Full Council will meet next week to set the 2025/26 budget and, with others having already agreed their share of Council Tax, we will soon be issuing thousands of bills to households across Rother.
There is a huge cost associated with printing and mailing out Council Tax bills and I would encourage residents to sign up for an online account and go paperless.
As well as finding it easier to view council tax payments along with other important information, by opting to go paperless residents can help the environment, help us reduce our carbon footprint and save the council money.
It’s quick and easy to sign up – you just need to sign up to a My Rother digital account via https://my.rother.gov.uk/, which enables you to access a range of services and report issues and request an online account.
Sign up soon to get this year’s Council Tax bill online.
Our efforts to reduce the district’s carbon footprint and reduce energy costs continue with the latest project nearing completion.
We launched the Village Halls Energy Project back in 2023 to identify village and community halls where carbon emissions were high and there was energy inefficiency.
As a result, 39 halls have shared £500,000 of council funding which has paid for energy assessments, energy efficiency improvements and decarbonisation projects.
We set an ambitious target to become a net zero district by 2030 which requires us to look at every element of our work throughout the district. But it’s also vital that we bring residents and businesses in the district along with us.
I’m extremely grateful to those involved in community and village halls across Rother for their enthusiasm for the Village Halls Energy Project and for their time and effort in submitting bids.
You’ll no doubt have seen the news that Sussex has been accepted onto the Government’s priority programme for devolution with agreement that there should be a mayoral strategic authority with an elected mayor for East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex.
Local Government reorganisation will follow in which unitary authorities will be established for the three areas to replace county and district and borough councils – a model already exists elsewhere in the country.
Devolution could unlock new powers and investment for the region, give the people of Sussex a stronger voice in how national decisions affect them and enable more decisions to be taken locally. As I have said previously, our focus will always be on what is best for the district and its residents. We will make sure we are at the forefront of discussions.
A public consultation has now been launched by central Government and can be found at Sussex and Brighton devolution consultation – GOV.UK. I would encourage residents to take part in that consultation to ensure that the views of Rother residents are fully considered.
Published: 21st February 2025
