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Report to:
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Lead Member for
Transport and Environment
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Date of
meeting:
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20 October
2025
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By:
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Director of
Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title:
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Community Match
Schemes for 2025/26
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Purpose:
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To consider
expenditure for 2025/26 as contribution towards Community Match
schemes
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RECOMMENDATIONS: The
Lead Member is recommended to:
(1)
Agree that
£15,000 (subject to detail design and any unforeseen
circumstances) of match funding is allocated towards the Catsfield
Community Match speed reduction scheme for detailed design work and
construction in 2025/26;
(2)
Agree that
£25,000 (subject to detail design and any unforeseen
circumstances) of match funding is allocated towards the Ewhurst
Community Match layby scheme for detailed design work and
construction in 2025/26; and
(3)
Delegate
authority to the Director of Communities,
Economy and Transport to approve the 50% match funding contribution
for the schemes in recommendations 1 and 2, up to a maximum
contribution of £60,000 (including contingencies) per scheme
once the design and construction costs are
known.
1
Background Information
1.1.
The Community Match initiative was
launched by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) in 2014. The
initiative offered the opportunity for local communities in East
Sussex (typically a Parish or Town Council or community group) to
take forward schemes identified as a local priority, but not
assessed to be of sufficient priority to be delivered using County
Council funding alone through the Council’s Capital Programme
of Local Transport Improvements.
1.2.
The Community Match process begins with a
feasibility study to assist Parishes and communities in identifying
possible solutions to locally identified traffic or transport
issues and determining cost estimates. The feasibility study is
undertaken by East Sussex Highways and is funded by the Parish/Town
Council, residents’ group, or organisations promoting the
scheme. Many potential schemes do not progress beyond the
feasibility stage as it becomes clear that the scheme is not
feasible or would be too expensive to deliver using Parish funding,
or there is no agreement among local residents and businesses about
the scheme proposals.
1.3.
If a Parish or Town Council or community
group support the measures suggested in the feasibility appraisal,
they can apply to the County Council for Community Match funds to
take the scheme forward to detailed design and construction. The
maximum financial input from the County Council is £60,000
per scheme, which needs to be matched by the Parish Council or
community group. The feasibility appraisals are only able to give
approximate scheme costs and more detailed scheme costs can be
provided to applicants as more design work is undertaken. As part
of the Community Match funding applications, the relevant County
Councillors are asked whether they are supportive of the proposed
Community Match schemes in their division.
1.4.
The delivery of Community Match Schemes will help contribute
towards the County Council’s priorities of making the best use of resources
now and for the future, and keeping
vulnerable people safe.
2
Supporting Information
Community Match Schemes for
2025/2026
2.
2.1.
The Community Match funding scheme has now ended. The County
Council will still honour all applications submitted before the
decision was made to close the scheme.
2.2.
Two applications have been received
requesting funding to take schemes forward. It is important that
projects have strong support from the local community and that they
comply with relevant County Council policies.
2.3.
A summary of the schemes, together with
estimated total cost, community contribution and Community Match
Fund contribution, is shown below. The community contribution will
be at least 50% of the detailed design and construction costs for
each scheme. The final costs will likely vary from the current
estimate once the detailed design has been undertaken and the
scheme fully costed. Therefore, the level of Community Match Fund
contribution allocated to each project, with a maximum contribution
of £60,000 per project, may change depending on the final
cost. The respective local County Councillor for each of the
schemes have indicated their support.
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Scheme
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Total
cost
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Community
contribution
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ESCC
Community Match Fund contribution
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Catsfield
Parish Council – Introduction of a 30mph speed limit along
part of the B2044 and along the B2095, north of
Catsfield.
The scheme
would be delivered through the East Sussex Highways
contract.
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Circa
£30,000
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£15,000
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£15,000
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Ewhurst
Parish Council – Introduction of a 30mph speed limit along
part of the B2044 and along the B2095, north of
Catsfield.
The scheme
would be delivered through the East Sussex Highways
contract.
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Circa
£50,000
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£25,000
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£25,000
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Risks
2.4 Communities
will be recharged their share of the detailed design and
construction work. In addition, for Community Match schemes there
is a notable risk around delivering schemes that include speed
limit or parking changes which require a Traffic Regulation Order
(TRO). There is an increase in costs that comes with delivering
these types of schemes due to the additional resources and
administration required. If formal objections to TROs are received
and cannot be resolved by discussion with the objector, they must
be considered by the Planning Committee. This process adds both
time and cost to the scheme.
3 Conclusion
and Reasons for Recommendations
3.
3.1.
The Community Match programme provides
the opportunity for Town or Parish councils, local resident groups
and organisations to secure match funding to enable local priority
schemes to be delivered. These are schemes which otherwise would
not materialise using County Council funding alone through the
capital programme of local transport improvements.
3.2.
Therefore, the Lead Member is recommended
to allocate £15,000 and £25,000 of community match
funding to the speed reduction schemes in Catsfield and Ewhurst
respectively.
3.3.
The Lead Member is recommended to delegate authority to the
Director of Communities, Economy and Transport to approve the 50%
match funding contribution for the schemes in recommendations 1 and
2, up to a maximum contribution of £60,000 (including
contingencies) per scheme once the design and construction costs
are known.
RUPERT CLUBB
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact
Officers:
Alex Benham-Wood
Email:
Alex.Benham-Wood@eastsussex.gov.uk
Victoria
Rojanachotikul
Email: Victoria.rojanachotikul@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Catsfield: Councillor
Kathryn Field
Ewhurst: Councillor
Paul Redstone
BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
Catsfield Feasibility
Study
Catsfield EqIA
Ewhurst Feasibility
Study
Ewhurst EqIA