REX’S NOTES MARCH 2025 Local Council Updates

Councillor Rex Whittaker brings us up-to-date with local government news in and around the town and district …

PLANNING
During the past week the Government has published the new Planning & Infrastructure Bill which has been introduced as a green paper for Parliamentary Committee discussion and consultation before becoming a formal White Paper later in the year. This is another radical policy initiative that is designed to streamline , simplify , and speed up the planning process and follows hard on the heels of the new National Planning Policy Framework which became operational in December 2024.

This new Bill had three major proposed changes …
1. It will fast track new large infrastructure project planning applications and greatly reduce the current power of statutory consultees to object to such schemes.
2.  It seeks to give planning officers far greater autonomy to make final planning consent decisions and will mean current, councillor-led planning committees will have far less power than they do now.
3. It seeks to give Local Authorities more regulatory power to have the capability to compulsorily purchase land – especially for new housing schemes.

GATWICK AIRPORT
The Transport Minister (Heidi Alexander MP ) has published the Independent Inspector’s report for Gatwick second runway Development Consent Order (DCO) planning application. Despite the Inspector not agreeing to the consent – the ministerial decision is to be ‘minded to approve’ the DCO subject to certain conditions being cleared by October 2025. This involves further work being undertaken to satisfy noise, environmental and infrastructure concerns raised during the year-long examination process.

DEVOLUTION
This week has seen the Government announce its approval and backing for all existing Sussex County and District councils to work together to merge into a small number of very large Unitary Authorities including Brighton. Planned 2025 County Council elections have been cancelled, and will be staged in conjunction with new Mayoral elections in May 2026. All Sussex councils will now have to work together very closely to progress merger proposals, plans, logistics and timescales. Further announcements are expected in April following intensive discussions between all Sussex authorities in the first quarter of 2025.

It is anticipated that East Grinstead Town Council, being a very large parish, will eventually be invited to discussions to see if they could take on more public services responsibilities as the new, much larger Unitary Authority Framework takes shape over the next year.

TOWN DIARY DATES
3 May                   Mid Sussex Marathon
5 May                   EG Lions May Fair
8 May                   VE Day 80th Anniversary
1 June, 6 July
& 3 August          East Court Live events
7 September       Classic car day
18 October          EG Bonfire procession event
9 November       Remembrance Parade
15 November     Big Reveal & Christmas lights
7 December        Christmas Market

Rex Whittaker
20 March 2025