Working with parish and town councils
To provide better services, East Sussex County Council works closely with parish and town councils. The Strengthening Local Relations initiative has improved services in many areas. This initiative allows parish or town councils to work with the County Council to provide specific services that offer improvements, particularly in respect of environmental enhancements such as highways maintenance.
These are some of the ways we have collaborated with parish and town councils to improve local communities.
Village Maintenance Teams
The County Council provides four mobile Village Maintenance Teams to towns and villages in East Sussex. They carry out work such as painting and cleaning signs, and cutting back vegetation. This allows towns and villages to improve the appearance of roadsides.
In addition to the annual rolling programme of maintenance, we write to parish councils each year to ask whether they would like any other work to be carried out.
Speed management
We are committed to reducing road casualty figures and to persuading motorists to slow down in towns, villages and on country roads.
The impact of our Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs), reduced speed limits and the Commitment Campaign is being felt across the county. Over 18,000 motorists have already signed up to reduce their speed and we are encouraging thousands more to reduce their speed on our minor country lanes.
In 2006 the government revised its guidelines on setting local speed limits and in response to this the County Council embarked on a review of rural speed limits. During 2007 a total of eight villages benefited from new or extended speed limits and four lengths of A-class road had lower limits introduced.
Improving awareness of bogus traders and protecting the vulnerable
Our Trading Standards team provides education and advice to consumers and businesses. For consumers, parish clerks regularly attend training sessions and are part of an email alert system whereby the Trading Standards email details of rogue traders or scams within their area. Clerks then raise awareness of any current scams that are targeting their parishes.
Local businesses can receive similar support by joining the Business Support Network.
Improvements to library services
After consulting with parish councils and residents, mobile library routes were altered to better meet local needs. Funding from local parish councils means that library opening hours in Forest Row and Mayfield have been extended.
Consultation and influence
We provide parish and town councils with the maximum opportunity to influence decisions through consultation. Taking an active interest in your parish or town council is an excellent way of influencing our services and decisions, as well as those of many other organisations that affect your community.
Councils we're working with
The following parish and town councils have used the Strengthening Local Relationships initiative to work with County Council Services:
- Alfriston
- Battle
- Chailey
- Crowborough
- Forest Row
- Hailsham
- Heathfield & Waldron
- Newhaven
- Newick
- Peacehaven & Telscombe Cliffs
- Plumpton
- Polegate
- Ringmer
- Rotherfield
- Rye
- Seaford
- South Heighton
- Uckfield
- Willindon & Jevington
