Category: MSDC
Mid Sussex District Council
Christmas changes to bin collection dates
The festive bin collection changes are as follows:- Mid Sussex District Council is reminding residents that refuse, recycling and garden waste collection days will change over the Christmas and New Year period.
The refuse and recycling collection changes start from Monday 23 December and end on Saturday 4 January 2014. Bin hangers with details of collections over the festive period are being distributed in the run up to Christmas. Residents can also access personalised information about their collection day, and if they are due a blue lidded recycling collection or a grey lidded refuse collection, by entering their postcode at www.midsussex.gov.uk/mymidsussex.
| Due collection date | New collection date |
| Monday 23 Dec | Saturday 21 Dec |
| Tuesday 24 Dec | Monday 23 Dec |
| Wednesday 25 Dec | Tuesday 24 Dec |
| Thursday 26 Dec | Friday 27 Dec |
| Friday 27 Dec | Saturday 28 Dec |
| Monday 30 Dec | Monday 30 Dec |
| Tuesday 31 Dec | Tuesday 31 Dec 2014 |
| Wednesday 1 Jan 2014 | Thursday 2 Jan 2014 |
| Thursday 2 Jan 2014 | Friday 3 Jan 2014 |
| Friday 3 Jan 2014 | Saturday 4 Jan 2014 |
There will be no garden waste collections between Monday 23 December and Sunday 5 January 2014. Garden waste, refuse and recycling collections will all return to normal from Monday 6 January 2013.
Residents with a real Christmas tree can recycle it in their garden waste bin as long as the lid can be closed firmly. Alternatively, the Council provides lots of sites where residents can drop off a tree for recycling. To see the details of dates and locations, go to www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling. Sites are open between Friday 3 January and Friday 17 January 2014.
For more information about Christmas refuse and recycling collections visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling, email wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk or call 01444 477440.
For more information please contact Martin Faulconbridge on 01444 477478 or Martin.Faulconbridge@midsussex.gov.uk
A fictional plan
As many readers will know from our recent Mayfield posts, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government appointed an Inspector to decide whether MSDC had met ‘the Duty to Cooperate’ in preparing the District Plan. He decided that they had not and has asked them to withdraw the Plan. This means, in effect, that MSDC no longer has a District Plan and thus lacks any acceptable framework on which to base current planning decisions. Here are some excerpts from the conclusions to the Inspector’s report (PDF):
The evidence does not enable me to conclude that .. MSDC gave satisfactory consideration to meeting the unmet development needs (in particular in terms of housing) of nearby local planning authorities. The requirements of paragraphs 178 to 181 of the National Planning Policy Framework have not been met .. I must conclude that the Duty to Cooperate has not been met .. there is also the risk that the Plan could be found to be not sound.
There may be consequences in terms of the Council being unable to meet its 5 year housing land supply requirement. Nevertheless this cannot outweigh the need for effective joint working. I must advise the Council to withdraw the Plan .. This also means that the Mid Sussex Community Infrastructure Levy: Draft Charging Schedule will have to be withdrawn because there will be no up-to-date relevant Plan for the area.
The implications of the Inspector’s finding are in no way restricted to the area to the immediate north of Blackstone.
“Grotesque and wholly unwanted”
Update, 4th December: (i) the BBC reports on the debate here; (ii) the inspector has ruled against MSDC, details here.
Update, 8th December: a lengthy and informative report from the West Sussex Gazette.
Mayfield Adjournment Debate
The Mid Sussex Times reports that:
Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames has secured an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the ‘Proposed Mayfield new town in West Sussex’. .. The Commons debate will be held on Tuesday, December 3. Mr Soames’ parliamentary neighbour, Nick Herbert, the MP for Arundel and South Downs, will be contributing to the debate. Planning Minister, Nick Boles MP, will respond. The debate is due to take place between 11am and 11.30am.
“Localism flounders in Sussex”
Update 28th November: the new, improved LAMBS website.
The Mayfield Horror
The first public screening on Tuesday proved to be a sell-out: “so many turned up at Oaklands, Haywards Heath, .. that some had to be seated in an overspill room .. and listen on a sound link” (Mid Sussex Times). BBC Radio Sussex coverage of the screening can be found here (top story — interviews with several of the stars) and here. Fans will have to wait a couple of weeks to find out whether this slasher — arguably the best since Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — is to be allowed out on general release.
GJMG
Update 16th November: The Mid Sussex Leader has published a review (PDF).
Mayfield in the Mirror
Mayfield versus MSDC
If you access the PDF of the Mayfield Towns submission and open the ‘document properties’ box in Adobe Reader, you will see that the original file title of the submission is Examination of the Shepway Core Strategy. Shepway is on the Kent coast, not in Mid Sussex. Presumably, for the lawyers and consultants that feed at the bottom of this particular trough, the prose remains the same. It is just the place names that need to be changed. [One of the two entities claiming credit for preparing the document is called ‘Shared Intelligence’. But ‘Copy & Paste’ or ‘Find & Replace’ might have been more appropriate corporate monikers.]
GJMG
Free microchips for local dogs
PRESS RELEASE
Free microchips for local dogs – come along and gobble them up!
Mid Sussex District Council is teaming up with the charity Dogs Trust to offer local pet owners the chance to microchip their dog, absolutely free of charge.
Microchipping ensures that, if a dog ever becomes lost or stolen, the police, animal welfare staff, vet surgeries and local authorities are able to identify the owner and return the dog safe and sound.
During November, Dogs Trust will be running six microchipping sessions at parks and open spaces across Mid Sussex. They will be supported by the Mid Sussex District Council Park Rangers team, who will be on hand to provide advice and information on other aspects of responsible dog ownership.
Currently, every dog owner is legally required to ensure that their dog is wearing a collar and tag, but these can easily get lost or removed if a dog is stolen. A microchip is permanent and, from the 6 April 2016, a change in the law means it will be compulsory for owners to have their dog microchipped.
The microchip is a small electronic device, about the size of a grain of rice, which is coded with a unique number that can be read by a scanner. As the chip is so small, once it has been implanted the dog will not be able to feel it.
Once microchipped, Dogs Trust will register the dog and owner’s details and from then on it is essential that owners update their information when necessary, such as after a change of address.
To ensure local people are ready for the new law, Mid Sussex District Council and Dogs Trust are hosting a series of free microchipping events at parks and open spaces right across Mid Sussex.
The free events run from 10 am – 2 pm and are located as follows:
Wednesday 6 November, Bedelands Local Nature Reserve, Burgess Hill
Thursday 7 November, East Court, East Grinstead
Thursday 14 November, Barn Cottage Recreation Ground, Haywards Heath
Wednesday 20 November, Kings Leisure Centre, East Grinstead
Thursday 21 November, Whitemans Green, Cuckfield
Thursday 28 November, Adastra Park, Hassocks
“It is so important to get your dog fitted with a microchip because, should they ever stray, the chances of being reunited with your missing pet are significantly increased,” said Councillor Pru Moore, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability. “Microchipping does not hurt the dog; the process is carried out by a trained professional and causes no more discomfort than a minor injection.
“The law is changing in 2016, and we do not want any of our residents to suffer a fine, so please come along to one of our free microchipping sessions and make sure your dog can be easily returned to you.”
For more information please contact the Mid Sussex District Council Park Rangers on 01444 477561, email rangers@midsussex.gov.uk or visit www.chipmydog.org.uk.
ENDS
For more information please contact Martin Faulconbridge on 01444 477478 or Martin.Faulconbridge@midsussex.gov.uk
Direct line: 01444 477478
Out of hours: 07702 034236