50°59′56″N0°12′43″E / 50.999°N 0.212°E /50.999; 0.212
Wealden District | |
|---|---|
 Wealden shown within East Sussex | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | East Sussex |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Hailsham |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Wealden District Council |
| • MPs | James MacCleary (LD) Nusrat Ghani (C) Kieran Mullan (C) Mims Davies (C) |
| Area | |
• Total | 322.4 sq mi (835.0 km2) |
| • Rank | 39th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 166,908 |
| • Rank | 127th(of 296) |
| • Density | 517.7/sq mi (199.9/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 21UH (ONS) E07000065 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ5519524567 |
Wealden is alocal government district inEast Sussex, England. Its council is based inHailsham, the district's second largest town. The district also includes the towns ofCrowborough,Polegate andUckfield, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The district's name comes from theWeald, the landscape andancient woodland which occupies much of the centre and north of the area.
Much of the district's landscape is recognised for its beauty; the south of the district includes part of theSouth Downs National Park, and the north of the district includes part of theHigh Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The district has two sections of coastline, lying east and west of the neighbouring authority ofEastbourne, with the western section of coastline including the cliffs known as theSeven Sisters.
The neighbouring districts are Eastbourne,Lewes,Mid Sussex,Tandridge,Sevenoaks,Tunbridge Wells andRother.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. It covered the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was named Wealden after the landscape and woodland.[3]
Wealden District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Trevor Scott since 19 July 2018[5] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 45 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council Offices, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Wealden District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byEast Sussex County Council.[6] The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7]
In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park,town planning is the responsibility of theSouth Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority.[8]
The council has been underno overall control since the 2023 election, being led by a coalition of theLiberal Democrats andGreens.[9] The two Labour councillors subsequently joined the coalition in November 2024.[10]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[11][12]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–1997 | |
| Conservative | 1997–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1999 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rupert Thornely-Taylor[13] | Conservative | 1999 | May 2003 | |
| Nigel Coltman[14][15] | Conservative | 21 May 2003 | May 2007 | |
| Pam Doodes[16] | Conservative | 23 May 2007 | May 2010 | |
| Bob Standley[17][18] | Conservative | 19 May 2010 | May 2022 | |
| Ann Newton[19][20] | Conservative | 18 May 2022 | May 2023 | |
| James Partridge[21][22] | Liberal Democrats | 24 May 2023 | 15 May 2024 | |
| Rachel Millward[23] | Green | 15 May 2024 | 14 May 2025 | |
| James Partridge[24] | Liberal Democrats | 14 May 2025 | ||
Following the2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2024, the composition of the council was:[25][26]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 11 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 11 | |
| Independent | 11 | |
| Conservative | 10 | |
| Labour | 2 | |
| Total | 45 | |
The Liberal Democrats, Greens and Labour sit together as the "Alliance for Wealden" group, which forms the council's administration. Of the independent councillors, five sit as the "Independent Group", four form the "Independent Democrats" and two do not belong to a group.[27][10] The next election is due in 2027.[26]
The council is based at the Council Offices on Vicarage Lane in Hailsham. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1982.[28]
When created in 1974 the council inherited two main offices from its predecessors:
The council's staff were initially divided between the two buildings.[32] The council moved its Hailsham office from Cortlandt to the new Council Offices on Vicarage Lane in 1982.[33] The Crowborough office moved to a new building on Pine Grove in 1988, with Starfield subsequently being redeveloped for housing.[34]
The council subsequently consolidated its offices at the Hailsham building and sold the Crowborough building to Crowborough Town Council in 2016.[35]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 45councillors representing 41wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[36]
| Ward | Population (2021 Census) |
|---|---|
| Arlington | 2,963 |
| Buxted | 3,892 |
| Chiddingly, East Hoathly and Waldron | 3,309 |
| Crowborough Central | 4,125 |
| Crowborough Jarvis Brook | 4,305 |
| Crowborough North | 3,286 |
| Crowborough South East | 3,804 |
| Crowborough South West | 3,237 |
| Crowborough St. Johns | 2,935 |
| Danehill & Fletching | 3,886 |
| Forest Row | 4,135 |
| Framfield & Cross-in-Hand | 3,243 |
| Frant & Wadhurst (2 seats) | 6,941 |
| Hadlow Down & Rotherfield | 3,257 |
| Hailsham Central | 3,545 |
| Hailsham East | 4,785 |
| Hailsham East | 4,785 |
| Hailsham North | 2,914 |
| Hailsham North West | 3,738 |
| Hailsham South | 3,327 |
| Hailsham West | 4,232 |
| Hartfield | 3,284 |
| Heathfield North | 3,913 |
| Heathfield South | 4,163 |
| Hellingly | 5,011 |
| Herstmonceux & Pevensey Levels (2 seats) | 6,931 |
| Horam & Punnetts Town (2 seats) | 6,902 |
| Lower Willingdon | 3,314 |
| Maresfield | 3,659 |
| Mayfield & Five Ashes | 3,654 |
| Pevensey Bay | 2,890 |
| Polegate Central | 5,107 |
| Polegate North | 3,868 |
| Polegate South & Willingdon Watermill | 3,450 |
| South Downs | 2,977 |
| Stone Cross | 3,685 |
| Uckfield East | 3,225 |
| Uckfield New Town (2 seats) | 5,744 |
| Uckfield North | 3,131 |
| Uckfield Ridgewood & Little Horsted | 3,152 |
| Upper Willingdon | 3,266 |
| Withyham | 2,956 |
| Total Wealden | 160,151 |
Wealden District covers two main upland areas: the section of the High Weald within East Sussex; and the eastern end of theSouth Downs, between which lies the Vale of Sussex, the lowlands of which are named thePevensey Levels. TheRiver Ouse, some of the tributaries of which originate in the district, is the border with theLewes District; and theRiver Cuckmere is wholly in Wealden. The district's coastline to theEnglish Channel to the south is interrupted byEastbourne. TheRiver Rother rises on the Weald and flows easterly to the east of Rye Bay.
The Wealden basin contains significant reserves of shale oil, totalling 4.4 billionbarrels of oil in Wealden and surrounding areas according to a 2014 study, which then Business and Energy MinisterMichael Fallon said "will bring jobs and business opportunities" and significantly help with UK energy self-sufficiency.Fracking in the area is required to achieve these objectives, which has been opposed by environmental groups.[37]
At the 2011 census the district had the highest proportion of home ownership of the 37 local authorities in Surrey, Sussex and Kent.[38]
This district is entirely divided intocivil parishes. The parish councils for Crowborough, Hailsham, Polegate and Uckfield take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[39][40][41]
| Parish | Type | Area (sq mi) | Population (2007) | Pop. density (/sq mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alciston | Parish Meeting | 2.7 | 146 | 53.7 |
| Alfriston | Parish Council | 3.6 | 774 | 214.2 |
| Arlington | Parish Council | 7.1 | 490 | 69.2 |
| Berwick | Parish Council | 1.9 | 289 | 149.4 |
| Buxted | Parish Council | 8.4 | 3145 | 376.4 |
| Chalvington with Ripe | Parish Council | 4.3 | 1082 | 252.0 |
| Chiddingly | Parish Council | 6.8 | 1006 | 147.9 |
| Crowborough | Town Council | 5.2 | 19988 | 3812.1 |
| Cuckmere Valley | Parish Council | 6.8 | 197 | 28.9 |
| Danehill | Parish Council | 8.7 | 1927 | 220.3 |
| East Dean and Friston | Parish Council | 3.3 | 1577 | 474.9 |
| East Hoathly with Halland | Parish Council | 5.8 | 1343 | 229.9 |
| Fletching | Parish Council | 9.9 | 1041 | 104.7 |
| Forest Row | Parish Council | 12.6 | 5054 | 402.4 |
| Framfield | Parish Council | 7.6 | 1855 | 243.3 |
| Frant | Parish Council | 12.3 | 1367 | 110.9 |
| Hadlow Down | Parish Council | 6.6 | 715 | 109.1 |
| Hailsham | Town Council | 7.5 | 19836 | 2652.3 |
| Hartfield | Parish Council | 16.2 | 2157 | 132.9 |
| Heathfield and Waldron | Parish Council | 20.4 | 11514 | 564.5 |
| Hellingly | Parish Council | 7.6 | 1552 | 205.1 |
| Herstmonceux | Parish Council | 9.5 | 2598 | 272.8 |
| Hooe | Parish Council | 3.9 | 446 | 115.4 |
| Horam | Parish Council | 4.0 | 2583 | 643.3 |
| Isfield | Parish Council | 3.0 | 564 | 190.7 |
| Laughton | Parish Council | 7.3 | 585 | 79.7 |
| Little Horsted | Parish Meeting | 4.1 | 168 | 40.8 |
| Long Man | Parish Council | 6.2 | 412 | 66.2 |
| Maresfield | Parish Council | 10.1 | 3246 | 319.9 |
| Mayfield and Five Ashes | Parish Council | 16.4 | 3562 | 217.6 |
| Ninfield | Parish Council | 4.1 | 1520 | 371.7 |
| Pevensey | Parish Council | 6.8 | 3152 | 463.8 |
| Polegate | Town Council | 2.8 | 8021 | 2853.6 |
| Rotherfield | Parish Council | 17.8 | 3151 | 177.0 |
| Selmeston | Parish Meeting | 2.6 | 190 | 73.1 |
| Uckfield | Town Council | 2.9 | 13873 | 4810.0 |
| Wadhurst | Parish Council | 15.5 | 4818 | 311.0 |
| Warbleton | Parish Council | 11.2 | 1262 | 112.3 |
| Wartling | Parish Council | 4.3 | 396 | 92.7 |
| Westham | Parish Council | 5.5 | 5829 | 1066.9 |
| Willingdon and Jevington | Parish Council | 4.1 | 6156 | 1511.3 |
| Withyham | Parish Council | 14.2 | 2651 | 186.7 |
| Total Wealden | 321.7 | 142238 | 442.2 |
The major trunk road is theA22, London to Eastbourne; it is crossed by theA26Maidstone–Lewes road at Uckfield; and theA267Tunbridge Wells to Eastbourne road. There are also three west–east roads: theA259 coastal route; next inland is theA27 Pevensey–Brighton trunk road; and further to the north theA272 cross-country route toWinchester.
TheEast Coastway Line, serving Eastbourne andHastings, uses the Vale of Sussex and has two station serving different sides of Pevensey in the district, which forms a generally suburban conurbation with Westham and a largely rural holiday and visitor coastline,Pevensey Bay. The other railway line is theUckfield Branch Line from London Bridge.
Bus service is provided byWealdlink.
Wealden is crossed by a number ofNational Cycle Network routes:
Route 2 (South Coast Cycle Route)[42]
Route 21 (London to Eastbourne) which makes use of theForest Way andCuckoo Trail paths along disused railway lines[43]
Long-distance footpaths include theSouth Downs Way, theMonarch's Way, theSussex Border Path and theWealdway.
Wealden is served byBBC South East andITV Meridian broadcasting from theHeathfield TV transmitter which is situated nearHeathfield.[44]
Radio stations for the area are:
Major landmarks include theSeven Sisters andCuckmere Haven along the coast; and theLong Man of Wilmington together with all of the paths over theSouth Downs National Park. Roman fortified hills can be found in the north of the area andUckfield has a large architecturalconservation area.
Sheffield Park Garden is an informal landscape garden now owned by theNational Trust but laid out byCapability Brown. Near to this is the terminus of theBluebell Railway, a heritage, steam railway line.
A late medieval castle construction, moatedHerstmonceux Castle, was begun in 1440. It is open to visitors and there are organised tours on a few summer days.[45]
The north of the district includesAshdown Forest, which provided the inspiration for theHundred Acre Wood in theWinnie the Pooh stories byA. A. Milne, who lived in Hartfield.
