Roads

The battle to improve our local roads continues with occasional small successes as potholes are filled and patching completed. The horrendous weather is making the task more difficult as more problems appear and contractors are chasing their tails to catch up. Despite the gloom, officers tell us that from April to December 2023 70 road improvement schemes have been delivered, 19,000 potholes filled, 132 patching repairs done and 150 minor drainage schemes finished across the whole of East Sussex. Sadly, not such a lot round here.

The A22

The County Council’s Consultation document on the 2025 to 2050 Transport Plan appeared fairly bland at first sight and did not make much of a proposal to make the Uckfield Bypass into a dual carriageway. However, this is one of the major road projects north of Hailsham and is another threat to our local villages. We could get into a sort of doom loop. Traffic congestion is getting worse so we dual the bypass so the arguments for more housing at Owlsbury and an extended Business Park grow stronger. If that happens then of course there will be more traffic congestion, calls for better roads and Lo and behold we are suddenly urban rather than rural. We have to resist this.

Recycling in Wealden District

Increasingly, community recycling facilities in Wealden District are disappearing without any apparent public consultation or information. I have asked about this and been told they are all going to be phased out. It seems to be a strange policy to phase out public recycling sites when fly tipping is clearly increasing. One reason I was given for the closures is that the current sites are overflowing and causing possible health hazards. So, they are popular and well used. Why not empty them more frequently and keep this valued local service going?

Fire and Rescue

The Fire service continues to cope with many challenges including more flooding incidents and also growing requests to help the ambulance staff with very overweight people.

Nevertheless, The Fire Authority has agreed a balanced budget and a £24 million investment programme over 3 years. Savings have been made but we will ensure these will not increase community risk.

One change being made is the response to Automatic Fire Alarms. We have about 10,000 calls per year and of these 36% are AFAs. We have been sending appliances and crews out to these and 97% are false alarms. From April 1st we will no longer attend AFA calls in commercial buildings which are low risk unless we get a positive call to say there is a fire.

One exciting new development in the service is the establishment of Fire Cadet units. They follow the same pattern as police, army, sea and air cadets. The aim is to give the young cadets an understanding of fire safety, how to deal with an emergency, firefighting skills, basic first aid training and general understanding of life skills. We have a thriving branch in Uckfield. We do need a bit of help and if anyone could consider sponsorship, we would be very grateful. We are seeking funds from a number of sources.

Roy Galley
01825 713018