Category: Parish Council

Ask for a 4×4

West Sussex Fire and Rescue 4x4
At the recent public meeting about the fire service someone asked how the fire brigade gets to difficult-to-reach areas. West Sussex Fire & Rescue has responded as follows:

In response to your question on access to ‘difficult to reach’ areas I would reassure the Parish Council that most buildings or structures (which could involve a potential life risk) are generally accessible by road or hard-standing track so we should be able to get a fire engine to the scene. However we also have a number of 4×4 vehicles which are designed for off-road capability. These carry a small water tank and have a crew cab that can carry five firefighters. We can also utilise the space in the rear compartment to transport additional equipment if needed and a standard fire engine is unable to get there. These vehicles are particularly useful in rural areas, or in times of inclement weather such as flooding, snow or ice. We are however currently reviewing the capability of these 4x4s and looking to improve their operational use and capability still further.

The Parish Council would advise anybody who is concerned that a regular emergency vehicle will not be able to access your property, please try to mention this when making your 999 call and ask for a vehicle suitable for rural areas.

Andrea Dickson, Clerk to Fulking Parish Council
01444 451 060 / andreadicksonfpc@gmail.com

Lampposts safe (for now)

Villagers may well not have noticed a slim green-bordered booklet from SSE Contracting as they engaged in the ritual fortnightly transfer of the contents of their letterbox to the blue bin. Those who did and who delayed its journey to recycling for long enough to glance at it will have read that “within the next four weeks we will start replacing the lighting in YOUR street” [emphasis theirs]. White circles containing the letters ‘SL’ would soon appear on the highway surface to assist villagers who wanted to chain themselves to the relevant street lights. But, as those who attended the recent PC meeting now know, this was just a dry run, designed to test the strength of village resistance to modernity. No replacements are actually scheduled for Fulking. You can put the booklet in the blue bin after all.

Three of the historic lampposts to be found in the downtown Fulking area.

Hassocks Station plaque

Hassocks Station Gina Field 1938 2010
Fulking residents will remember Gina Field as one our MSDC Councillors, when she came to Fulking PC meetings. By 2003, Gina had taken a back seat at the PR business she founded (Field McNally Leathes PR) — still based in Hurstpierpoint.

One of her key local campaigns was to persuade the train companies to retain frequent services through Hassocks Station, and also to improve the indifferent 1970s station building. She always saw Hassocks as a vital stop on the London to Brighton line, and a gateway station for the forthcoming South Downs National Park.

Hassocks Station was rebuilt and opened in July 2013. The improved underpass opened a few weeks ago, and it allows disabled people to use lifts to traverse the station, whether they are rail travellers or not.

This plaque is now at the main entrance to the station.

Richard Corner

In the blue zone

In the blue zone
Fire risk map for our corner of West Sussex. Fulking is in the blue zone.
West Sussex County Council is about to reduce the budget of the fire and rescue service by £1.6m (just under 6% of the existing budget). There’s a consultation process and our own Parish Council will be holding a public meeting at 7:00pm on 10th July immediately before the scheduled PC meeting. If you plan to attend, you should probably read the glossy consultation document [PDF] in advance. Fire nerds will also want to look at the (much less glossy) equality impact report [PDF] in order to learn that the service estimates that the proposed changes will lead to three additional dwelling fire fatalities and £8m in additional property damage costs over the next century.

Operation Watershed on Clappers Lane [update]

operation_watershed
The work to relieve the flooding in Clappers Lane is due to restart on Thursday 12th June.

Under Operation Watershed (WSCC programme to invest in flood and road repairs) Fulking PC applied for a grant for work to be carried out in Clappers Lane.

The grant was awarded and Fulking PC appointed Edburton Contractors to carry out the work on two areas of Clappers Lane, the North End and by The Sands.

When Edburton Contractors met with WSCC in December it was decided that a full road closure was not necessary.

Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact Andrea Dickson clerk to Fulking PC on andreadicksonfpc@gmail.com or 01444 451060.

The Queen’s Speech

Running to keep in the same place

Governance of National Parks Draft Bill

The purpose of the Bill is to enable the composition of National Parks’ authorities to be broadened in the future. The main purpose of the draft Bill would be to provide for the holding of local elections to the authorities.

1 Direct elections

Enable eligible residents of the National Parks to directly elect some of the Authority members responsible for running their Park and taking planning decisions.

2 Amending the political balance requirement on local authority appointees

Allow local authorities to depart from the political balance rule if they appoint three or more members to the Park Authority where doing so would allow them to appoint a representative of a ward within the Park.

3 Allowing a wider range of parish representation

Allow parish councils to select their representatives to a Park Authority more widely. Currently they must select a parish councillor or chairman. They would be enabled to include anyone eligible to stand as a parish councillor.