New Committee Structure In Place For Town Council

Following on from proposals made at the Annual Meeting of Hailsham Town Council held on 20 May, the Council’s Committee structure has changed and the new structure has been put into operation.

Four Standing Committees have been appointed for the 2015-2016 municipal year, these being:

Strategic Projects Committee

Responsibilities include: Cemetery and cemetery buildings; Cortlandt former stable block and public toilet facility; Fleur de Lys meeting room; Union Corner Hall; Maurice Thornton Pavilion; street lighting; youth services (Square Youth Cafe/Eastside Youth Cafe); Play areas; Public open spaces; Hailsham Country Park; Common Pond; Orchard Park; Maurice Thornton Playing Field; Western Road Recreation Ground; allotments (Battle Road/Station Road); dog hygiene bins and litter bins; urban grass cutting contracts

Finance, Budget & Resources Committee

Responsibilities include: Precept (setting the Council’s share of the Council Tax); Insurance; Staff Management and Administration; Policy & Policy Reviews; Health & Safety; Contracted Services; Leases; Banking & Investment; Grants; Joint Funded Projects; Subsidies; Section 137 Payments

Planning & Development Committee

Delegated powers include: Comment on Planning Applications; Enforcement Notices; Notices of Appeal (against planning decisions); Justices Licences; Tree Preservation Orders; Conservation Areas & Listed Buildings; Local Development Proposals; Any other planning related matters; Street Closures; Street Naming; Footpath Diversions

Communities Committee

Responsibilities include: Business, retail and town centre development; future car parking provision; Roads & Transport Masterplan; coordination of street markets; industrial estate environmental development; Christmas Market; Charter Market; Town Fetes; other community events

The Strategic Projects Committee has been created by merging the remits of the former Council Projects & Assets Committee and Parks, Open Spaces & Sports Committee into one, while the Communities Committee was established by merging the remits of the Business Enterprise Committee and Festivities & Events Committee.

Town Clerk John Harrison explained the rationale behind the decision to significantly change the Committee structure:

“It seemed logical and consistent to merge these four of the former committees into two more streamlined ones, resulting in little scope for overlap or confusion between committee remits as was the case with the previous set up, thus ensuring clarity of which committee deals with which area of responsibility.”

A full schedule of Committee meetings, in addition to bi-monthly meetings of Full Council, is available to here. A copy of the agenda for these meetings is displayed on the notice board outside the Town Council offices, Vicarage Field and on the website.

Please note that all Town Council meetings and committee meetings are open to the public to attend as observers, however residents are invited to address members during 15 minutes set aside for this purpose at the start of each meeting. If several residents attend who wish to address members of the Town Council or Committee the 15 minutes has to be shared between them.

“Local government needs local people,”

said Mr Harrison.

“The Town Council is determined to make Hailsham a great place to live, work and learn and residents can get involved by attending, making an enquiry or raising an issue relating to Town Council services at our regular meetings.

If there is an issue you think is important or where you believe the Town Council can make improvements you may want to bring it to the attention of members, so please do consider coming along to our meetings.”