June 14, 2024
Welcome to this week's blog. As always, thank you for sparing the time to have a read. Sunday is Sussex Day so we wish you all the best.
Although meetings are affected by purdah during the General Election campaign, STC on Wednesday evening ran some Councillor training on the General Power of Competence. Val also had CDC’s Planning earlier in the day; Donna wasn't well so stayed away to avoid spreading it. This coming Wednesday Donna and Val have Val’s first Development Planning and Infrastructure Panel, and Donna also has Health and Adult Social Care at West Sussex. Watch CDC’s public meetings here, and Full WSCC here. Val will be joined by Mick, Ali, Ian, Andrew and Gareth for STC’s Planning in the evening before the rest of us join them for the next Full STC. The Personnel Committee meeting that would have been this week has been moved to this coming Tuesday so Andrew, Donna Ian and I will be there two evenings in a row.
Donna leads the Green and Independent Group at WSCC - it has grown to five, with the addition of Trevor Bence who represents Fontwell. You may wonder why the group name is that way round as it only has one Green Member; there is a convention with Councils to name the smaller partner first; similarly I lead the Green and Local Alliance Group at CDC which has two Green Members, Sarah Sharp and Tim Young, with Steve, Val, Donna and myself.
Donna and I are going to a service of thanksgiving for our local Foodbanks at 3pm on Sunday June 30, in the Cathedral, which is open to everyone. Last weekend we went to the Garden Show at Stansted Park, which as regular readers will know is Donna heaven. Meanwhile, Val and Mick were at the annual Selsey Football Club presentations for the Under-8 and Under-9 teams. Val wrote: -
“Another wonderful afternoon spent at Selsey Football Club watching the presentations to the Under-8 and Under-9 teams. I take my hat off to the Manager and training team for the really hard work they put in to make our young teams play so well. Their positivity and enthusiasm is endless and this shows in the response and happiness of the boys and girls. Well done everybody, Selsey is so proud of you!”
Returning to ‘Donna heaven’, there may soon be a healthier, more sustainable chocolate. If you catch Donna’s posts, you may like to guess which of Sir John Curtice’s types of voter she might be, and which you are too. Another interesting read explains why bowel cancer is increasing in people Under-50.
In case you missed it, doctors have issued an urgent health warning to anyone who drinks energy drinks and this is the Food Standard Agency alerts page and NHS advice on E-coli in view of the current outbreak.
Don’t forget you are being asked for your views on the proposed locations for several new EV charge points in our County. You are also welcome to have your say about the draft A27 Chichester Bypass Mitigation SPD Version 2 consultation which is open until July 11. Reference copies are available to view at CDC’s offices in Chichester, the South Downs Centre in Midhurst, and Chichester, Selsey, Petworth, Midhurst and Southbourne libraries.
Some advice about Father’s Day from WSCC to do with recycling:
Thoughtful gifting: Choose meaningful, eco-friendly gifts such as a reusable coffee cup! Opt for experiences over material gifts—think a day out hiking, a special homemade meal, or a class of some kind.
Low waste wrapping: Ditch traditional wrapping paper for more sustainable options. Use reusable gift bags, fabric wraps, or even old newspapers.
Homemade goodies: Instead of store-bought treats, bake your dad's favourite cookies or cook his favourite meal. Homemade gifts are often more appreciated and reduce packaging waste.
Digital greetings: Send a heartfelt e-card or a personalised video message instead of a paper card. It's a modern, waste-free way to convey your love.
The Three Harbours is a partnership of almost 30 organisations working together to restore the landscape across the harbours of Langstone, Chichester and Pagham, with the primary focus being water quality, biodiversity, and carbon capture. The partnership includes the Environment Agency (EA), Natural England (NE), various Universities, the Langstone and Chichester Harbour Boards, Local Authorities, the RSPB and Southern Water. Rather than tackle the challenges surrounding each harbour individually, the partnership uses resources and expertise from each organisation to work collaboratively to agree its approach, create an Integrated Recovery Plan to identify priorities and apply a natural capital approach that maximises the benefits of natural systems. They envisage a healthy and thriving water environment where restored and connected sea and landscapes are resilient to a new climate reality, enabling people and nature to adapt and flourish - together.
They have just concluded a stakeholder consultation and some initial investigations are underway: the results of both should be published in the near future. Southern Water is about to begin sewer re-lining in the Lavant (East Dean) and Bosham (Funtington) catchments to reduce the level of groundwater infiltrating our network, which can cause storm overflows that ultimately discharge into Chichester Harbour. They have been engaging with the relevant parish councils on these plans and will continue attending parish council meetings to provide updates. At Pagham Harbour they are planning to deliver improvements by May 2025 to reduce the amount of nitrogen discharged from our treatment works at Pagham.
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
Tim
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