Standing Committees

The Parish Council has just one Standing Committee - Planning - which meets periodically throughout the year in the Small Village Hall.

(The Finance and General Purposes, Recreation Ground and Village Events Committees were disbanded by the Council at their Annual Meeting on 22 May 2014, while the Rights of Way Committee was disbanded in 2016. All the committee functions were returned to the full Council with a nominated lead councillor for each area).

Members of the public are very welcome to attend any of the Parish Council or Committee Meetings. At the start of every meeting there is a public session at which members of the public are permitted to make representations, ask and answer questions and give evidence in respect of any item of business. The current and last year's minutes of meetings are available via the MINUTES tab. The agendas are notified on the NOTICEBOARD tab above when issued.

You can see who sits on which committee on the Councillors page.

The responsibilities of the Standing Committees are shown below.

(These are an extract from the Standing Committees' Terms of Reference held in the ON-LINE LIBRARY)

Planning

1. To keep a record of all planning applications received.
2. To keep record of all recommendations for each application.
3. To advise SDNPA of each recommendation within the agreed time limit and in the prescribed format.
4. To record details of final outcomes of each application.
5. To report each month the recommendations and final outcomes to the Parish Council
6. To ensure that the Public are made aware of all local planning applications
7. To understand that in reviewing an application a Parish Councillor has no authority to enter a property uninvited.
8. In October each year to provide the Parish Clerk (RFO) with an estimate of the Committee's income & expenditure for the coming year and the forecast for the following three years
   

Rights of Way (Disbanded in 2016)

1. To arrange that Rights of Way are maintained over the footpaths and bridleways within the ED&F PC area
2. To arrange that the four bus shelters are cleaned and maintained.
3. To maintain the public seats & benches, as per the Inventory, and the memorial squeeze gate.
4. To arrange that the litter bins, as per the inventory, are emptied regularly and maintained
5. To organise and arrange the maintenance of Friston Pond and Friston Green taking account of the needs of biodiversity, public enjoyment and traffic safety
6. To advise the Council should the mowing contractor not perform the work agreed at Friston Pond and the ten specified footpaths and to propose any changes to future contracts.
7. To provide a liaison interface with ESCC Highways
8. To provide oversight of tree maintenance within the Parish
9. To maintain accurate records of assets under the ROW Committee’s control and of their condition and maintenance.
10. To give a report at each meeting of the Parish Council.
11. In October each year to provide the Parish Clerk (RFO) with an estimate of the Committee’s income & expenditure for the coming year and the forecast for the following three years.
    

The following were the TOR's for the now disbanded Standing Committees, whose functions have been returned to the full Council:- 

Finance & General Purposes (disbanded at Annual Council Meeting on 22 May 2014)

1. To receive from each of the Standing Committees and any other Council Committee desiring to incur payments, their respective formulated proposals in respect of revenue and capital receipts and payments for the following financial year by the beginning of November each year.
2. To produce, in conjunction with the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO), a detailed Annual Budget comprising estimates of all receipts and payments for the following financial year.
3. To review and then recommend the Annual Budget to the Council so that it may review and approve it not later than its December meeting each year so as to confirm the Precept to be levied for that financial year during the following January meeting each year.
4. To produce, in conjunction with the RFO, a three year forecast of all estimated receipts and payments for consideration by the Council at the same meeting as the Annual Budget is approved.
5. To assist the RFO in the production of financial management information.
6. To review financial performance at its regular meetings
7. To comment on financial performance at each Parish Council meeting.
8. To deal with all human resource matters relating to Parish Council’s employees.
9. To organise a mowing contract each year for those areas of grass and rights of way which the Parish Council has accepted responsibility for.
10. To organise and arrange the maintenance of the following:-
    

a) Downlands Way Shopping Precinct car parks, pavements and disabled access, area behind bollards where the wheelie bins are stored and shops’ bin enclosure
b) War Memorial and its surrounding railings
c) Village Map Board and Best Kept Village Sign and five Plaques on the adjacent wall of the Village Green
d) Flag Pole on the Village Green
e) Street Map
f) East Dean Village Sign on the A259
g) Parish Council Notice Boards

Recreation Ground (disbanded at Annual Council Meeting on 22 May 2014)

1. To arrange that the Pavilion be cleaned and maintained and, if considered appropriate, that the water system is drained down before the onset of freezing weather conditions.
2. To arrange that the hard play area and equipment be maintained.
3. To arrange that the children's play area is maintained and that safety checks are carried out weekly in accordance with ROSPA's requirements; such checks to be recorded.
4. To arrange that the remainder of the Recreation Ground, with the exception of the cricket pitch, is maintained.
5. To advise the F&GP Committee should the mowing contractor not perform the work agreed on the Recreation Ground and to propose any changes to future contracts.
6. To arrange that the public seating on the Recreation Ground is maintained
7. To arrange the weekly emptying of the two wheelie bins by Wealden District Council.
8. To maintain accurate records of assets under the Recreation Ground Committee’s control and of their condition and maintenance.
9. To give a report at each meeting of the Parish Council.
10. In October each year to provide the Chairman of the F&GP Committee an estimate of the Committee's income & expenditure for the coming year and the forecast for the following three years.
    

Village Events (disbanded at Annual Council Meeting on 22 May 2014)

1. To arrange such events, including the annual Bonfire, as may be approved by resolution of the Parish Council.
2. To pay any proceeds arising from such events into Parish Council funds.
3. To seek to arrange the events for the benefit of the Parish community, rather than the wider population.
4. To maintain accurate records of proposed expenditure and Income.
5. To give a report at each meeting of the Parish Council.
6. In October each year to provide the Chairman of the F&GP Committee an estimate of the Committee's income & expenditure for the coming year and the forecast for the following three years.