Uckfield Town Council has been hard at work throughout the start of the new financial year as priorities get reviewed and new ones started.
The new financial year also brings the Annual Statutory Meeting, which took place on 20 May 2024 and saw the election of a new Town Mayor and Deputy Town Mayor, as well as the placement of all 15 Councillors to their committee membership roles for 2024-25.
As well as important updates within the Council, work began on several projects around the town including renovations at Foresters Hall, and to accessibility in the Civic Centre Uckfield.
Finally, there were many exciting events laid on or hosted by the Council as well, which saw the transition from spring to summer happen with plenty of memorable moments.
We caught up with the Town Council’s management team for the following updates from April to May 2024…
In May, Uckfield Town Council’s Annual Statutory Meeting saw a reshuffle amongst the town’s wonderful 15 Councillors, as several three-year terms came to an end.
Cllr. Jackie Love ended her highly successful term as Town Mayor, throughout which she was assisted by Cllr. Donna French as Deputy Mayor, and an internal election took place for both roles.
Cllr. Karen Bedwell was the successful candidate to become the new Town Mayor, and former Mayor, Cllr. Spike Mayhew, took on the role of Deputy Mayor.
Elsewhere, Cllr. Diane Ward was re-appointed as General Purposes Committee Chair, and there were new faces as Environment & Leisure Committee Chair – where Cllr. Angie Smith took over from Cllr. Mayhew – and Plans Committee Chair, where Cllr. Love took over from Cllr. Bedwell.
Of course, the responsibilities of the new Town Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Committee Chairs are already well underway, with Cllr. Bedwell attending an event held by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex for Town Mayors across the county.
Councillors Bedwell and Mayhew were also instrumental in the delivery of the Town Council’s D-Day 80th Anniversary Beacon Lighting event, which a number of Councillors and Town Council staff were involved in the planning and delivery of. We would like to thank them all for their contributions.
After some brilliant events that took place in the spring, the Civic Centre Uckfield really ramped up its busy calendar as the first signs of summer came out in May.
A wide variety of events took place as ever, with some real fan-favourites returning to the Weald Hall.
Louise Slaughter, Hospitality Manager, said: “In May, we hosted another wonderful evening of Martin Hopgood’s mediumship. The event was a sell-out and the spirits were keen to be listened to.
“The following evening, we saw the Murder on the Jubilee Queen being recreated in The Weald Hall. The detectives – our fabulous guests – had to work out who did it over a three-course dinner with coffee.
“Much fun was had and – fortunately – the culprit was caught by the end of the evening!
“Graham Pope arranged another evening of blues and roots music, as the audience had the pleasure of watching the brilliant Bad Influence and Connolly Hayes.
“The catering team are now looking forward to a busy summer and serving all our lovely customers in our outside space, if the weather permits!”
Future events coming up at the Civic Centre include the Mamma Mia Dinner (Saturday 6 July) and Kapow & SWF Wrestling (Saturday 13 July), while the big celebration of Weald on the Field will take place on Luxford Field on Saturday 10 August.
None of our civic events or room hires would be possible without the hard work of our grounds, caretaking and maintenance teams, who do all sorts of work to keep our buildings in working order.
The latest set of works to ensure the delivery of this came at Foresters Hall in New Town this spring.
James Hollingdale, Estates and Facilities Manager, said: “In April and May, our teams were busy with the Air Source Heat Pump installation at Foresters Hall.
“We have removed an old gas boiler and installed a brand-new eco-friendly air source unit at the rear of the building, enclosed in new fencing.
“Going forward, we are interannually upgrading the radiators, adding an extra one in the children’s toilet and the disabled toilet.
“Work is also continuing to remove all the old hot water heaters, and replace them with a TMV-regulated hot water supply.
“We are also removing fused spurs and reducing capacity on the electricity board.”
Combined with brilliant works on Victoria Pleasure Ground to finish the football season and ensure the cricket season could begin in style, and regular grass cuts plus tree and hedge maintenance around the town, the grounds team have been non-stop in the busiest point of the year.
We are so proud of the amazing work they do, so if you see them operating in your area, make sure to say a friendly hello!
In July, we will of course start the month off with the commitments of the General Election. Both the Weald Hall, inside the Civic Centre Uckfield, and Foresters Hall will be used as polling stations, so do take the time to admire both buildings if you are voting there!
And do not forget – if you are voting, you will need to bring a form of Photo ID with you.
As aforementioned, we have some brilliant events to welcome you to in our Mamma Mia Dinner and wrestling events, while we will have many regular and non-regular hirers of the Civic Centre putting on fascinating, fun and important events and talks all through the month.
We will also have three Council meetings open to the public for attendance; the meetings of the Environment & Leisure Committee on 8 July, the Plans Committee on 15 July and the General Purposes Committee on 22 July.
Finally, July should also be a perfect month to get out and explore the town. We highly recommend the varied lists of self-guided walks Healthy Wealden have on their website here https://healthywealden.co.uk/walks/ for a way to see the natural beauty of the local area.
We wish everyone a wonderful month ahead, and look forward to seeing you soon!
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