Latest News of Local Interest
The Subsidy Scheme
Residents who have the misfortune to live in the primitive northwest border areas of this parish, at the end of long winding concrete tracks, or in the Cold War deep bunkers beneath Scarboro Stroods, and who struggle to connect their acoustic couplers, 103A modems, teletypes, and visual display units to AOL and Compuserve, may wish to visit culture.gov.uk to see if they qualify for a bung from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Bobservation No. 30
Hats off to Central Government for proposing that District Councils should extend the ‘bedroom tax’ to private properties and raise additional Council Tax by imposing an extra band to cover unoccupied bedrooms in properties rated at bands F and above.
I understand that the amendment will not take place until 1st October 2017 and Council Tax bills will be amended as necessary on that date. The sums raised will be earmarked for the improvement of social care for patients leaving hospital and this should in turn relieve the pressure on hospitals by freeing-up bed space.
It is proposed that the necessary information regarding what bedrooms are or are not occupied will be by written submission from the immediate neighbours, who will be invited to disclose the necessary details to the District Council in the strictest confidence. I suppose there will be some who may consider this a ‘snoopers’ involvement but fair minded villagers will realise what an important step this will be to relieve pressure on the NHS.
Brighton hocks Downs (update)
The Argus reports:
The controversial sale of two key downland sites has been dropped in the face of fierce public opposition. A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: “After reviewing the situation, a cross party Policy Review Panel has taken the view that the sites at Poynings* and Plumpton should not be sold at this time.”
*The foot-slope field of the Devil’s Dyke estate.
HDC Walks
Horsham District Council runs a very large programme of guided walks. Most of these are somewhat remote from Fulking but the list does include walks in and around Clayton, Chanctonbury Ring, Henfield, Steyning, Washington and Wiston. If you like this kind of walk, then you can click on the image above to download the 24 page PDF brochure.
Umi Sinha Belonging
Over the hill in Brighton they have “The City Reads”. Now we have the “Downland Villages Read”. We will be holding a “meet the author” evening later this summer, as a fundraiser for local churches, but in the meantime we invite all villagers in Edburton, Fulking, Newtimber, Poynings and Pyecombe to read the book. Maybe if you are in a book group you could choose it as your next read. Belonging by Umi Sinha has been chosen for this inaugural event. It is partly set in a small Sussex village in a fold of the South Downs and I am sure that you will all recognise the locations it describes in Sussex. This fascinating book tells the interwoven story of three generations, from the time of the British Raj to the aftermath of the First World War, and their struggles to understand and free themselves from a troubled history steeped in colonial violence. This is a novel of secrets that unwind through Lila Langdon’s story of exile to England, through her grandmother Cecily’s letters home from India, and through the diaries kept by her father, Henry, as he puzzles over the enigma of his birth and his stormy marriage to the mysterious Rebecca. Umi was born in India and moved to England when she was fifteen and manages to bring the settings both in India and Sussex alive.
Get your copy now from Amazon or order through us to save on the postage by emailing downlandbenefice@icloud.com
Stephanie Anderson, Communications Officer, Downlands Benefice
An Introduction to the Small Mammals of Sussex
Woods Mill: Friday, 7th April 2017 10:00am–4:00pm