The epidemic of potholes like this one are a frustration to us all, and West Sussex County Council’s own figures show 33% of A roads and 32% of B and C roads are substandard and these figures have got worse over the last three years, although they claim 96% of highway defects are repaired within the required timescale. Their highway maintenance programme is forecast to treat 300km of road when they are responsible for over 4000km and effectively the backlog is increasing each year.

At the same time West Sussex Highways are not the most efficient, whilst some of this relates to the “unprecedented” number of potholes reported -25000 for the year to date compared with 15,800 on average over the previous four years, there are too many incidents of botched and poorly supervised repairs.

The current work on resurfacing in the Noel Rise area is a case in point – lack of proper notification, misleading information and a contact phone number than doesn’t exist compounded by at least today no onsite supervisor to monitor the work or respond to resident issues.

As GB news put it drivers are “dealing with ‘biggest ever’ pothole backlog after years of falling repair funds” and even with the extra funding announced at the end of last year this does not fully restore previous cuts. Resurfacing now takes place, on average, less than once every 100 years, and the cost of the backlog of repairs to bring the network up to scratch is at just over £14 billion. As local authorities deal with an ageing network, it is no surprise to learn that 8,000 fewer miles of roads are classed as structurally ‘good’ than reported last year.

Despite today’s budget tax cuts (skewed to benefit the rich), overall tax is still going up and comes at the cost of lower funding for public services such as road maintenance and social care; and means less investment in the NHS and other services to cope with increasing demand. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the government’s spending watchdog, says the sums only add up on the assumption that in future years fuel duty is raised – which has not happened since 2011 – and public services are squeezed with further spending cuts and tax rises in the pipeline. That particularly hits areas like Mid Sussex where demand for public services is rising – government targets require us to take additional housing and with an increasing elderly population; yet funding to support this is scarce thanks to the Conservative’s misplaced priorities.

Tonight’s Town Council meeting heard good news on the building condition of the Park Centre where fears there might be an issue relating to the results of a condition survey on the building were allayed. The detailed costs to bring it back into operational use have still to be determined but this eliminates what would otherwise have been significant costs to replace beams and missing trusses.

A formal transfer of the property from West Sussex County Council to the independent Park Centre Burgess Hill CIO is still awaited but in the meantime the Town Council is supporting the new organisation to establish itself, the aim is to bring the building back into use as a centre for youth activities, as well as a wider community resource.

The Council has also recently established a youth council with representatives from seven schools meeting last week as a way of engaging and listening to the younger residents in our town, and with the aim of including the Youth Council in local events in the coming months.

Since the Liberal Democrats became the largest party on the District Council last year our priority has been to protect services whilst delivering value for money and looking at how we can work more efficiently and effectively for local residents.

Our budget agreed by the Council on Wednesday aims to balance the budget but required some painful decisions on raising money due to a projected shortfall in income. This followed an all party working group to look at the budget in detail and try to get all a consensus on the way forward – in the event Labour, the Greens and many independent councillors supported the budget. Even the Conservatives agreed parking charges needed to increase.

The Council faces key pressures such as increasing support for homeless and insecurely housed residents – with a 11% increase in homelessness and 40% increase in people who are victims of domestic violence asking MSDC for help. The Council is buying homes so it can provide more affordable and secure temporary housing in the district so local people can stay closer to their family and friends rather than having to rely on costly bed and breakfast accommodation often further away.

Many people value our parks and open spaces and so we are launching a 10-year programme of investment and improvement in them across the district this year with significant capital investment and a new grounds maintenance contract that is more flexible and responsible to our needs.

The reason we are doing this is because the Council is facing projected deficits of £12 million over the next four years. Council tax is due to increase by 3% but with high inflation and increased responsibilities placed on the Council by the government, with reduced funding the shortfall needs to be addressed. The Council is reviewing all expenditure areas for efficiency savings without reducing service levels.

However the Council has had to increase parking charges to help pay for this, the new charges are based on an independent review of parking in Mid Sussex where all parties agreed the new strategy in 2020 but the Conservatives delayed implementation. Noting also the charges are still cheaper than West Sussex County Council’s charges which voted to increased its parking charges earlier in February.

Why differential parking charges – many neighbouring councils do not employ a ‘one-size-fits-all pricing structure across all their car parks, they tailored charges to reflect the demand in each areas, the strategy devised in 2020 and developed by independent consultants proposed charges based on demand. Given the highest demand is in East Grinstead then the increase in charges are higher here, this also reflects the demand for investment to expand capacity in the town recognised by the Conservatives in their proposed amendment to the budget.

Are councillor allowances going up? There was no increase in the overall cost of allowances (the total cost reduced by £21,138) but the basic allowances increased by 9.6% which reflects changes in the structure and workload not just inflation. The average increase over the previous twelve years has been 1%. These changes were recommended by an independent body set up for this purpose who are currently recruiting for local residents to participate – see https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/…/independent-panel-to…/

The District Council’s District Plan was approved by all political parties at a meeting tonight, this is important because it allows the Council to identify where housing developers are allowed to build, and to enforce standards for new developments as well as the infrastructure they are required to deliver as part of that development. Without it developers would be free to submit speculative housing applications for any site and not be constrained by Council development policies. The plan now moves on to the next stage of public consultation.

The new Liberal Democrat led administration took power in May after the first stage of the plan identifying housing sites had already been agreed, and its first step was to review the District Plan by setting up an all-party working group and to consult parish and town councils to ensure their concerns were heard.

Liberal Democrats previously opposed one of the housing sites identified in the plan, the designation of Chanctonbury Allotments in Burgess Hill for housing, however it was soon became clear that it would be very difficult to take the site out without putting at risk the whole plan. Instead, the provision of a viable replacement was prioritised that would gift land to the Town Council, which is larger than the original site and within a reasonable walking distance. The developer will be required to ensure the new allotments are properly established before any allotment holders are required to move, and I understand it is likely to be at least five years before any redevelopment takes place.

I would particularly highlight the promotion of the First Homes initiative which is a form of discounted housing required to be delivered as part of the affordable housing provision on new housing sites as 25% of the total number of affordable housing units on a site. They are delivered by developers and secured through the S106 agreement by a legal restriction on the title. First Homes must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value and after discount, the selling price is capped at £250K on first sale.

Pleased that after I raised this issue the Council was able to put down twenty tonnes of crushed stone gravel to help reduce the problem of the flooding that forms on the track from Maple Drive towards the newly upgraded BMX track. Whilst some puddles are inevitable given the current rain this has significantly improved the access.

Clarion Housing Association have done it again, first trying to impose a service charge for a lift on a couple living in a bungalow and then failing to provide an emergency service to a vulnerable tenant when their toilet flush broke and threatened to overflow. I raised these points with their regional director and achieved a reduction in their service charges and a replacement cistern top which had been broken as the couple had to try and cope for several days until the flush was repaired. This continues to highlight what seem to be systematic shortcomings in Clarion’s housing services, and whilst when raised these are normally addressed, I am sure my postbag is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Clarion tenants have to go through to get a proper service. Get in touch if you have an issue.

Following a complaint I received on Saturday relating to a penalty notice of £60 for parking after 6pm without paying (when it is clearly free from 6pm) I was pleased to get a quick response from Bank Park, managers of the Waitrose car park, that the fine would be rescinded. They say teething problems with a new system have now been resolved – hopefully!

Last nights heavy rain brought temporary flooding to St Johns Road with drains blocked by leaf fall and a large puddle was still causing an obstruction this morning. Following a request from a local resident I removed some of the leaves to unblock the drains – and two trips to the tip! Road sweeping is the responsibility of Mid Sussex District Council – you can report online or by phoning 01444 458166.

Busy Councillor drop-in this morning with queries about pavements, overgrown bushes, buss passes, council tax, parking penalties, Clarion Housing Association repairs and for entries to the Town Council Christmas card competition! These take place every second Saturday of the month 10-12 to see a local councillor (but not on 11th November).