The Town Council met for the first time since the summer break on Monday, September 3 and, as usual, both Rye’s county council and district council representatives gave their reports.
County’s finance talks with ministers
Councillor Keith Glazier (ESCC) was able to allay fears concerning the county council’s finances and maintained that the council was currently on a sound financial footing, but could not continue indefinitely supporting all the current services without some assistance from central government.
In this respect he was currently having meetings with the relevant ministers. He hinted at good news to come, but it was not clear whether this was in connection with finance or some other project.
He maintained that, despite the current climate, East Sussex was one of the best councils to work for and the county as a whole, one of the best to work and live in.
Don’t paint the potholes please
Cllr Glazier also mentioned the question of potholes in the roads. The council had a rolling programme for dealing with these and the policy was, as soon as one had been reported and scheduled for repair it was marked with white paint.
However, some residents had been undertaking their own marking of potholes, and while he had no doubt that this was intended to be helpful it could, in fact, slow up the repair.
The reason for this was that the surveyors checking the road for potholes would see the white mark, assume that because it was marked it was already on the schedule and therefore not add it to their work programme. It would be better if residents could desist from their own DIY painting.
Some Salts to run wild
Councillor Lord Ampthill (Rother District Council) announced that an area of the Salts intended to be developed as a managed wild area by a local community interest company (CIC) would, after a mandatory two weeks’ public advertising, be let on a 25-year lease at a peppercorn rent to the CIC to maintain and develop in accordance with their plan.
On the subject of wild things he was also able to confirm a grant of £50,000 towards the total £2.8 million cost of the Rye Harbour Wildlife Conservation and Visitor Centre project.
Government cash for the Landgate
He was able to re-iterate an earlier announcement that a meeting of stakeholders and other interested parties for the Landgate had now been arranged for September 13 to consider the nature of the most urgent works, examine tenders received to carry them out, and to consider the structure’s future. He also confirmed a grant of £50,000 from the government’s coastal fund towards the work.
Long parking timetable
On the vexed subject of parking he said that although there was no further work for the moment on this by RDC, the council was fully on board with the proposed civil parking enforcement programme and that this was now with ESCC where it would remain for the next 18 months while statutory consultations were carried out.
So, as far as Rye is concerned, there is likely to be no change from the existing problem for the best part of two more years.
Missing meetings
On asking for any questions, Councillor Bernadine Fiddemore asked Lord Ampthill for an explanation for the non-attendance of Rye’s other district representative Councillor Stevens (for 20 minutes once a month in the early evening) at all but a handful of town council meetings.
One couldn’t help but get the impression, she said, that the town only had one active member on Rother District Council. There were, she reflected, local elections due next year.
Lord Ampthill jumped to Councillor Stevens’ defence, saying that she was active on RDC and diligent in attending the various committees of which she was a member.
However she did have difficulties with evening meetings due to her business (the Crown pub in Ferry Road) currently being short staffed. Lord Ampthill promised to have an urgent conversation with her about this.
Neighbourhood Plan’s epic progress
Finally Colonel Kimber, vice-chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee reported on progress and advised that, following various consultations with advisors, the plan was now amended to produce version 11, which can be seen here.
The finally-approved plan should be ready, he said, for the required referendum vote at the same time as the local elections next year.
Commenting on how much effort had gone into the whole preparation of this, and congratulating Colonel Kimber on the work done, the Mayor, chairing the council, couldn’t help feeling it was an epic similar to the writing of War and Peace.
Remembering 1918
Wearing his British Legion hat, Colonel Kimber also commented on the very moving ceremony in August at the Menin Gate, Ypres that local Legion members attended. This was reported in Rye News at the time, which can be seen here.
November’s Remembrance Day service in Rye marks the centenary of the end of the First World War and can be expected to be very special.
Image Credits: Rye News library .
Hopefully at the next district elections the people of our town will elect somebody who commits to their task, and attends Rye town council meetings, it’s not asking much, sadly the devotion and loyalty to our town, by past district councillors like Sam Souster, are long gone.