Parish Council Profile
| General | |
|---|---|
| Number of Councillors | 7 |
| Meetings per year | 6 plus Annual Parish Assembly |
| Average period between meetings | 8 weeks |
| Usual venue for meetings | Brightling Village Hall |
| Chairman | Andrew Wedmore |
| Vice Chairman | Caroline Croft |
| Planning Committee | All Councillors |
| Councillors | Caroline Croft, Judy Petty, Dianne Mower, Daniel Lambert-Gorwyn, Jane Oxenford, Andrew Wedmore, Roderick Wrenn |
| Statutory Functions | |
| Churchyards | Annual grant made to Brightling PCC towards maintenance of the churchyard. |
| Crime Prevention | The expenses of Neighbourhood Watch Chief Co-ordinator are reimbursed by Council. The council consults and reports incidents to Sussex Police and has regular contact with the local PCSO. |
| School Governors | School Governor Mrs Bobby Steel sends reports on Dallington School to Brightling Parish Council 3 times per year. |
| Rights of Way | In partnership with ESCC, the council regularly checks footpaths and bridleways for clearance, surface condition, signage and bridge maintenance and reports to ESCC for work to be carried out. Limited clearance work undertaken by council. |
| Trees and Verges | All councillors are registered as Tree Wardens, various training courses available. Overgrown hedgerows abutting highways are observed and landowners notified when cutting back of trees or hedges required, if no action taken reported to ESCC as Highways Authority have powers to serve notices for clearance. Reports damaged or missing furniture and signs to ESCC. Taken responsibility for maintenance and decoration (biannual programme) of traditional guideposts from ESCC who remain the ‘owners’. |
| Drainage | Road drainage is responsibility of ESCC Highways, council regularly checks for blockages etc and informs ESCC as necessary. |
| Post and Telecoms | Consulted by Post Office and BT regarding changes to services. |
| Buildings and Halls | Supports the independent Village Hall Committee, appoints representative to the Committee (currently Cllr Jane Oxenford) who reports back to council. Gives financial support annually. |
| Planning Proposals | Consulted by Rother District Council (RDC). Reports unauthorised work to RDC. Consulted by RDC/ESCC on planning strategies. |
| War Memorials | Partner with PCC for maintenance/restoration as and when necessary. |
| Emergency Planning | Responsible for drafting and maintaining Parish Emergency Plan and issuing to RDC/ESCC. |
| Community Benefit | The council gives annual donations to various charities that provide a tangible benefit to the residents of Brightling. Currently they include Sussex Air Ambulance, St Michael’s Hospice, the Rural Rother Trust, Bexhill and Rother Citizens Advice Bureau and Sussex Victim Support. |
| Administration | |
| Clerk | Mrs Gilly Lowe |
| Council Office | Old School House, Brightling, Robertsbridge TN32 5HH |
| Internal Auditor | Keith Robertson, contact via Council Office |
| Subscribes to | Sussex Association of Local Councils (NALC through SALC) Rother Association of Local Councils (RALC) Action in Rural Sussex |
| Key Relationships | Cllr Eleanor Kirby-Green, RDC Cllr John Barnes, ESCC Mr D Stevens, Chief Executive, RDC Sussex Police High Weald AONB |
| Last updated | 9 April 2021 |
Parish Councillor Lead Responsibilities
| Broadband | Cllr Andrew Wedmore |
| Crime, anti-social behaviour, police relationships | Cllr Caroline Croft |
| Defibrillators | Cllr Caroline Croft |
| Hedges overhanging highway | Cllr Judy Petty |
| Phone box | Cllr Jane Oxenford |
| Planning | All Councillors |
| Potholes and road surface problems |  Cllr Judy Petty |
| Refuse collection | Cllr Caroline Croft |
| Road drainage | Cllr Judy Petty |
| Signposts | Cllr Daniel Lambert-Gorwyn |
| Trees | Cllr Daniel Lambert-Gorwyn plus Tree Warden |
| Utilities (water and electricity) | Cllr Lambert-Gorwyn |
| Village hall | Cllr Jane Oxenford |
| Website | Cllr Andrew Wedmore |
| Welcome packs | Cllr Jane Oxenford |
Parish Councillor Contact Details
Cllr Caroline Croft 01424 838278 croft-caroline@sky.com
Cllr Judy Petty judyp123@btinternet.com
Cllr Dianne Mower contact@diannemower.co.uk
Cllr Daniel Lambert-Gorwyn danhayleyl-g@hotmail.co.uk
Cllr Jane Oxenford jane@brightling.plus.com
Cllr Andrew Wedmore 01424 838667 andrew.wedmore@riverhall.co.uk
Cllr Rodderick Wrenn rwrenn3350@gmail.com
Parish Councillor Registers of Interest
Cllr Caroline Croft Declaration
Cllr Judy Petty Declaration
Cllr Dianne Mower Declaration
Cllr Daniel Lambert-Gorwyn Declaration
Cllr Jane Oxenford Declaration
Cllr Andrew Wedmore Declaration
Cllr Rodderick Wrenn Declaration
Meetings minutes and agendas – current year
Meetings minutes and agendas – prior years
8th January 2019 @ 10:35 am
We live at Fullers Barn, opposite Sugar Loaf Yard (formerly Ajeers). We wonder whether you are aware that the car park area has now become a dumping site for old lorry tyres and canisters of vehicle paint and chemicals. We fear there is a potential for significant fly tipping as the area is hidden from the highway. I believe there is a right of way across the car park to adjacent land and there is a public footpath leading to the Sugar Loaf.
I am informed that the site might have been purchased by the Park Lane Group although when I contacted them several months ago they denied being the owners.
I wonder if you have had any dealings or knowledge over this matter. I don’t think Rother will be interested as it involves private land although the Environment Agency might. I can be contacted on 07780798778
1st February 2019 @ 11:30 am
Two comments on the fly tipping.
First, the yard is in the parish of Dallington, not Brightling. You could contact the clerk – clerk@dallington.org.uk.
Second, you could report the fly tipping yourself at http://www.rother.gov.uk/article/1508/Fly-tipping
Calling all Brightlingers – have you thought of standing for the Parish Council? – Brightling, East Sussex – village website
17th March 2019 @ 8:32 am
[…] serious consideration. If you are thinking about it but are not sure, you can, if you want to, contact me or any parish councillor to find out a bit more about what is […]
Your new parish council – Brightling, East Sussex – village website
2nd May 2019 @ 3:46 pm
[…] Readers with a degree in advanced arithmetic will have noticed that with 7 seats and 6 people, there is a vacancy for one more person. We do have the ability to “co-opt” to make up the numbers, so don’t be surprised if you see press-gangs roaming the streets of Brightling, looking for “volunteers”. Seriously, if you are interested in joining the Parish Council, do make yourself known to me or any parish councillor (contact details here). […]
24th March 2021 @ 10:34 am
Good morning,
I am not sure if this is the correct place to raise this issue, but I’m confident it will help.
I live just outside of the beautiful village but walk through most days. During this time I am able to enjoy this beautiful part of the countryside.
I have been increasingly concerned with the number of bonfires I see in and around the village. There is one property near the vicinity of the Fuller’s, on the other side of the road, which appears to have almost daily bonfires. At least two per week. I am incredibly passionate about maintaining the health of our environment. I would ask that the parish council emphasize the impact of regular, or poorly managed bonfires and the level of particulate pollution they create. I note that the parish council have an environmental policy to maintain and note the council have adequate information about the unnecessary burning of waste from households and gardens.
By sharing information and awareness, we can all take small steps to improve the quality of our environment and help reduce the effects of climate change. Kind regards
25th March 2021 @ 6:10 pm
Thank you. I have a lot of sympathy with this. I recently purchased an AQM (Air Quality Meter) for my own house, with very interesting results. I will draw this to the attention of the Parish Council at our next meeting.
7th April 2021 @ 10:34 am
Thank you for your response and sympathy on this subject. I have looked at the agenda for the forthcoming meeting and note the subject of bonfires or rural air pollution is not there. Will you raise this in aob? I have just passed the village again this fine morning and seen the bonfire site I mentioned previously is burning once again.