On behalf of the HDCC committee, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the recent parish council poll.
The result is a clear and exciting mandate: the community has voted in favour of investing in the future of our village through our development of a new community centre. This is an important and historic moment for our local infrastructure, and one that will benefit generations to come.
We know from speaking to you on the doorstep and at our pop-up surgeries that this decision was not taken lightly. Many of you have considered carefully what you want for our lovely village, weighing the costs and the opportunities. We remain fully committed to listening to your feedback and addressing concerns as we move forward together. We also recognise that not everyone supports the project, and we respect the views of those who will find this result disappointing.
With this community endorsement, we can now work confidently with the Parish Council and Wealden to secure the Community Led Infrastructure Funds that are vital to our fundraising strategy. This will also strengthen our bids to major funders such as the National Lottery, enabling us to take the project forward in earnest.
We are deeply grateful to all who took the time to vote, to our supporters, and to our brilliant team of volunteers, committee members, and trustees whose energy and commitment have brought us to this milestone. Special thanks also go to the Parish Council for ensuring that this important decision was put to the community in a democratic way, and to the Parish Clerk for her hard work in organising the poll and reporting the result.
This is a big step forward for our village, and we are excited to continue this journey with you.
Bob Lake
Chair, HDCC
📢 Parish Poll Results – In Case You Missed Them!
We know some of you may not have seen the Parish Poll results when they were first released, so we wanted to share them with you again.
A total of 268 votes were received — a 42% response rate, with zero spoilt votes.
🗳️ Count Results
Question 1:
Do you agree in the Parish Council realising an economic value from
the old village hall to help pay for the new community centre at the Playing Field?
➡️ Yes – 166 votes (62%)
➡️ No – 102 votes (38%)
Question 2:
Do you agree for the Parish Council to apply to the Public Works Loan Board
(PWLB) for a loan, limited up to £250,000, to assist in achieving a new
community centre at the playing field?
➡️ Yes – 153
votes (57%)
➡️ No – 115
votes (43%)
🙏 A huge thank you to everyone who engaged with the poll, attended the public meeting, and came out to vote. Although the poll was organised and held by the Parish Council, HDCC is delighted by the enthusiasm and level of support shown by the community.
We are now actively engaging with Wealden District Council to secure Community Led Infrastructure funding. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our progress every step of the way.
💙 Thank you for supporting your community centre project!