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 | Joanna Coleman |
| Vice Chairman | Judy Petty |
| Planning Committee | All Councillors |
| Councillors | Joanna Coleman, Caroline Croft, Jane Oxenford, Judy Petty, Andrew Wedmore, |
| 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 | Dallington School provide occasional news updates from the school. |
| 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, RNLI, Battle Food Bank and Sussex Victim Support. |
| Administration | |
| Clerk | Mrs Gilly Lowe Email: clerk@brightling-pc.gov.uk |
| Council Office | Old School House, Brightling, Robertsbridge TN32 5HH |
| Internal Auditor | Mulberry & Co (appointed Dec’21) |
| Subscribes to | Sussex Association of Local Councils (NALC through ESALC) Rother Association of Local Councils (RALC) Action in Rural Sussex |
| Key Relationships | Cllr Eleanor Kirby-Green, ESCC Cllr John Barnes, RDC Mr D Stevens, Chief Executive, RDC Sussex Police High Weald AONB |
| Last updated | 13th August 2023 |
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 Joanna Coleman |
| Planning | All Councillors |
| Potholes and road surface problems | Cllr Judy Petty |
| Refuse collection | Cllr Caroline Croft |
| Road drainage | Cllr Judy Petty |
| Signposts | TBC |
| Trees | TBC plus Tree Warden |
| Utilities (water and electricity) | TBC |
| Village hall | Cllr Jane Oxenford |
| Website | Cllr Andrew Wedmore |
| Welcome packs | All councillors |
Parish Councillor Contact Details
Chair Cllr Joanna Coleman cllr.joanna.coleman@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Caroline Croft cllr.caroline.croft@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Vice-Chair Cllr Judy Petty cllr.judy.petty@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Cllr Philip Garbutt cllr.philip.garbutt@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Cllr Jane Oxenford cllr.jane.oxenford@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Cllr Andrew Wedmore cllr.andrew.wedmore@brightling-pc.gov.uk
Parish Councillors’ Registers of Interest
Cllr Joanna Coleman Register of Interests
Cllr Caroline Croft Register of Interests
Cllr Judy Petty Register of Interests
Cllr Philip Garbutt Register of Interests
Cllr Jane Oxenford Register of Interests
Cllr Andrew Wedmore Register of Interests