Your Town and Parish Council News - Have your say on CLCs - and more June 2021

Marking the million

More than one million people across Sussex have now received their Covid-19 vaccination.

Click here to read and watch more.

To help inform your residents, you can find up to date details of who’s now eligible, how to book and updates on the Sussex vaccination programme here.

Make your residents aware that if they have no way to get to their appointment, they can book free transport for a Covid-safe journey. They will need to book their appointment first, then visit here  to find details of how to book transport.

We’d also like to hear your views on symptom-free Covid-19 testing in West Sussex. Are you using the tests or not?

Please complete this short, anonymous survey.  The answers will help us to better understand, manage and prioritise our resources as we work to #KeepWestSussexSafe.

Please also share this survey with your contacts.

View the latest local Covid-19 case data here.

Our Council Plan and county councillor contacts

West Sussex County Council Leader Paul Marshall has set out his priorities for the next four years.

The priorities are captured in Our Council Plan, the corporate plan for 2021 to 2025, and the budget. The plan covers everything from education to highways, community support to the fire service, and provides stability across the organisation.

Within the wide-reaching strategy, the main four priorities are:

• keeping people safe from vulnerable situations
• creating a sustainable and prosperous economy
• helping people and communities to fulfil their potential
• making the best use of resources.

View the full list of Cabinet, Chairman and Vice Chairman appointments here and photos and contact details of all county councillors here.

Sussex Day: safely celebrating our county's past, present and future

The past, present and future of our county are once again being celebrated on Sussex Day – 16 June.

Spread the word among your residents about ways they can celebrate the Day, including

• Joining West Sussex Record Office and Screen Archive South East for a free online event exploring the places, stories and significance of the South Downs National Park
• Visiting Experience West Sussex for ideas on places to visit and stay, things to do and where to eat
• Supporting local businesses by discovering locally produced food and drink
• Finding out more about Sussex Day.

Please also remind parishioners to celebrate Sussex Day safely by following the hands, face, space and fresh air guidance, as well as current national restrictions.

Send us your views on County Local Committees

All Town and Parish Councils are invited to comment on a proposal to replace County Local Committees (CLCs). 

This proposal is due to be considered by the Governance Committee on 28 June.

Most decision-making by CLCs has gone and this means we can look at ways to improve arrangements for councillors to be involved in a more informal session with a focus on community connections and in particular the 'talk with us' public-facing element of the CLC.

The proposal therefore is to replace CLCs with informal local area forums on a district/borough area basis to be trialled for one year. These local area forums will not be decision-making, but local members will still be involved in the allocation of traffic regulation orders (TROs) through different procedures.

We’d like to hear your views on this proposal. We’d also welcome thoughts on any opportunities to connect these forums with existing community engagement activities you already undertake.

Please send comments to monique.smart@westsussex.gov.uk by Tuesday 15 June 2021. 

A summary of all responses received will then be included in the report to the Governance Committee.

Talk with Us - and meet county councillors

Please note also that Talk With Us sessions are taking place where residents and yourselves have the opportunity to meet local county councillors and ask any questions they have on county council-related business.

The sessions will be run virtually from 8pm to 8.30pm on the following days:

• Monday 14 June: Crawley
• Thursday 17 June: Chichester district
• Monday 21 June: Arun
• Tuesday 22 June: Mid Sussex
• Tuesday 29 June: Adur and Worthing
• Thursday 1 July: Horsham district

Email talkwithus@westsussex.gov.uk to attend a local session and joining details will be sent through. Anyone who would like to ask a question is requested to email it to the same email address at least two days before the planned session. If they attend the session they can then put the question in person as well as hearing other questions and how they are answered. Having the questions in advance will help ensure they can be fully answered in the meeting.

Anyone who isn’t able to attend the sessions, but would still like to ask a question, can also email and officers will ensure they get a response.

Give bees a chance!

You may have noticed pollinator-friendly road verges starting to appear across West Sussex as part of a pilot project to increase the biodiversity of plants and wildflowers - crucial habitats for bees, moths, and butterflies.

Community road verges (CRVs) are identified, and often looked after, by local communities interested in caring for pollinators.

CRVs are limited to one mow per year, herbicides are not used, and grass is collected in these areas to reduce soil fertility and enable wildflowers to compete against dominant grasses.

Communities are beginning to monitor and track biodiversity changes in these areas to understand the impact CRVs might have on pollinators.

We will be reviewing the success of the pilot project over the coming months. Requests for the next phase, if we extend the programme, can be sent to: active.communities@westsussex.gov.uk

Find out more here and you can also read about what else we’re doing to help pollinators.  

Deadline extended

The deadline for applications to provide food and activities to West Sussex schoolchildren in the summer and Christmas holidays has been extended to 15 June 2021.

If your town or parish council is interested in taking part in the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, or you know of holiday clubs, groups and organisations who would, please let them know about the extended deadline.

Register your interest here and we will be in touch.

Help save the lost woods of Sussex

Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs is a partnership project made possible by players of the National Lottery.

Please spend five to 10 minutes completing this online survey, which will help connect local communities in the Lost Woods area and identify the needs and opportunities to improve the lives of local people. 

Action in Rural Sussex is facilitating community activities to bring to life forgotten areas of woodland in Sussex and protect them for the future. This will create better habitat for our local wildlife, make our woodlands more resilient and help fight the dual threat of the climate and biodiversity crises.