About the Ratton Neighbourhood Panel
The Ratton Neighbourhood Panel was established in February 2008 following an initiative by Sussex Police with the primary objective that any issue of concern identified by the community in Ratton could be referred to the Police, Ratton Councillors or any other organisation for appropriate action. In short, it is primarily a lobby group.
The wide ranging representation from many parts of Ratton has ensured the success of the Panel through the presence of County and Borough Councillors, the Head Teacher for Ratton School, the Head of Security for Eastbourne District General Hospital and a number of resident community groups.
To ensure success, it has been vital to invite key representation from people who were prepared to listen to the concerns expressed by the community. As a result, a considerable degree of success has already been achieved following concerns expressed by residents including antic-social behaviour, litter, street lighting, unreasonable parking and speeding. The message to residents is that if you have a concern and have the evidence to support that concern, you have a good chance of getting something done about it if you address the issue in the right way to the right person.
A key component of the Neighbourhood Panel has been the presentation of regular crime updates from neighbourhood police officers who, for the most part, are able to offer a reassurance that crime in Ratton is relatively low by comparison with other parts of the town.
Representation on the Panel continues to grow as more people in the Ratton community realise that the Panel is not a talking shop but a forum for action. Both local police officers and Ratton Councillors have shown themselves to be extremely positive in addressing issues on behalf of the residents. Moreover, this has gone some considerable way to engendering a greater community spirit and a feeling of support for some of the area’s more vulnerable residents.
The Panel meets about every six weeks at Ratton School, Park Avenue in Ratton in order to consider progress on addressing issues previously raised by residents and at the same time, to address any new concerns that may have been brought to the attention of the Panel by Panel members or anyone living in the Ratton community.
If you have any comments, or issues that you would like to bring to the attention of the Panel, please complete our questionnaire or e-mail us