The Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning for wind on the 26th and 27th December. View the full warning at the Met Office Severe Weather Warning page. If you prefer you can search for the Met Office website and look there.

Very strong south westerly winds are expected for parts of South and Southeast England and South Wales on Sunday morning. Inland gusts of 50-60 mph are likely with a few spots likely to see 60-70 mph for a time. Hills and particularly coasts exposed to the south-westerly winds will see a few gusts of 70-80 mph. In addition to the strong winds, a period of heavy, squally rain is expected and may prove an additional hazard.
What to expect

• Longer journey times and cancellations likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected.
• Some roads and bridges likely to close.
• Probably some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.
• Flying debris is likely and could lead to Injuries or danger to life.
• Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.
• There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

For more information:

Met Office 
WSCC Dealing with extreme weather
WSCC Preparing for emergencies
Follow WSCC on Twitter for regular updates @WSCCNews and @WSCCResilience

Please make yourself familiar with the location of the defibrillators in Buxted, Five Ash Down and High Hurstwood.

As well as the three listed below, there is also a defibrillator attached to the outside of Buxted Football Club.

NOTICE OF NEW PLANNING APPLICATION(S)

AND UPDATES ON APPLICATIONS PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED.

The Planning Applications below are to be considered by members of the Parish Council Planning Committee via email consultation. This email method for consultation is a temporary measure due to the Corona Virus outbreak. The parish council will advertise this notice on their website.

If any member of the public would like to comment on any of the new applications being considered, please email your comments by to clerk@buxted-pc.gov.uk and also to Wealden District Council by email: planning@wealden.gov.uk

We continue to receive customers calling in relation to the Community Hub which has now quietened. Town and Parish Councils remain a key part of the infrastructure in ensuring we can respond to demand from some of the most vulnerable members of society.  More information about current infection rates can be found here https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

• Wealden remains classed as at ‘high risk’ from COVID (Tier 2). The assessment puts us in the middle of three tiers of alert and recognises that virus rates have been rising here, although still lower than in many parts of England. The high alert tier: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know#high-alert
• Mobile testing units are to return to Crowborough Rugby Club on the 22nd, 23rd and 24^th December and again at Crowborough Golf Club on 5^th, 6^th and 7^th January.  Booking is advised through the national testing portal https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
• COVID-19 vaccinations get underway in Sussex – The NHS in Sussex has begun vaccinating people against COVID-19. You can read more about the plans to deliver the vaccine on the Sussex Health and Care Partnership website here https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccination-programme/

The NHS will let residents know when it’s their turn to have the vaccine. People should not contact the NHS for a vaccination before then.

• Advice from Public Health in East Sussex on Christmas Bubbles – The rules on Christmas bubbles and advice for residents on how to take extra care if they do decide to form a Christmas bubble is available on the Your East Sussex website here; https://your.eastsussex.gov.uk/2020/12/04/vip-access-only-for-your-christmas-bubble/
• WDC Hub support over Christmas – Our hub will close at 4.30pm on Wednesday 23^rd December and reopen at 8.30am on Monday 4^th January.  Our website has lots of information to help and there will be out of hours emergency cover in place so residents can still get in contact using the usual contact details if necessary.
• Supermarket deliveries and priority slots – Demand for food deliveries in the run up to Christmas may make it harder for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) people and other vulnerable people to continue to access delivery slots in the same way. The seven supermarkets taking part in the priority scheme have already warned that there are very limited slots available before and during the Christmas week.

The advice for CEV people in tier 2 areas is to reduce the number of shopping trips they make and to consider going at quieter times of the day. If people are struggling to access delivery slots, they could try to book a click and collect service that could be picked up for them or ask family, friends or volunteers to go shopping on their behalf. If people don’t have anyone who can help there is support available to access food from the community hub.

Please do continue to spread awareness that the Wealden Community Hub is able to obtain priority delivery slots and give advice on access to food if residents are struggling. I hope this information is of assistance and please note that these emails are an interpretation of government guidelines which can be accessed via https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

We know that clicking links in E-mails may be unsafe. We are quoting some links below, but if you are reluctant to click on these then please feel free to search the web for Scamnesty, which should lead you to National Trading Standards website Friends Against Scams.

This week, Friends Against Scams are looking at advanced fee fraud. This is any letter in which you are asked for upfront payments for goods, services or financial gains that never arrive. Have a look at the infographic above for some examples of this type of scam, and visit the website for more information on: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty #ScamAware

A common advanced fee scam is inheritance fraud. Usually, the letter will tell you someone very rich has died and you’re in line to receive a huge inheritance! Have you received one or heard someone speaking of receiving a letter like this? Send it to Friends Against Scams for Christmas and take part in Scamnesty: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty #ScamAware #Scamnesty

Start a conversation with your friends and family – are you or they receiving suspicious post? Scam mail often claims huge wins or requests for personal details or money. Give the Friends Against Scams team a present this Christmas and send them your scam post to investigate: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty #Scamnesty

Have you received a letter from a stranger abroad asking you to pay an admin fee to help move a large amount of money? You’ll receive a cut if you help right now! This could be a scam. If you or someone you know has received a letter like this, send it to Friends Against Scams for #Scamnesty and do your part to take a stand against scams: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scamnesty #Scamnesty

If you have received a suspicious E-mail then you can forward it to the National Cyber Security Centre at report@phishing.gov.uk. They will investigate it and take action where possible.Timely alerts from people like you help them to act quickly and protect many more people from being affected.

Please note: You should not report a crime to the NCSC in this way. If you think you may have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, and live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you should report this to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2020. If you live in Scotland, you should report this to Police Scotland by calling 101.

If you’re interested in joining Neighbourhood Watch, or want to find out more, visit www.sussexnwfed.org.uk or send an email to enquiries@sussexnwfed.org.uk.

The Sussex PCC, Katy Bourne, is now calling for younger people to have their say on policing priorities to ensure their concerns are also reflected in her revised Police and Crime Plan.

So here is a message for younger Sussex residents. Can you please help us by encouraging younger people to take part?

Have you ever wondered what it is like to set the budget for Sussex Police? PCC Bourne is giving residents the opportunity to tell her what policing priorities matter most to them by challenging you, in a ‘gamified’ public survey, to assign ‘priority tokens’ to the eight major strands of Sussex Police’s work in the community.

Mrs Bourne says: “It is an interesting way to put the public in the driving seat of policing. This game will hopefully help them think about the importance of policing all priority areas, and how challenging it can be to set a budget that enables Sussex Police to tackle all types of criminality, and safeguard the vulnerable whilst delivering to the priorities of local people.”
The game is timed, and once you have assigned all your tokens, you will be asked whether you would be willing to pay more locally so that Sussex Police can continue to deliver on the priorities important to you.

Once your answers have been submitted, you will see how your priorities compare to those of other residents who have played the game.

A more traditional survey is also being conducted, and all data from both will be collated when the game and survey finish on 10th January. The feedback will then be used to inform PCC Bourne’s Police & Crime Plan for 2021/22.

Mrs Bourne adds: “I want to ensure that all local communities are represented in my next Police & Crime Plan. In the past, we know that the majority of responses to our online polls are from residents aged 55 and over, so I really want to hear from younger people as well. All views will be reflected in my decision-making, and will help shape the future of Sussex Police. Make sure to have your say today.”

You can also find the two surveys by searching the PCC’s website https://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/ .