Five councillors have called in Wealden's £450,000 army camp grant plan. Scrutiny decides on 20 October whether it can be spent or goes back to Cabinet.
Wealden’s plan for up to £450,000 of Home Office money linked to Crowborough Army Camp is on hold. Five councillors have called in the Cabinet decision, and it cannot go ahead until a scrutiny committee has looked at it.
The committee meets on Tuesday 20 October at 10am. (Wealden, Scrutiny and Performance Committee agenda)
Cabinet agreed the spending on 7 October. The call-in request arrived the same day. The council’s decision record now lists the item as “Item Called In” and says “the decision is currently being reconsidered”. (Wealden, decision details)
The council’s own news release from that day, headed “Council agrees £260,000 of Home Office funding to support Crowborough community”, does not mention the call-in. (Wealden District Council, 7 October 2026)
Who called it in
The request was signed by five councillors who all sit in the Wealden Partners group, according to the council’s councillor list. The council is led by the Alliance for Wealden. (Wealden, councillors)
| Councillor | Party | Ward |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Wilson | Conservative | Crowborough South East |
| Michael Lunn | Conservative | Hadlow Down and Rotherfield |
| Ann Newton | Conservative | Framfield and Cross-in-Hand |
| Johanna Howell | Conservative | Frant and Wadhurst |
| Kevin Benton | Independent | Heathfield South |
Councillor Wilson is the only one of the five who represents a Crowborough ward. He also chairs the Scrutiny and Performance Committee, and Councillor Lunn sits on it. Councillors Benton and Newton are named as substitutes. (Agenda frontsheet, 20 October)
Why they called it in
The request says the decision fell short on four of the council’s principles of decision making:
- openness
- clarity of aims and desired outcomes
- reasonableness, including that the decision is based only on relevant information
- a clear record of the options considered and the reasons for the decision
Their reasons, as set out in the committee report, are in three parts. First, Cabinet earmarked “substantial sums to specified recipients” without enough information to show why those recipients and amounts were chosen. The request lists need, additionality, value for money and intended outcomes as missing, along with “adequate consideration of alternative, eligible uses”. (Report for call-in of Cabinet decision)
Second, it says the Cabinet debate confirmed that due diligence, funding agreements and delivery arrangements were still to be settled after the decision. It also points to “unresolved questions concerning the applicable funding conditions and the budgetary basis” for parts of the decision.
Third, it asks the committee to examine whether Cabinet had enough relevant information to make “a reasonable and properly informed decision”.
What is on hold
Cabinet’s plan, which we reported before the meeting, splits the money like this:
- £110,000 to a new Crowborough Community Investment Fund, topped up to £170,000 with unspent ward budget money
- £100,000 for facilities at the camp, to be used later by the RAF and Army cadets
- £50,000 to Crowborough Town Council for extra staff
- £100,000 to Migrant Help
- £90,000 to SAMAS, for English lessons, music, art and sport at the camp
Two £10,000 sums from the community fund were pencilled in for the town’s cadet associations and for empty shops and shop fronts on the High Street. (Wealden District Council, 7 October 2026)
What the committee can do
The committee report gives it three choices:
- Take no further action. The decision can then be put into effect.
- Send it back to Cabinet with its concerns. Cabinet then has 10 working days to decide whether to change it before making a final decision.
- Refer it to Full Council. The report says Full Council can only overturn the decision if it breaks the council’s budget or policy framework. It says the committee will only do this “other than in exceptional circumstances” where it thinks that test is met.
At the meeting, one of the five signatories explains the call-in, the Cabinet or its representative may respond, and committee members can question both sides and officers.
What it means for you
- Local groups hoping to bid for the community fund: the fund’s rules are not out yet, and nothing can be finalised until the call-in is settled.
- Cadet families: the fencing of two cadet buildings at the camp is separate work paid for by the Home Office, which the council said on 2 October had already begun. The £100,000 for facilities at the camp, which the cadets would keep afterwards, is part of what is on hold. (Wealden District Council, 2 October 2026)
- To watch or attend: the meeting is at the Civic Community Hall, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, BN27 2AX, about 14 miles south of Crowborough. It is open to the public, with seats first come, first served, and the council says it will be webcast live. Enquiries go to democratic services on 01892 602720.
Have your say