The sea does not...;
This week is our last blog before the District and Parish elections this coming Thursday, 4th May, and as the count is all day next Friday, with an uncertain finish, the most important thing I must do is to thank the Facebook admins who have kindly allowed us to keep you up to speed for the last four years, particularly Luke and Emma: throughout the lockdowns they helped us keep you informed of the local situation with regard to cases, vaccinations and other key updates like the Community Hub. They do what they do for no gain, so we can all be better informed. Thank you all once again!
However you cast it, it is important you vote (with voter ID) on Thursday. Don’t forget CDC decide planning applications and business licences, they also run services like our bin collections, public toilets, community wardens and the foreshore team. To protect the Peninsula, we believe the last four years have proven the need for as many Independent Local Alliance Councillors on CDC as possible, and a solid majority on Selsey Town Council; it is our District’s largest parish after the City and has about an eighth of the population.
These are details of our candidates.
View our area’s election information here.
Before we move on, part four of 'Selseygate' - you may recall that the Local Government Association is clear that Conservatives cannot be Independents, but at least three of the nine 'Independents' for Selsey Town Council are prominent Chichester Conservatives. (We asked them to be honest about this and they blocked us.) You may also recall one candidate clarifying there is a “We” fighting us as “Independents” in the Town election and as Conservatives in the District. Last week residents spotted several of them proving their collaboration by delivering each others’ almost identical literature and campaigning in public together. This week, there has been considerable surprise at how often they share each other’s posts and how similar sounding the various trolls that keep appearing are.
The main 'thrust' of this political grouping is to ignore our residents' wish, last year, to keep giving grants to community groups to stage events, which results in lower Council tax. Selsey's Jubilee Jamboree and Christmas events were both excellent, proving that our community is more than capable, allowing STC to bear down on its precept and divert monies to things like parks and playgrounds.
We are gaining wider recognition, which may go some way to explain the toxicity we are encountering, "Finally, there are a huge number of NOC councils in the South East, and as you can see in the map above, these are usually fairly marginal. Watch out for the Conservative minorities in: Chichester, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Ashford, and Arun where they face challenges from the Liberal Democrats or strong local independents."
Our YouTube channel is updated with every new video we produce; we have some more in production so keep your eyes peeled, but in addition to “Prioritise Selsey” which is on our website, there is: -
Sadly 400 shop workers are abused every day, which is a sobering statistic. The #ShopKind campaign unites the retail sector in tackling violence and abuse against retail workers and as part of this campaign Sussex Police are reminding everyone that there is no excuse to treat retail workers with anything but respect, dignity and kindness.
Do you like an ice cream? Who doesn’t? Regular readers will know that Donna and I are fond of the Isle of Wight and sometimes pop over for an afternoon. We used to get the Red Jet from Southampton until the car park we use was partially closed. Then we would walk from Cowes to Gurnard along the coastal path for a sandwich, and stop at an ice cream van as we walked back. Many of you may have fond memories of vans at the sea front, public events, or driving round your area. I can remember racing out to get our youngest an ice cream when she was little before the van pulled off again. It was with sadness that I read this article because they may soon become a thing of the past.
Something else that seems to be disappearing, amazingly is the cuppa!
Our District boasts many great places to go for a walk. On the Peninsula, for instance, there is the England Coastal Path, further north there are places like West Dean Gardens and the South Downs Way. You may also have enjoyed strolling around English Heritage or National Trust sites as well. If you do enjoy a stroll, and want a slight change, these places in nearby Hampshire might be worth a visit.
Next month is apparently ‘No Mow May.’
There are changes to GPs that might affect many of us.
There continues to be worrying news about sewage.
There is a petition to support the Local Electricity Bill. If made law, the Bill would empower community energy groups to start up and sell their clean electricity directly to local people. This would strengthen local economies and tackle climate change simultaneously.
Staying local, as this is our last post before Polling Day, we will conclude by again mentioning the people of Midhurst and suggesting you use the link below to download CDC’s app to keep up to date with the latest on this.
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
Tim
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