February 14, 2025

 

Welcome to this week’s blog - thanks for having a read.

We want to start by thanking the maintenance staff at Selsey Town Council who quickly put their other jobs on hold this week to sort out the “Welcome to Selsey” sign when it was damaged last weekend. 

We should also thank Mick and Val who are back at work on Selsey’s Xmas lights. They were even doing so with one small heater until Ali lent them some more. 

The Unitary Council proposals for Sussex have to be sent to the Government by March 21st. Once agreed there will be a consultation ahead of the final decision in September. The government would prefer boundaries to be based on existing districts. Our Unitary is likely to be a similar size to North Yorkshire, which has one Unitary Councillor for every 7000 residents. This will not affect statutory services: it is hoped devolution might unlock new powers and investment and give us a stronger voice in how national decisions affect us.

If you want to learn more, The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the letter they sent to WSCC and CDC on their website. 

Donna spent all of today, Valentine's Day, at WSCC’s Budget Meeting but came home to flowers delivered on behalf of her self-styled “Mystery Man.” Earlier in the week, on Wednesday she and Val had CDC’s Planning Committee. That evening, Val was joined by Mick, Ali, Gareth and Ian for STC’s Planning Committee. 

You can watch meetings live: CDC and WSCC.

Tomorrow, the 15th, sees the laser light shows at Petworth House at 5.30pm and 6.45pm; There are further shows at the Canal Basin on the 21st and 22nd, at 6pm and 7.30pm (on both days.) On Sunday March 16th the Cross Market & More returns, while two days later on the 18th it is Selsey's Annual Town Meeting in the Selsey Centre at 6.30pm. Also in the Selsey Centre, in April, there are drop-in exhibitions about the options for possible new sea defences. The Sun has written about them: -

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/33045828/english-seaside-town-secluded-beach-upgrade/ 

Research to investigate whether sediment is one of the reasons behind the decline in crab and lobster catches off the Selsey coast is progressing thanks to a key report which has just been completed.

The CHASM project (Crustaceans, Habitat and Sediment Movement) was established in 2020 in response to concerns raised by the Selsey fishing community. The report seeks to understand environmental change from a sediments perspective, and sets out to answer a series of questions using various data sources and analysis. Data was gathered by sonde unit probes located in Medmerry, Pagham and Chichester harbours and in four locations in the sea round the peninsula. Key findings outlined in the report are:

• Fine sediment deposited from dredging is thought to reach the project area, which includes Bracklesham Bay and Selsey Bill. It is not known whether it contains contaminants. Coarse sediment is not thought to be an issue.

• A better understanding of the organic/biotic component of the environment and water quality should be sought as should an understanding of the limiting factors (by understanding changes in nutrient sources, e.g.  agricultural run-off and sewage.)

• Algal blooms can lower oxygen levels and may potentially damage aquatic life.

Finally: - 

• Report potholes

• Warmer Homes

• Supporting You

• WSCC Meetings

• CDC Meetings

• STC Meetings

As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.

Tim