Hassocks Parish Council

Agenda

A meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Tuesday 10 June 2025 at 7.30 pm in the Council Chamber, Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Parish Clerk 4 June 2025

Members of the public are encouraged to come to the meetings and there is an opportunity for them to address the Council relating to the non-confidential items on the published agenda. A period of 15 minutes will be set aside in item 4 Public participation. It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

AGENDA

1. APOLOGIES

To accept Apologies for absence

2. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

2.1. To deal with any disclosure by Members of any disclosable pecuniary interests and interests other than pecuniary interests, as defined under Hassocks Parish Council’s Code of Conduct and the Localism Act 2011, in relation to matters on the agenda.

3. MINUTES

3.1. To accept the minutes of the Parish Council meeting 20 May 2025

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Up to fifteen minutes will be available to allow for the public to make representations, answer questions or give evidence in respect of any items of business included in the agenda, in accordance with Standing Orders.

5. TO ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING MINUTES

5.1 Planning Committee – To note the minutes for 27 May 2025.

6. FINANCE

6.1. To approve the Financial Report and authorise the list of payments in the sum of £32,266.44 issued between 1 April 2025 and 30 April 2025. (Appendix 1). To view Appendix 1 please click here.

7. REPORTS

7.1.      West Sussex County Councillor

7.2.      Mid Sussex District Councillors Report

7.3.      Police Report

7.4.      Rail Matters

7.5.      Youth Initiatives

7.6.      Reports from Councillors on meetings with outside bodies where the Council is Represented.

8. CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

8.1.      Current matters (oral report)

8.2       District Plan. Mid Sussex District Council has launched a legal challenge against the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government after being advised by the Planning Inspectorate that it is considering failing the area’s District Plan.

Members are asked to RESOLVE to allow the Chair to draft a letter, from the Parish Council to Mid Sussex District Council, in support of this action. 

9. CLERK’S REPORT

9.1      Councillor Vacancy. Council are invited to note the resignation of Kate Bailey from Hassocks Parish Council as of the 12 May 2025.

A Notice of Vacancy has been published inviting electors to request a poll, as required by law. If no such request is received within the prescribed time the Council may co-opt a Member (Local Government Act 1972 s87).

9.2       Appointment of Representatives to Outside Bodies. Members are advised that the MSDC Parish Liaison Meetings are only open to Council Officers and therefore no Councillor representation is required.

10. URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

To note that the date of the next Council meeting is Tuesday 8 July 2025.

FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting.

Minutes

Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on 10 June 2025

Attendees: Parish Councillors Lesley Cruikshank-Robb, Frances Gaudencio (Chair), Bill Hatton, Sue Hatton, Peter Richardson, Ian Weir (Vice Chair), Paul Shepherd, Robert Brewer

In Attendance: Elaine Langridge (Clerk & RFO), WSCC Cllr Woodhurst-Trueman

MINUTES

PC25/35        APOLOGIES Cllr Kristian Berggreen.

Absent without apologies: Cllr Maria Angelaki-King, David Bunting, Don McBeth, Angus Neil, Alex Simmons.

PC25/36        DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS Disclosure by Councillors of personal interests in

matters on the agenda, and whether the Councillor regards their interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct – None.

PC25/37        MINUTES The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 20 May 2025 were

accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

PC25/38        PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public were present.

PC25/39        TO ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING MINUTES

PC25/39.1     Planning Committee – Members NOTED minutes of the meeting held on 27 May 2025.

PC25/40        FINANCE  Members considered the Financial Report and supporting bank statements for the period ending 30 April 2025 as set out in Appendix 1. Cllr Cruikshank-Robb questioned the pavilion cleaning sum of £297 as she felt this was expensive. The Clerk explained this was for a full month, so the cost is under £80 per week and income from hire fees contributes toward these overheads.

PC25/40.1     Members APPROVED the payments list totalling £32,266.44 for the period 1-30 April 2025.

PC25/41        REPORTS

PC25/41.1     West Sussex County Councillor Erika Woodhurst-Trueman, the newly elected County Councillor for the Hassocks & Burgess Hill South Division, was pleased to attend the meeting but had nothing to report.

PC25/41.2     Mid Sussex District Councillor report – MSDC Councillor Chris Hobbs provided a report which was presented on his behalf by Cllr Sue Hatton.

The District Council has launched a legal challenge against the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government after being advised by the Planning Inspectorate that it is considering failing the area’s District Plan.  The Inspector found that the Council had failed in its Duty to Cooperate with neighbouring Councils because it did not say specifically which neighbouring Councils would benefit from the 1,000 additional houses to be built in Mid Sussex. The District Council considers this an extraordinary response to a technical matter that could easily be remedied another way.

The Centre for Sport (ARC), in Burgess Hill, is nearing completion and a key remaining issue is waiting for Southern Water to connect the water supply.

A Section 73 Planning Amendment has been made for the Martlets Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill. This addresses some building control issues and is a key stage in the formation of the joint venture between MSDC and New River Retail.

Cllr Mike Kennedy has been appointed as the MSDC Chairman and Cllr Chris Cherry has been appointed as his deputy for a two year term.

PC25/41.3     Police Report – The Clerk has been in contact with Sussex Police and asked if they can appoint a representative to provide a report for future meetings.

PC25/41.4     Rail matters – None.  Cllr Hatton has not attended any Rail Group meetings recently.  Cllr Woodhurst-Trueman mentioned that there will be a celebration of 200 years of the railway on 27 September.  She also said she would ask Catherine Cassidy, Chair of the Rail Group, to submit a regular report to the Parish Council.

PC25/41.5     Youth Initiatives – None.  At present the Council does not have a representative to report back on youth initiatives.  It is however an important subject and Members felt that there should be an item on the agenda for information about any future youth initiatives to be shared. It was noted that there is a youth group that meets regularly in Adastra Hall.  It was agreed that this agenda item should be changed to Community Initiatives to widen the scope of discussion.

PC25/41.6     Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented – Cllr Sue Hatton provided a report as the Council’s representative on the Adastra Hall Management Committee.

The appointed contractor, Brixter, commenced work on the toilet block extension on 2 June and set up a secure compound, alongside a temporary pathway. Building work is progressing well, the contractor will seed and turf damaged areas within the compound which will remain in place until the end of July.  Work will then commence inside the hall during August, when the front of the building will be closed and only the Green Room operational. The whole building will re-open at the beginning of September.

PC25/42        CHAIR’S REPORT

PC25/42.1     Current matters  Cllr Gaudencio referred Members to the Business Plan update in the 3 June PR&C minutes (PRC25/6) which clearly demonstrates what the Council has achieved and its plans for the future. She explained that the Business Plan will be regularly reviewed and invited Members to come forward if they can provide support to deliver projects in the action plan or want to suggest future items for inclusion. She stated that now the office is fully staffed it has taken some pressure off Councillors, but the staff are very busy with the current work programme.

PC25/42.2     District Plan Cllr Gaudencio asked for the motion to be withdrawn. Councillors were concerned about the Planning Inspectorates decision regarding the Duty to Cooperate and would like to support the District Council in its’ legal challenge, if possible.  The Clerk was asked to contact MSDC to find out if it would be appropriate to submit a letter in support of the legal action or if the matter could be discussed at the next Town and Parish Liaison Group with a view to making a collective response.

PC25/43        CLERKS REPORT

PC25/43.1     Councillor Vacancy The Clerk reported that Mid Sussex District Council confirmed that no election claim had been received so the Council is free to co-opt to fill the vacancy created by Cllr Kate Bailey’s resignation. Three local residents have expressed an interest in joining the Council since August 2024 so the Clerk asked if Members would like her to invite them to apply or if they wanted to advertise more widely.  It was AGREED that the Council would advertise a Notice of Casual Vacancy and applicants would be considered by the Council at a future meeting. 

PC25/43.2     Appointment of Representatives on Outside Bodies Councillors questioned why the Town and Parish Liaison Meetings are no longer open to Councillors and Cllr Sue Hatton agreed to raise this with MSDC. The Clerk attended the Town and Parish Liaison Meeting on 22 May and will report back to Council on future meetings.

PC25/44        URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR – None

PC25/45        DATE OF NEXT MEETING Tuesday 8 July 2025.