Welcome to the Local Alliance Blog

I heard a new word this week - do you know what a nonagenarian is? Are you one yourself? Would you start a new career if you were in your nineties?  Earlier this week, I came across this article about six senior high fliers including one who became a comedian at 89 and another who became an author at 93. There’s even someone who became a Councillor at the same time as I did nearly two years ago, but at the age of 100 had 44 years on me.  Donna and I have Full CDC on Tuesday, so you can watch it live from 2pm . It’s main focus is the budget; these are difficult times because statutory services have to be maintained but the pandemic has significantly impacted on local government revenue streams, e.g. parish councils (maybe 5% of your bill) have lost letting income while CDC (about 9%) has lost car park revenue. In the 2021 budget we unsuccessfully tried to include provision for extra support for businesses should the, then just emerging, pandemic negatively affect the economy. ...

Do you value the uniqueness of our local area? When I tell work colleagues where I live they always tell me how fortunate I am to live here and comment on how beautiful our District is. West Sussex is committed to help reduce the threat to our bees and other pollinators that are vital to our crops, gardens and countryside, as well as improving awareness and increasing the number of pollinator habitats, so they have produced a Pollinator Action Plan . In similar vein, if you would like to learn more about wider climatic matters this website may prove useful . Healthwatch West Sussex exists to make health and care services work for the people who use them. They give people across West Sussex the opportunity to have their say about health and care services. They are an independent organisation but have a statutory voice, meaning those who plan, buy, provide and monitor services (commissioners and providers) have to listen to people through them. The Chichester Festival Theatre are deli...

What falls ever more infrequently on our District’s beaches? That’s right, snow! The recent cold weather is a reminder to reduce the risk of your pipes bursting by regular boiler servicing. fixing dripping taps and lagging tanks and pipes, particularly close to doors and other cold spots. It is also a good idea to make sure you know where your stopcock is so you can quickly limit the damage, if water starts gushing, and check empty premises regularly. With Half term upon us, the wonders of the “red planet”, live tours of the night’s sky, stunning astrophotography, nocturnal wildlife talks, children’s colouring activities and a chance to win a top-of-the-range telescope are among the highlights of the South Downs National Park’s Dark Skies Festival , which includes a real-time tour of the night sky with acclaimed astronomer Dr John Mason. Speaking of young people, did you spot this news story about our County’s Youth cabinet and the national award they have won ?  I recently c...

Have you noticed how wet it has been this week? Whatever the relative merits of working from home may be, at this time of year it may prevent you venturing out whilst it is still light, so earlier this week, whilst the car was being MOT’d, I took this picture near Pagham Harbour to show you what you may have been missing. Staying with weather, the Met Office has issued a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert because there is a 90% probability of our having severe conditions between 0900 on Saturday 06 Feb and 2100 on Wednesday 10 Feb. This could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services, so please refer to the national Cold Weather Plan . I mentioned the May 6 elections last week: we learnt today there is increasing confidence as the vaccination rollout progresses that they will go ahead. You can register to vote here but must do so by April 19. If you are unable to go to, or would prefer not to vote at your polling station, you can apply to vote by p...