Welcome

For the very latest news please follow us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/hwpc.org.uk
For general Parish Council enquiries please phone 01435 865700 or email info@hwpc.org.uk
Please email the Assistant Clerk with any comments regarding planning applications: asstclerk@hwpc.org.uk
The Office is open Monday to Friday - 9.30am - 3.00 pm and closes for lunch from 1.00 pm - 1.30 pm

For more information regarding Ukraine please click onto the following links:-

https://new.eastsussex.gov.uk/your-council/ukraine-crisis

https://www.wealden.gov.uk/ukrainian-refugee-crisis/

Happy To Help are a group of volunteers from Kings Church who are here to support in these challenging times. If you are Ukrainian or a sponsor and need some practical help and support please get in touch. We can also put you in touch with other local groups. Please call 01435 863 786 or click here for more information / натисніть тут для отримання додаткової інформації natysnitʹ tut dlya otrymannya dodatkovoyi informatsiy

English language classes for Ukrainians

A number of English language courses are available for those Ukrainians that wish to develop their English language skills. These include:

• Learning | East Sussex Libraries

• Pre-entry ESOL programme – 11 week courses through East Sussex College Group in Hastings and Eastbourne

• Babbel - the language app, is offering free courses in English for Ukrainian refugees:

• Busuu language app is also offering its premium service free to Ukrainians for 3 months.

• Sanctuary Cafe

🕓 Fridays between 10am and midday (12pm).

📍 All Souls Church Hall, Wellesley Road, Eastbourne

• Ukrainian Café Hub

🕓 Tuesday afternoon 1-4 pm

📍 Robertson Street, Hastings – conversational English groups

• Education Training Consortium Sussex - based in Hastings and St Leonards. Currently offering Beginner-Elementary and Pre-Intermediate English lessons as well as IT lessons. Currently offering 8 classes per week. Looking to set up coffee mornings for conversational English.

• Refugee Buddy Project - based in Hastings and Rother - provide informal English conversation workshops, 1hr per week, helping with understanding bills, council tax, housing, driving theory.

For more information on education and training opportunities for Ukrainians in East Sussex, they can now visit the East Sussex College Ukraine Support website here.

Recruitment days for Ukrainian guests

Recruitment days are being held in the coming weeks to support Ukrainian guests in finding work. Local employers will be attending and actively recruiting for jobs. These events will take place at the following:

💼 Eastbourne Jobcentre ️ 24th June

💼 Hastings Jobcentre ️ 29th June

Ukrainian guests can contact their Jobcentre Plus Work Coach for more information.

Host payments: change to first payment

Local boroughs or district councils are now contacting hosts to advise them how to claim their optional £350 monthly ‘thank you’ payment, funded by the national government.

East Sussex County Council and our partners want to say an additional ‘thank you’ so we’ll be topping up the first month’s payment to £500 (for those who wish to claim) in recognition of the incredible support and commitment our hosts have provided and the costs that can come with this.

Free membership with Freedom Leisure

Freedom Leisure Centres across the south east of England are currently offering Ukrainians free access to their facilities for the next 3 months, including use of the swimming pool, gym and fitness classes.

Participating centres are located across Hastings, Rother, Wealden, Brighton, Woking, Guildford and Arun.

To redeem this offer, Ukrainians should visit their local Freedom Leisure Centre where they will be able to sign up on arrival.

Host support workshops

Sponsors of Ukrainian guests are invited to attend a workshop designed to help them in their role of hosting families displaced from their homeland by war in Ukraine.

The workshop is organised by the 3VA and the Association for Family Therapy.

The workshop will aim to help participants feel more confident about what to expect, how to negotiate and manage difficult areas and how to recognise when more help is needed. We recognise the kindness and generosity of those offering to host and we hope, through this workshop, to help make their experience a successful one.

The workshops are free and available at the following:

📍 Eastbourne ️ 25th June 🕓 12:30-3pm 🔗 Register here

📍 Wealden ️ 23rd June 🕓 12 – 2.30pm 🔗 Register here

📍 Lewes ️ 26th June 🕓 12:30 -3pm 🔗 Register here

Wildflower Areas in the Parish

We are currently preparing some verges in Heathfield for wildflower planting. They may look a bit strange at the moment, however this is all part of the preparation work that is required. In about 6 weeks’ time we are aiming to have some amazing wildflower displays, which will be wonderful for parishioners and the wildlife. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Agrifactors and So Wild for their sponsorship of these wildflower schemes

Sussex PCC have just launched a new app called the New Safe Space Sussex app

SPCC - Launching the Safe Space Sussex app (sussex-pcc.gov.uk)

Council Tax rebate available for thousands of Wealden residents 

Thousands of households across Wealden are set to receive a £150 Council Tax rebate to help with rising energy costs.

Residents living in Council Tax bands A-D – excluding second or empty properties - will be eligible for the rebate, announced by the government last month.

Guidelines on how rebates will be paid to households have been released. The quickest way to receive the rebate is to sign up to Direct Debit payments.

There will be only one payment per household regardless of the number of occupants and will be paid once verification has been completed which is likely to be in May or June 2022.

Wealden District Council will be working as quickly as possible to make payments and is urging occupants to set up a direct debit to speed up the process.

All rebates will be awarded after April’s Council Tax has been collected and cleared and all eligibility criteria has been met.

Residents not currently paying via Direct Debit can set one up, or if Direct Debit isn’t a chosen method, payment will still be given but bank details will need to be provided. Any rebate given will not need to be repaid.

A discretionary scheme is being considered for homes in bands E-H and the government is expected to release more details in the coming weeks.

Councillor Ray Cade, Wealden council’s Housing and Benefits portfolio holder, said, “We are pleased to be able to give so many households within the area a rebate to try and help alleviate financial pressures that many households have felt over the winter period with the rise in energy costs.

“We are also hoping to help occupants in bands E-H with a discretionary rebate and this is currently being considered.”

The government announced the Council Tax rebate scheme earlier this year in a bid to help homeowners with the cost of living as energy prices have increased dramatically.

To set up your direct debit for the Council Tax rebate and for more information, please visit https://www.wealden.gov.uk/council-tax/

For further information:

Liane Tew

Local taxation and benefits manager

Wealden District Council

Tel: 01323 443 150

Email: Liane.tew@wealden.gov.uk

Or

Sian Killean

Media and communications officer

Wealden District Council

Tel: 07970 233 231

Email: Sian.Killean@wealden.gov.uk

CCTV

We are pleased to announce that the CCTV at Tower Recreation Ground and the Skatepark has now gone live. The pictures will feed direct to the Sussex  Police. We have listened to residents’ concerns about anti-social behaviour and have installed the CCTV to help alleviate the problems at these sites. 

If you picked up wildflower seeds from the Parish Council stand at Le Marche - here are the growing instructions please click here