Where next for Rye Town Council?

The appointment of a new town councillor, or co-option as it is called when no public election is held, hopefully provokes questions about the direction that our town will take in the future – especially in the light of upcoming significant political change.

A town council is a vital element in local democracy, being closest to the community that it serves and responsible for ensuring the best economic and social environment for the businesses and residents in the area it covers. At the same time, its statutory powers are limited, with important areas like planning and policing managed at district or county levels.

The structure above the council will soon be subject to radical change, with as yet unknown responsibilities devolved to the Rye Town Council level. You may have already seen the council survey asking for input on priorities for acquiring and managing assets that are currently under the control of Rother District Council – perhaps an indication of what may happen in the future.

In this changing environment Rye surely needs a vision for the future, encompassing all aspects of economic and social life. We currently have an excellent Neighbourhood Plan as a reference document but what are we going to actually do to ensure that we have the right housing, services and employment opportunities that will make Rye vibrant and successful in the short, medium and longer terms. Where is our set of needs that any developments must aspire to meet as investments are made in the town?

At the same time we are very lucky to have a highly motivated and effective range of community organisations – from the leisure centre, community gardens, residents’ associations, chamber of commerce, our foodbank, events organisers and many, many more – all working tirelessly, and in most cases purely voluntarily, to create the environment that we all want to live and work in.

So what is the potential role for a town council in this complex, and ever changing, environment? Surely it is their role to bring all this together, helping to ensure that everything we do is helping Rye to prepare for and adapt to political, economic, social and environmental changes that will affect us all.

It’s a big challenge, and one that may seem daunting, but someone has to do it if we are to begin to take responsibility for our own future. But considering the existing high levels of activity in our community maybe it’s not so dramatic to have an aspirational town plan, and some coordination amongst all the good things that already exist. Then maybe we identify shared areas of concern and ensure that we fill in the gaps, as well as ensuring that actions are taken that will meet the long-term needs of the town.

So let’s have a Rye Town Plan, and a community coordination group as soon as possible …. hopefully this will be in the minds of our councillors as they appoint their new colleague. The council then needs to quickly, and proactively, prepare for a new local government structure that will be introduced over the next two years. This all leads to a set of elections in 2027 when candidates will need to set out their vision of the future so that we can elect a council that will lead us through the challenges ahead.

This process is starting now as a new councillor is appointed, so let’s set aside the current lack of interest in / disenchantment with, politics and ensure we have strong town leadership through a period of major change.

Image Credits: Kt bruce , Nick Forman .