Can/t hold a candle to ti

We begin, like you, in this period of national mourning, with our continuing thoughts and best wishes for his Majesty the King and his family, and again expressing our gratitude for the service of his late Mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

We trust you will understand why it has been a fortnight since our last post: councils postponed what they could out of respect, particularly public meetings, but the less visible case work has obviously continued. Donna and I also went to the County Accession Proclamation before racing back to Selsey's,

Do you remember the blackouts of the 1970s? Did you always keep a supply of candles and matches ready? Those days may return because increasingly there is talk of blackouts this winter, and the steps we may have to take to avoid them like cooking after 8pm, delaying clothes washes and turning the lights off.

"How can we save more money?" is increasingly becoming a growing concern for many people this winter, despite the Government’s 2-year £2500 Energy Price Freeze on the price cap of energy bills for a typical household; this is about twice what a typical household was paying last year, and the number of them falling behind on their utility bills has already grown nearly 15 per cent between April and June (to hit 2.7million) following the previous price cap increase from £1,277 to £1,971.

We will continue to share news of potential assistance and useful tips that come our way; for instance, the average family of four can save as much as £70 a month by reducing their food waste (£840 in a year!) Around 40 per cent of the rubbish in an average West Sussex bin is made up of food waste. Most of this is actually avoidable and 70 per cent could have been eaten at some point: -

Check your fridge and freezer temperatures - fridges should be at 5 degrees Celsius or below and freezers at -18 degrees Celsius or below. From time to time, check any built-in digital thermometers against a free-standing one to ensure accuracy.
Batch cook - Make more than you need for one meal and freeze the rest for another day. Not only does this save wasting food, but saves you time and money too.
Before throwing food out, consider whether it can be frozen to be used another day. For example, lemons can be sliced and frozen to go in drinks, or partially used tins of ingredients can be placed in a container and frozen, if suitable.
Use leftovers - Think about how any leftovers can be used to form the basis of another meal, such as soups, sauces or sandwiches.
Visit the Love Food Hate Waste website for more ideas, recipes and information.

Tumble dryers can be expensive and damage clothes over time, so these suggestions for faster indoor drying are worth considering.

With the Festival of Thrift, "waste not, want not" and spin dryers regaining popularity, I can’t help feeling we are going back in time.

We have just bought a mini oven to help reduce our energy consumption. Apparently, you can clean the limescale in your kettle so it is more efficient by filling it three quarters full of either water and one lemon, or with equal parts water and white vinegar. Then let it soak for one hour. Don’t forget: -

Dishwashers are not always more expensive if you fill them up.
Overfilling kettles wastes money as does keeping the heating on low all day if you are not in.
Appliances use energy when they are on standby and turning the thermostat up does not heat the house faster.

Work has begun to improve the energy performance and carbon footprint of part of CDC’s short stay accommodation by upgrading the heating system in older buildings. Earlier this year, CDC was successful in securing £205,000 of Government funding to support the project. Together with a council investment of £135,000, this money is now being used to make improvements, such as replacing all of the heating units with modern and more efficient versions and installing LED lighting to the kitchens and bathrooms in 41 flats.

CDC are trialling some 6pm meetings this month. This week I had the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, while next week is Full Council on the 27th.

WSCC warns that hacking of social media accounts continues to be popular amongst cyber criminals because they hold a wealth of information on an individual. Your data can be harvested or replicated to create fake accounts or sold on. 2 step verification or another form of multi-factor authentication are imperative for keeping your online accounts safe because they ensure that if anyone tries to log in to your account - even if they have somehow obtained your password – they will be denied access, as a notification with an access code will be sent to you.

There is a warning about two android apps that might have been infected with a big that can empty your bank account.

Work on what will be the world's longest coastal path reaches the Peninsula soon.

Chichester, meanwhile, has been named the most relaxing city in the UK.

This has also been picked up by national newspapers, but when you read this article you realise they mean our District as they mistakenly believe that West Dean Gardens is in the City itself.

Chichester, or at least the A27 bypass, came instantly to my mind when I read this article about the suggestion of a road tunnel for Worthing.

September is going fast, so here are some things next month you might be interested in, including a National Poetry Day event on October 6th in Chichester.

Finally: -