Welcome to the Local Alliance Blog

  Have you had your first mince pie of the season yet? I have, with cream, but I am blaming Donna for buying it for me. I have just entered my daily update in the Covid Symptom Study app I mentioned last week  - you can learn more about it here . I also, like many of you,  now have the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app which uses the first half of your postcode to tell you the risk level in the District / Borough you live in and your Bluetooth to warn you if you have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of someone who tests positive. Like many other businesses and places of work, my school has registered as a venue for the NHS app. In case you missed it, this is the site to register your venue(s) and get your own QR code(s) from .   This Tuesday was Chichester’s Full Council meeting.  For once, Members, irrespective of Party, voted to challenge the Government’s two Planning consultations due to the massive impact on our District: a large perce...

NHS Test and Trace have issued the following messages for stakeholders on coronavirus testing. To stop the spread of the virus remember Hands. Face. Space: wash your hands regularly, use a face covering when social distancing is not possible and try to keep your distance from those not in your household. There is now very high demand for coronavirus tests and it is vital we test people with symptoms to help stop the spread of the virus. ·           If you have coronavirus symptoms, you must get a test. ·           If you don’t have symptoms, don’t get a test. ·           We all need to play our part to protect the NHS Test and Trace service for those who really need it. A recent survey at testing sites found a quarter of people turning up did not have symptoms. If you don’t have coronavirus symptoms, and have not been advised to...

  Have you heard about the Great British September Clean? After a busy summer of staycationers, our beaches could use a bit of extra TLC this year. So if you are interested in organising a clean-up, or just helping out, details can be found here . The recent “Indian Summer” is gently fading and in the next week we are forecast to transition gradually to cooler, more traditional, autumnal weather. That is generally when many of us switch from sun-seeking to enjoying a nice walk. If that's you, Sussex Live have recently recommended eleven beautiful walks in Sussex you might like to try - click to learn more . There is a new walking course to help residents improve their health and wellbeing. It has been launched by Chichester Wellbeing 01243 521041. They also offer other services so a look at their website, or a phone call, could be worthwhile . Walking can also benefit others as this recent heartwarming story about fundraising for the Howard Ward of St Richards .  This is St. R...

  We’re reaching the stage now when the summer is starting to seem a distant memory. The better weather helps a bit, but even so... Schools are truly back now. At mine, we have been finalising arrangements for every eventuality and I have become used to a sea of face coverings in the corridors, and increasingly in lessons as well. Apologies if we do not manage to get our weekly posts out on Fridays for a while: in addition to my previous ‘physical’ workload in school, I need the first half of the weekend to plan, prepare and set remote work for the coming week for students who are not in. Anyway, did you read the news about the Second World War explosive detonated in Selsey this week?  The Argus kindly ran the story . Incidents like this are not so uncommon here because of the key role our area played during World War Two. Having said that, one of the main ongoing local news topics remains the proposed changes to the planning system (see our last post) and concerns about their...

  So, the 6 weeks of summer have gone once more, and like many students and my colleagues, I am back to school. I teach just inside the M25 so for how long I will be on site remains to be seen, but lower traffic volumes are saving me half an hour a day, and it's much more pleasant not to encounter lengthy queues and delays.  Donna and I cut back as far as we could, to have an on/off break around Council commitments and casework. We know the latter affects people's lives and livelihoods so we did not just down tools. Did you see Earnley feature in the Guardian ? The article was about the response to the Planning White Paper, which proposes to dramatically change the current planning process.  Planning is a major issue for our District because 70% is in the South Downs National Park dramatically reducing what can be built on. Donna came across this government summary that will tell you a little more about what is being proposed .  October 1 is the deadline for the cons...