Mid Sussex
Liberal Democrats

News

Sue Hatton, District Councillor for Hassocks

Sue Hatton speaks out for Hassocks residents

Last night saw the approval of the District Plan by the Conservative councillors at Mid Sussex District Council, which includes the site for 500 houses North of Clayton Mills that was strongly opposed by local residents. Sue Hatton, the Lib Dem Councillor for Hassocks is the only non Tory on Mid Sussex District Council. In last night's meeting she was put under pressure by Conservative Councillors to vote in favour of adopting the District Plan. She was the only councillor to vote against it. Below is a script of her speech where she explains her reasons for voting in the best interests of those that she has been elected to represent.

29 Mar 2018
View

Services at risk without full tax increase for social care

The Conservative proposal of only a 4.95% increase in council tax (2% for adult social care and 2.95% for general purposes) has been approved by the Council. This is lower than the 5.95% rise that is permitted by government, where 3% of this would be ringfenced to help address the adult social care crisis. Lib Dems voted against this proposal as other council services will likely have to be cut to make up the shortfall for adult social care. Morwen Millson, a Lib Dem councillor for Horsham Riverside Division, explains why the Lib Dems are so concerned by the Council's move.

25 Feb 2018
View
London Meed School

Our schools are crying for help

"Every teacher, other member of staff, School Governor, parent and pupil knows that there is a crisis in the funding of their local school in West Sussex", says Robert Eggleston, Chair of Burgess Hill Liberal Democrats. "In recent meetings I have had with the head teachers of Burgess Hill schools it is clear how the pressure on school budgets is affecting the delivery of services and morale.

8 Feb 2018
View
Lib Dem representatives at hearing into 500 homes in Hassocks

Lib Dems speak out in opposition to 500 homes at hearing

Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint Liberal De mocrats spoke in opposition to plans for 500 houses north of Clayton Mills in Hassocks at a Public Hearing on 5th February. The Lib Dems were represented by Colin Wilsdon and Benedict Dempsey. Lib Dem Councillor Kirsty Lord attended in her capacity as West Sussex County Councillor for Hassocks & Burgess Hill South. The special hearing had been called by the Planning Inspector after more than 1000 local residents registered their opposition to the proposed modification to the Mid Sussex District Plan. When combined with other new houses that are planned for Hassocks, the village could see approximately 900 new homes over the Plan period to 2031. If these developments go ahead, the village would be set to grow by more than 25%. When Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) initially voted on the plans in September 2017, Liberal Democrat Sue Hatton (Hassocks Ward) was the only councillor to vote against the them. Hassocks' other two District Councillors, Conservatives Michell

6 Feb 2018
View

Houses are homes, not investment say Lib Dems

The £1bn of investment in Burgess Hill being promoted by Mid Sussex District Council includes the cost of building around 5,000 new houses. We believe that houses are homes and not investment. Homes should be part of a thriving local community with all of the services and infrastructure needed to support the needs of local residents. Although there are some proposed community facilities associated with the new development the fact remains that if we had an adopted Local Plan we would have already received millions in developer contributions towards much needed local infrastructure across Mid Sussex.

3 Feb 2018
View

Disappointment as oil firms return to Balcombe

West Sussex County Council have granted temporary permission for further oil exploration in Balcombe. As Lib Dem Environment spokesperson Tim Farron said "It's disappointing to see this decision made in the face of huge opposition from the local community". We want to see greater emphasis put on tackling climate change through the increased use of renewable energy; something that Balcombe residents are already working towards.

10 Jan 2018
View

Lib Dems to oppose 500 houses at public hearing

We will be voicing our opposition to plans for 500 houses north of Clayton Mills in Hassocks at a Public Hearing on 5th February. The special hearing has been called by the Planning Inspector after more than 1,000 local residents registered their opposition to the proposals in the Mid Sussex District Plan.

9 Jan 2018
View
Stephen Lloyd MP speaking at Mid Sussex AGM

AGM update

Our AGM marked the conclusion of a good year for the Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats. We had a lot to celebrate including a boom in membership and successful election campaigns with Kirsty Lord being elected as the County Councillor for Hassocks and Burgess Hill South and Sue Hatton being elected as a District Councillor for Hassocks. Stephen Lloyd, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Work and Pensions attended our AGM and gave an inspirational speech full of top tips for campaigning.

12 Dec 2017
View

Over 1,000 residents object to proposed 500 houses in Hassocks

The proposal for a new housing development of 500 houses North of Clayton Mills received 1,018 objections from local residents in the consultation on the Main Modifications to the District Plan. This clearly shows the strength of local opposition to this unsustainable development, which completely disregards the draft Neighbourhood Plan. Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint Liberal Democrats strongly oppose the inclusion of this site in the District Plan as set out in our consultation response.

12 Dec 2017
View

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.