Civic affairs in Winchelsea

Local government

• Icklesham Parish Council
• Rother District Council
• East Sussex County Council
• Member of Parliament

Community consultation

Town Meeting --- an annual meeting held in late April or early May that is open to all residents. Ward councillors report on the developments in the Town over the previous year and alert residents to emerging issues. Residents can discuss informally any issue of concern and ask councillors to seek action. It is also an opportunity for proposals for new community initiatives to be broached in order to gauge support and for outside bodies to consult the community. A recent innovation is the Community Exhibition before and after the meeting at which local clubs and societies can mount displays about their activities and recruit new members. In 2007, candidates for the Parish and District Council elections made presentations.

Town Plan --- a community consultation exercise on all major issues affecting Winchelsea that will result in an agreed Action Plan. A consultation has already been held on traffic and transport issues (probably, the hotest topic in Winchelsea apart from planning). Others will follow shortly.

Local issues and campaigns

Separate parish council for Winchelsea --- Winchelsea is one of four wards of Icklesham Parish. The wards are physically separate and each is home to a distinct community with a distinct set of problems. The size and diversity of the existing parish makes it almost impossible for the Parish Council to focus on issues of importance to individual wards, with the result that most issues are tackled by ward-based residents associations or special action groups, and not by the Parish Council. A campaign launched in 2000 and supported by two-thirds of residents has sought to establish a Parish of Winchelsea and restore local government independence after some 120 years.

Traffic --- this is the hottest issue in Winchelsea, in particular, the excessive speed of vehicles rat-running through the village to avoid possible delays on the A259(T) at Ferry Hill.

Traffic signs --- like many villages, Winchelsea has been blighted by the proliferation of largely unnecessary traffic signs and other urban street furniture. At its peak, there were over 230 signs in and around Winchelsea (compared to less than 290 houses). A campaign was launched in 1999 to reduce the clutter and has been quite successful.

Verges and pavements --- grass verges and red brick pavements are an attractive feature of Winchelsea. Unfortunately, both are being damaged by inconsiderate parking of vehicles. Some verges are at risk from parents dropping and collecting children from the local school: others are being destroyed by residents! The red brick pavements are being crushed, mainly by delivery lorries. As usual, Icklesham Parish Council is unconcerned. The County Council, which is responsible for the verges and pavements, has cut its highways budget so much that routine road maintenance has virtually ceased.

Mobile phone masts --- although Winchelsea has some protection by virtue of its status as part of the High Weald AONB and a Conservation Area, Rother District Council's Planning Committee has been rather spineless about opposing the erection of mobile phone masts in sensitive areas. Moreover, the perceived impartiality of the District Council was compromised in January 2006 by the publication of press releases from Orange in the Council's own monthly Bulletin. Assisted by an uncritical Planning Committee and employing the deceitful tactics characteristic of mobile phone companies, T-Mobile managed to sneak a mast into Winchelsea some years ago. Since then, residents have been more vigilant. So far, we have managed to beat off attempts to instal additional masts by Orange and O2. However, we remain on watch for new threats.