Hassocks Parish Council

Minutes

Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on 14 January 2025

Attendees: Parish Councillors Frances Gaudencio (Chair), Kristian Berggreen, David Bunting, Peter Richardson, Paul Shepherd, Sue Hatton, Don McBeth, Ian Weir, Lesley Cruikshank-Robb, Maria Angelaki-King, Alex Simmons and Kate Bailey.

Clerk: Ian Cumberworth

Visiting Members: WSCC Kirsty Lord

MINUTES

PC24/113 APOLOGIES. Cllrs Bill Hatton, Bob Brewer.

Absent without apologies

Cllr Angus Neil

PC24/114 DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS.  Disclosure by Councillors of personal interests in matters on the agenda, and whether the Councillor regards their interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct. There were no disclosures of interest.

PC24/115 MINUTES. The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on the 10th December 2024 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

PC24/116 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. No members of the public were present.

PC24/117 MINUTES.

PC24/117.1 Planning Committee – Members NOTED the minutes for the 9th December 2024.

PC24/118 FINANCE Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the payment list for payments totalling £21,905.99 for the period ending 30^th November 2024 as set out in Appendix 1. Members asked a number of questions regarding expenditure relating to trees within Adastra Park which the Clerk responded to. Members were satisfied with the explanations provided.

PC24/118.1 Members APPROVED the payments list totalling £21,905.99 for the period 1st to 30th November 2024.

PC24/119 Reports

PC24/119.1 West Sussex County Councillor – Cllr Lord updated Members on a number of issues:

Devolution – Members were advised that Cabinet met last week to respond to a Secretary of State proposal to introduce unitary authorities with Mayors. This will involve the abolition of District and Borough Councils which will be combined into unitary authorities serving populations circa 500,000. All three upper tier authorities in Sussex (West  Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove) have been in discussion over whether they wished to submit a proposal for the Sussex area; all three respective Councils met last week and agreed to progress an application to the Secretary of State to participate in the priority programme to move to devolution. The expected outcome of this application would be known at the end of this month.

These changes are being set by the Government therefore District and Borough Councils are having to accept these restructures where they will be absorbed within the new ‘single tier’ authorities.

The lowest tier of Local Government (Parish/Town Councils) are not affected by these changes at present.

If WSCC priority application is successful it’s likely that the elections scheduled in May this year will be cancelled, however if the priority bid is unsuccessful elections are likely to be held.

Budget County are scheduled to meet next week to consider budget proposals.

Highways – A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) submitted during Covid to introduce a crossing (dropped crossing point) utilising the middle island outside ‘Bugden’s’ to allow pedestrians to cross Keymer Road is scheduled to be installed later this year.

Clayton Hill – The second phase drainage project to resolve the current issues is scheduled to commence in March where works will be undertaken 24/7, therefore this is likely to cause some traffic disruption. It’s anticipated the scheme will take 3 – 4 weeks to complete.

Ockley Lane – Cllr Lord confirmed that a new 30mph speed limit is to be introduced at the foot of Ockley Hill with a 40mph running north to Burgess Hill. A concern was raised about the absence of line markings on Ockley Hill. Vehicles tended to veer towards the side of the road near the embankments where the road edges have broken up causing a potential hazard. Cllr Lord believed the road did not allow for a central line marking due to the narrowness of the road.

It was hoped drivers would instinctively slow down due to the narrowness of this stretch of road.

PC24/119.2 Mid Sussex District Councillor report. Cllr Hobbs submitted a written report which was read out by the Clerk:

 Centre for outdoor sports –‘work continues apace and broadly on schedule in regards to the Arc centre for sport (the new name for the centre for outdoor sports) in Burgess Hill.

The name is derived from the trajectory the balls will take when being played at the site, plus it’s of course a shape, to pair with the triangle just a few hundred metres away.

The changing facility is now built and work continues on the artificial pitches.

The access link road should open during January (the road that will take you left, before the triangle, and join to the A2300) and this will provide access. The council has now engaged a partner to work with sports clubs to start to fill the capacity, and it is expected that the first users will start to use the site in March or April.

District plan – as you are aware, the council has prepared a new district plan (2021-2039) and examination commenced in October 2024.

The inspector asked the council for some additional work to be completed before a second round of meetings were set. This work was provided in November and we look forward to the plan being progressed soon.

The government has, in December, released an updated national planning policy framework (NPPF) which instils prescribed housing number targets. The impact of these amends are of course not good news for district councils like MSDC who have a plan, have sensible policies and a history of delivering their plan.

Budget – the MSDC budget will be presented to the scrutiny committee next week as it passes to full council in February.

 MSDC’s funding is generated of course from council tax, a share of collected business rates, fees and charges, income from properties and land held for investment, government grants and other investment income on capital sums on deposit. Once more this council will need to draw on its’ reserves to just provide the services expected by our residents and additional burdens, such as food waste collection which have to be paid for.’

PC24/119.3 Police Report. – None

PC24/119.4 Rail matters. – None

PC24/119.5 Youth Initiatives – None

PC24/120 Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented. Nothing to report.

PC24/121 CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT – nothing to report at this point on the agenda.

PC24/122 CLERK’S REPORT

PC24/122.1 SDNP CIL funding Members were advised that the council currently holds a residual balance of CIL (community infrastructure levy) funds from the South Downs National Park and failure to expend these funds within a defined period may result in a request for monies to be returned to the SDNP. (5 years).

A potential scheme located within the SDNP has been identified and member’s approval was sought to utilise some of these funds to replace the damaged fingerpost at the bottom of Clayton Hill.

Authority is sought to release up to £1,400 from CIL funds and to enter into a contract to undertake the works which will in part mitigate the risk of funds having to be returned. Member’s views were sought.

Members RESOLVED to APPROVE the release of up to £1,400 to replace the broken fingerpost at the bottom of the hill and authorised the Clerk to progress the work.

Members noted that in light of the County Councillors report earlier on the agenda updating members regarding drainage/highways works being undertaken in the vicinity of Clayton hill, in March it was suggested that any re-installation of the fingerposts should be co-ordinated to ensure this is completed after the conclusion of the highways works.

PC24/123 URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR. None.

PC24/124 DATE OF NEXT MEETING. Tuesday 11 February 2025.