL to allow the year-round use of the marquee. | The Royal Oak Inn The Street Poynings BN45 7AQ
https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RHVYZFTUG2X00&activeTab=summary

b. SDNP/22/04056/FUL | Retrospective planning application for 25sqm additional paving consisting of 22sqm paving to marquee area along with 3sqm additional paving for hand washing station. | The Royal Oak Inn The Street Poynings BN45 7AQ
https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RHFNKETUFUJ00&activeTab=summary

Mr John Digby
Chair of the Council