spring there are early purple orchid. However the area has been threatened. In 2005 the farmer placed a large pheasant pen on these pastures. Activists were quick to inform DEFRA who instructed the farmer to remove it, although the pen is still on a part of the site. The north slope of Halcombe () has lost much of its old pasture to scrub, but the turf that remains is very rich. There is Dyer’s greenweed, round-headed rampion, squinancywort, common gromwell and hound’s tongue. The site is at risk from scrub encroachment although some chalkhill blue are still present in high summer. Nore Down Nore Down () has a rumpled top that marks the presence of the Tertiary sands and clays underneath. On its west flank there are large medieval lynchets, but the valley, like much of the downland in this area, has been turned over to game shooting, and there is cover crops and a giant rearing pen covering part of once chalk grassland slope. Governance At a local level Piddinghoe is governed by Piddinghoe Parish Council. Their responsibilities include footpaths, street lighting, playgrounds and minor planning applications. The parish council has five seats available although only four were filled in the uncontested May 2007 election. The next level of government is the district council. The parish of Piddinghoe lies within the Kingston ward of Lewes District Council, which returns a single seat to the council. The election on 12 May 2015 returned a Liberal Democrat East Sussex County Council is the next tier of government, for which Piddinghoe is within the Newhaven and Ouse Valley West division, with responsibility for education, libraries, social services, civil registration, trading standards and transport. elections for the county council are held every four years. The Liberal Democrat Carla Butler was elected in the 2013 election. The UK Parliament constituency for Piddinghoe is Lewes. The Liberal Democrat Norman Baker served as the constituency MP from 1997 until 2015, when Conservative Maria Caulfield was elected. Prior to Brexit in 2020, the village was part of the South East England constituency in the European Parliament. References External links St John's Church Piddinghoe weather Visit South East England, sailing Civil parishes in East Sussex Villages in East Sussex