POYNINGS PARISH COUNCIL

The next meeting of Poynings Parish Council to be held online using Zoom software on Wednesday 5th May 2020 at 7pm.

Please email clerk at clerk@poyningsparishcouncil.com for Login details, which will be emailed prior to the meeting.

Agenda

1. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
   
2. Outgoing chairman’s report
   
3. Apologies for absence
   
4. Minutes
   
5. Matters Arising
   
6. MSDC and WSDC
   
7. Public Participation
   
8. Expenditure for Mar 2021 and Apr 2021
9. Planning applications
   a) SDNP/21/02207/FUL | Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of single replacement 3 bed dwelling. Replacement of existing detached garages and workshop and consolidation into a single garage and home office building | Orchard Cottage Dyke Lane Poynings BN45 7AA
   https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=QRUQOATUHJO00&activeTab=summary
   

   b) SDNP/21/01631/TCA | Common Ash tree REF: 09MN – Section fell down to close to ground level. Tree canopy appears to be at least 50% dead. Ivy removal from around stem base revealed bark coming away with ease. | Holy Trinity Church Poynings Road Poynings West Sussex
   https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=QQD46VTUGL600&activeTab=summary

10. Insurance
11. Financial report.
12. Virtual Meetings
13.  Volunteers
14. Co-opting councillor
15. VE Day
16. Chairman’s Allowance
17. Item’s for next month’s Agenda
18. Dates of Next month’s MeetingMr Colin Warburton
    Clerk to the Council

    Hideaway Cottage
    6 Poynings Road
    Poynings
    BN45 7AP
    Tel: 01273 857024
    
    

– including when it comes to tackling age-old issues, such as potholes.

Highways officers and staff from contractors Balfour Beatty have seen the JCB Pothole Pro in action, repairing both potholes and larger damaged areas in roads in Rogate and Goring. The one machine tackles all the stages leading up to the new surface being laid. It:

Cuts out the repair area,

Crops the area, to ensure a stable surface…. and then

Cleans, ready for the laying of the new surface material.

A West Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “The Pothole Pro can be used for both pothole repairs and larger areas of patching.

“We were able to see first-hand its precision, speed and efficiency in tackling the tasks. It’s one of the innovations we have been trialling and will be assessing the results.”

Caption: Montage picture: from top left: cutting, cropping (bottom left to right) and cleaning/ removing old surface material

Roads are not permanent structures and deteriorate over time from constant use, the weight of vehicles using them and the effects of weather.

Repairing defects, such as potholes, is done on a priority basis, dependent on size and depth.

More than 20,500 potholes were repaired by West Sussex Highways in 2020 – that’s the equivalent of about 390 a week and compares to 16,000 pothole repairs in 2019.

If a pothole is a significant and immediate risk to public safety, phone 01243 642105.

Mid Sussex District Council is reminding residents that rubbish and recycling collections remain the same throughout the Easter holiday period.

Over Easter – Good Friday 2 April to the Bank Holiday on Easter Monday 5 April – refuse and recycling collection days remain unchanged. If the usual collection day is a Friday or Monday, it will remain on Friday or Monday. The Council’s optional garden waste collection service also remains unchanged.

Mid Sussex District Council keeps the service consistent as much as possible. This enables residents to plan for the service with minimal inconvenience.

Residents are asked to ensure that bins are at the edge of properties at the point nearest the highway by 7am on the day of collection. Bin lids should be fully closed to enable safe collection.

For more information please call 01444 477440, email wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk or visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling.

Census Day was on Sunday (21st March)  though many people had already completed their forms, online and on paper, across the country, and many more did so over the weekend.  I don’t know precisely how many, nor the split between online and paper, and won’t get that level of detail but overall I’m confident it’s going well.

The Census Field Officers have now started working. They will be calling at people’s homes from whom we have not received a completed census.  That should avoid anyone who completed theirs online on Census Day and if one is still in the post the officer will annotate the record and not call back until time has passed for that form to be received and processed.  They will not be completing forms there and then with householders – I’ve previously mentioned that they will observe social distancing and never enter a house – but will be able to offer a wide range of support and advice, including arranging for replacement unique access codes, paper forms if they are needed and answering specific questions.  They will also be able to point householders towards sources of help to actually complete the census with people who are struggling to do so themselves.

For those who need help and support there are a range of resources:-

• There’s the Census contact centre which can be contacted on 0800 141 2021 (or text via 86677) or 0800 587 2021 for those who need language support, Both are freephone numbers.
• There’s a lot of information at https://census.gov.uk/.  There isn’t a search function but it is logically arranged and the guidance is very clear.  I’ve been able to find answers to almost all my questions there.
• Text relay service: (08001) 0800 141 2021
• Census Support Centres. There are number situated in libraries within Adur, Worthing, Chichester and Arun districts, as well as one in Crawley, all currently operating on a booking system. Unfortunately there are none in either Horsham or Mid Sussex. You can  find you nearest one via the Census website or by calling 0800 141 2021

And for those who aren’t sure why or how  the Census is of benefit to all:

Click HERE to see the March South Downs National Park newsletter

MSDC to introduce more meadow areas

Mid Sussex District Council plans to create more meadows areas in local parks and open spaces this summer to encourage native insects, wildlife and grassland species to thrive.

Areas of open space in nearly 30 locations across Mid Sussex will be set aside and left to grow throughout the summer as part of the national Blue Campaign. This builds on a trial across a small number of sites last year and residents will be able to spot the protected areas because they will each be marked with a blue heart symbol.

A recent study by the Wildlife Trust suggests that 90% of lowland grassland has been lost in the 20^th Century, areas that form an essential part of the UK’s ecological infrastructure. It is this dramatic decline in biodiversity and biomass that led wildlife film maker Fergus Beeley to create the Blue Campaign, a conservation project, which aims to rewild areas across Great Britain by letting grass grow naturally.

Councillor John Belsey, MSDC Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said:

“Biodiversity restoration is about so much more than wildflowers, it’s about restoring habitats that support so many different species.

“By letting the grass grow, native wildflowers begin to emerge, and they provide a natural canopy for smaller creatures like short tailed field voles, crickets and grasshoppers. Various types of beetle and caterpillar will start to feed off the native wildflowers and in turn, they will support families of growing blue tits.

“The Blue Heart Campaign is such a positive move towards increasing biodiversity in the UK and I’m delighted that we will be playing our part at Mid Sussex District Council. Over the next couple of weeks, we will begin roping off the identified areas to stop them being cut but the ropes will be removed as soon as the areas become established.

“If you’d like to find out more about rewilding and increasing biodiversity in the UK, just visit www.bluecampaignhub.com or email parksopenspaces@midsussex.gov.uk.”

Census reminders will start to arrive next week and the field officers will begin their work on Tuesday, following up with households that have not returned their questionnaire.

We would like to clarify our guidance on what a member of the public should do if they are concerned that the person on their doorstep is not a genuine census official:

•    Census officers will carry an ID card with their photograph and name

•    Census officers will work through the day to make contact with residents but will not call before 09:00 or after 20:00

•    Census officers will never ask for money or bank details

•    Census officers will never need to enter someone’s home

•    Census officers will have census leaflets and paper questionnaires with them

•    If the householder is still concerned, they can ring the contact centre for further advice:

o    England 0800 141 2021

o    Wales 0800 169 2021

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Second Homes

As you are only too aware, the census is a count of population and housing and it is crucial everyone is counted in Census 2021 – that includes people who might be living in a holiday or second home during the pandemic.

It is important that we have a separate census return for both someone’s usual and second residence (used for whatever purpose) as local services will still be required at both addresses.

If the pandemic has changed where a person is currently living, for example if they are staying at what they might have classed as a second address prior to lockdown restrictions, they will still need to complete a census form for both households.

Whichever address you regard as your usual residence, you will be asked to complete a full set of census questions. For the other address you will be asked questions about the household as well as basic visitor questions, if someone is staying there on 21 March 2021.

For more information about completing the census for holiday homes or second homes, and how you can request online access codes, head to census.gov.uk.