This week we thought it would be interesting to give a bit of a snapshot of some of the meetings we attend and how we used our votes to support the people of Rye and Winchelsea.
First though, who can forget the recent Southern Water fiasco when we were all left with no water, no co-ordination, precious little information and then when water did finally arrive it was in the wrong place. On Saturday, September 30, Cllr McGurk, Helena Dollimore (pictured) and 20 supporters visited households across the area listening and picking up issues for Helena to take to Labour’s shadow ministers who spoke with government and senior Southern Water managers on our behalf. Please don’t forget to sign up for Rother alerts (My Alerts) which is where information on extra recycling capacity was shared to help us get rid of all those water bottles.
On Monday, September 11 Cllr Simon McGurk spoke in support of the work Rother have done to represent local rail users with Southern and South Eastern Rail, asking questions about the impact of proposed ticket office changes at Rye station. Last July, Rother District Council (RDC) managed to get Southern Rail to extend the consultation period and raised the impact of proposed changes on disabled customers and older people. It is vital that any changes are discussed with local councils and community groups, Rye Chamber of Commerce has been very active already on this for example.
Southern Rail’s proposed changes to Rye Station opening times:
Current hours: weekdays 5:40am – 7:05pm, Saturdays 8:10am – 3:45pm, Sundays 8:10am – 3:45pm.
Proposed hours: weekdays 6am – 1pm, Saturdays 6am – 1pm, Sunday closed.
At September’s council meeting both Cllr Creaser and Cllr McGurk voted in support of a motion brought by Cllr Mark Legg (Rother Labour Group) in support of our local threatened fire service, committing the council to engaging with East Sussex Fire Service during their review of local provision and asking the chief executive to write to local MPs to ask that government funding be sought to protect essential services for the district. Those of you who attended Cllr Creaser, Cllr McGurk and Helena Dollimore’s local public meetings back in February will remember Helena’s petition and tireless championing of this issue. I was very glad to take the opportunity to speak in support and challenge some false claims made in the debate.
Another issue of local interest is the recent consultation by Rother on restricting dogs in public spaces. Many of you will be pleased there will be few changes to current arrangements. Cllr McGurk spoke to support Rye Town Council’s (RTC) suggestion that dogs be permitted anywhere in Rye cemetery on a fixed lead. Both Cllrs McGurk and Creaser were pleased that sense won out and dogs and their owners will not be subjected to more controls.
Work continues to secure the return of timber from the Rye cemetery cedar. We have a promise that the final timber from the tree will be returned to us here in Rye and are following up on how we can use it for a lasting memorial. Sadly, as has been detailed many times, the contractor has destroyed or lost the rest of the timber. Suggestions have been made for the remaining trunk to be made into a seat however this is not viewed favourably by council officers at the moment because it is technically on a roundabout even if a very quiet one. Cllr McGurk is pushing for it to become a bench but it is far from certain at the moment.
RTC’s Cllr Sue Learoyd Smith and Cllr Creaser have been working with Andy Dinsdale from Strandliners on the Three Rivers project (see article in Rye News ) for some months. Fortuitously, it turns out, as the recent events have unfolded. With your help, the Three Rivers project plans to survey and analyse pollution along the Rother, Brede and Tillingham and set up a monitoring group to oversee the rivers’ health. It is about raising awareness about our local river pollution in our community and finding solutions to clean up our waterways by making a difference together. River catchment surveys on plastic pollution and river health take place on three dates: October 25, November 11 and 12. Anyone who wants the join in can contact strandlinerscic@gmail.com for further information.
Cllr Creaser is working with RTC colleagues to progress the future management of the allotments once they are in Rye’s ownership. There will be information published to inform everyone of the outcome over the next couple of months.
Have you been to the pool yet? It is open from 7:30am now but do check the website for details as hours may vary. Few things have made both of us as happy as the pool opening up again and to see it so well used. Well done everyone involved, especially the staff – there aren’t many places where you can go and see the same friendly faces day after day but the pool is one of them and we hope we can all make sure they know how much we appreciate them.
Talking of the pool, Cllr McGurk continues to use it for his monthly councillor surgery every fourth Friday and will be there again 9:30am to 10:30 am on Friday October 27. Please email cllr.simon.mcgurk@rother.gov.uk to book a slot.
Image Credits: The Labour Party .
Interesting to read the good work our local Rother Councillors are doing for the town, On the downside nothing about the two public toilets which Rother are planning to close in early November, to the detriment to locals and visitors alike.which will put a huge burden on businesses, having to accomodate those caught short, it may only be for a short period,,but can we trust Rother to reopen these,let’s not forget Rother have form in trying to close our toilets in the past.
Absolutely agree about the toilets closing, it’s frustrating and probably counter productive but it must be seen against the background of £3.8m savings the council has to make. We wanted to focus in this update on things we were involved in and neither me nor Cllr Cheryl Creaser were involved in decision making about toilet closures. FAQs can be found here https://www.rother.gov.uk/transport-roads-and-parking/street-care-and-cleaning/public-toilets/public-toilets-to-close-on-a-trial-basis-over-the-winter-months/public-toilet-trial-closure-faqs/
For clarity, exactly how much will be saved each year by the measure of toilet closures? And how are such savings calculated (by site)?
The Pett Level lavatory costs in excess of £15k per year to run. With 12 closing that would be savings projected over a full year of £180k. Rother’s policy is to devolve assets such as lavatories and parks and gardens to town and parish councils on reasonable terms. Towns and parishes, unlike Rother, are not capped in setting their council tax and are better able to finance them and being closer are more likely to run them well according to local democratic wishes.
The big problem has been that the Town Council in Bexhill, where most of the lavatories are, has by the narrowest of votes unexpectedly declined to take over its lavatories, forcing this decision. Rother leader, Cllr Doug Oliver, has publicly appealed to the Town Council to change its mind -https://www.rother.gov.uk/news/public-toilet-provision-in-bexhill-district-plea-to-town-council/
Pett Level is a special case in that the parish is very small, only 850 inhabitants, and the lavatories are mainly used by visitors. It seems very hard to expect the parish to pay the full cost. I believe the Parish and Rother are to reopen negotiations and I am encouraging that.
Rother and local government finance more generally deserves an article of its own. All District, County and Unitary authorities are facing severe pressures and I doubt the present financial arrangements can survive into the next parliament. The Local Government Association has written to central government setting out its concerns-
https://www.local.gov.uk/parliament/briefings-and-responses/autumn-statement-2023-lga-submission
I regret to say that Rother is likely to have to cut other “discretionary” services and increase fees in those few cases where the law permits. An obvious candidate would be the charge for the brown bin garden waste service, currently the lowest in the area.
We at Rother have no intention of going the way of councils like Thurrock, Woking and Birmingham which have been unable to meet their legal requirement to set a balanced budget, but the necessary measures are bound to be unpopular. Hastings is in a far worse position than Rother.
For the record I too spoke on the fire service motion and have been active in making written representations and encouraging parishes to do likewise. I also spoke on the dogs issue. My Labour colleagues deserve credit for their vim and vigour, but we Lib Dems are in there too!
John, the toilets in Pett Level and Winchelsea and other local areas are also closed.
As dogs are freely allowed to use our beaches as toilets, I suppose that we are now expected to do the same? Where is the petition to demand that this basic human facility is kept open for this vital human need? The elderly, those with health concerns and young families enjoying the beach NEED this facility as a matter of urgency!
Also, if the trunk of a centuries old cedar can be “lost”, I hold out little hope for any sensible solutions to many local concerns!
Thank you Simon for update good to see things moving on.
Per the toilets, you are right Margot, when strand quay was closed before people just used the area behind the toilets, nice bit of grass, which was rather unpleasant as whoever lives there can observe it and it’s not a pretty sight
So Rother are keen on our town councils to take over all their loss makers,like toilets,parks and recreation grounds, says Andrew mier, Nothing to say about giving up their car parks to offset the extra costs to our councils.Nothing to say about the loss making del a warr pavilion that cost each ratepayer across Rother to subsidise this white elephant, its really time councillors at Rother woke up,too where all the wastage across Rother district is.
John Tolhurst: You have read previous issues of Rye News and will know that Rother has received a multi-million government grant to refurbish the De La Warr Pavillion, a Grade One listed building. Just 2.5% of listed buildings are listed Grade One, which shows the national and international importance of the DLW and also that the full cost does not fall on Rother taxpayers. It would literally be a crime to let it fall into decay and Rother has little choice but to run it – and run it very successfully. The DLW is an asset which draws in the tourists whose money benefits us all. It is a shame there is no tourist tax or taxe de séjour which would allow Rother to share directly in that money.
You will also have read above about Cllr Oliver’s appeal to Bexhill Town Council over the lavatory issue and you will see that the handover is proposed on fair terms. Until central government introduces a rational system of local government finance all higher tier councils are having to find solutions such as transfer of assets.
https://www.rother.gov.uk/news/public-toilet-provision-in-bexhill-district-plea-to-town-council/
Lastly Rother has had the highest number of lavatories of any equivalent south coast authority.
Pre-closure Rother had one lavatory for every 3,481 inhabitants. Leicester (where I was recently) has just one for every 15,333 inhabitants. I’m told some authorities have none at all. We have been well-provided for in Rother, but the status quo is not sustainable, hence the need for the transfers.
I would argue that Pett Level needs its lavatory and hope an accommodation can be reached between Rother and Pett PC. The big problem is with Bexhill TC.
So Andrew mier says it would be a crime to let the del awarr pavilion to fall into decay,but what about Ryes jewel in the Crown, the Landgate Tower, which is sprouting vegetation from the top of the tower again,thanks to Rothers neglect.
I trust that when the next general election comes, people will not be seduced by offers of ‘saving money’ and ‘efficiency’ by inadequate support of our local services. The debate here on public toilets is an excellent example. We deserve what we want and need and the government needs to fund local and county councils adequately. Before I hear the chime of “Where will the money come from?” – how about the money we are paying not being squandered on flags on planes, dubious contracts and paying for dozens of staff flying around the world staying in luxury accomodation and such like. It’s time we prioritised the money we do pay.