December 1, 2023
It may be the beginning of Advent, but it's also Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week. These are both forms of IBD, not to be confused with IBS. They are invisible 'disabilities' which, although potentially life limiting, don't define the person. We can't cure it, and many of those who suffer need life long medication which suppresses their immune system. Sending positive thoughts to all who deal with this, everyday.
Last weekend saw several Christmas events across our District, as civic lights were turned on, including a Christmas Market in Hunston, the LoveFromSelsey Craft Fair and the Friends of East Beach Xmas event. Donna and I visited the #LovefromSelsey event before helping marshall at the Friends of East Beach Christmas Party. Thank you to all of you who came along to help make it so successful, and of course, thanks also to the East Beach retailers who stayed open. Ali was a natural on the Tombola with her Rudolph attire, while Mick & Val were stalwarts, doing whatever was needed. I had a busman’s holiday running the queue for Santa and Donna and our daughter were just generally making sure everything went okay. We thought we might get 50 children to see Santa, but in the end - as you can see here - we had more than 300 (including people from Horsham!) necessitating repeated trips to my car for more supplies. Unfortunately this flattened my car key battery and we had to get the AA! Thanks to STC for making the event possible with a grant.
CDC and WSCC are asking you to ‘Think Before You Throw’ particularly when waste and recycling collections change slightly over the festive period. CDC has teamed up with St Wilfrid’s Hospice again to offer a Christmas Tree Recycling scheme: If you sign up, volunteers will collect your real Christmas tree and recycle it for you in January 2024, in return for a donation to the hospice. Consider making a list to avoid over buying, shopping second-hand or making your own presents, wrapping in old scarves or using reusable bags, and using old Christmas cards as gift tags, ditching disposables if you entertain and getting creative with leftovers.
CDC is offering a free third hour if you buy two in all their car parks (except Avenue De Chartres and Westgate) during weekends in December when using the MiPermit app: Avenue de Chartres is free on Sundays during December. There is also the Chichester Christmas Cheer market on 9, 10, 16 and 17 December, the regular Chichester Farmers’ Markets on 1 and 15 December, the city centre Wednesday markets, and the Saturday traders markets in the Cattle Market car park. CDC has also again created personalised gift tags and wrapping paper designs for the city and our towns.
Last week was busy with Full CDC on Tuesday (watch meetings live here including Cabinet on the 5th and Planning on the 6th) and Full STC on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I've had some late ones at school recently, so I'm looking forward to a quieter weekend although Donna and I are helping the Selsey Music Group stage a cabaret night on Saturday.
Ahead of the Full CDC, Donna posted: -
“A rather CDC orientated day today; Full Council at 2pm, but meetings from 11am. Val and I have just arrived, Tim and Steve will be here soon. One of the agenda items concerns five navigation beacons on the longer groynes. They have been inspected by Trinity House and they need attention. The proposal is that £125,000 be released from general reserves to deal with this.“
Just before the vote in which it was approved, I welcomed this on behalf of our Group and Selsey. The meeting also considered a report on the Determination of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2024-2025 and agreed to it, and another I had seen at Corporate Governance & Audit on the Financial Strategy & Plan from 2024-25 to 2028-29. We also agreed, following a successful referendum result, to make the West Wittering Neighbourhood Plan part of our District’s Development Plan (which does not include the SDNP.) There was approval of proposals for the development of the Basin Road, bus station and bus depot in the City to be in accordance with the requirements of a policy in the proposed Local Plan for residential purposes and we adopted an Unreasonable Complainants Policy.
Donna questioned whether installing unauthorised vehicle deterrents in parts of the City might simply move illegal traveller encampments to other areas, and sought an assurance that Selsey would be considered for deterrents in the future. We are happy that this is being kept under review Meanwhile, when consideration was given to changing Full Council meeting times from May to 6pm with a 9.30pm guillotine, I secured an assurance that this would be reviewed after a year. Donna pointed out that some working Councillors were financially disadvantaged by daytime meetings, and that this could be an impediment to some people who might be interested in standing in future. There was an allegation of whipping from a Member opposed to any change, which the Liberal Democrat Leader and I both strongly refuted (and was demonstrated by our Group when we voted in different ways.)
A multi-agency operation to tackle anti-social behaviour problems along the rail network through our District, led by CDC, will take place in December. Operation Petra brings together CDC, the British Transport Police, Sussex Police, Network Rail and Southern Railway, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, and Stagecoach to carry out joint action days. These involve additional officers patrolling and responding to incidents at stations and on the trains, as well as supporting station staff. This latest action builds on a successful operation that took place in the summer and plans to expand activities, with more officers heading towards Emsworth and Havant and out of our District to Bognor Regis.
The operation in July focused on the network running through Chichester to more remote locations, such as towards Angmering in the east, and west through the district towards Fishbourne. The previous operation allowed officers to assist at Barnham where a group were trying to get through the barriers without tickets, as well as linking up with station managers along the route and increasing visibility of British Transport Police so that station officers felt more supported. Meanwhile CDC’s Community Wardens were involved in monitoring the area around Avenue De Chartres car park, a popular route for accessing the railway station and when arriving at Chichester.
We shared with you last week that CDC has announced that it is expecting to submit its Local Plan in early 2024. This identifies development areas for economic growth and locations for new homes in the Chichester plan area over the next 15 years. There is a separate plan for those areas located in the National Park and this is produced by the South Downs National Park. We have been fully briefed at each stage of its progression and of course were very relieved when, after years of pressing our case, Selsey and most of the wider Peninsula got a zero strategic housing allocation.
We also shared some energy saving tips with you last week, which are worth repeating: -
Turn down your thermostat. Just one degree lower could save you up to £145 a year. Set a timer on your thermostat for your heating to come on only when you need it.
Turn the heating flow temperature down. By turning the flow temperature down on your combi boiler from 80℃ to 60℃ you can save up to 12% of gas used to heat your house. Turning the flow temperature down on your combi boiler reduces the boiler's energy consumption, without lowering the temperature of your home. This isn't suitable for all systems so find out more with our flow temperature guide.
Don't heat empty rooms. Individual radiator valves mean you can adjust the temperature in each room accordingly.
Keep the heat in. Using thermal lined curtains and making sure they're closed in the evening can reduce heat loss by 27% and save an average home up to £291 a year on energy bills. Just be sure your curtains don’t cover the radiators.
Heat people, not the room: Rather than putting the thermostat up further, you could try a heated electric blanket to keep you snug. They typically cost between £25-50 to purchase but use as little as 3p an hour of electricity even on the highest setting.
It's a good idea to invest a couple of pounds in a digital room thermometer, especially if you're prone to respiratory issues.
You may not have realised but Tesco has been trialling new technology which sees all the checkout shelves weighed, meaning all customers will have to do is pop their purchases in their baskets. Have a read here and see what you think: apparently some customers are unimpressed because they prefer having a manned checkout above all else. Of course, that would cost more, which is why supermarkets are looking for cheaper alternatives like this.
From time to time we mention the District Foodbanks. In November between them they provided emergency food parcels and support to 493 individuals. This included 321 adults and 172 children. These numbers are slightly lower than October, likely due to the £300 cost-of-living payment. This was paid to individuals entitled to certain benefits or tax credits between 31 October and 19 November from the central government. From experience, this reduction in need for emergency food and other household essentials is short-lived. This year, They have made a record 1027 Christmas holiday lunch packs. These food parcels are designed to fill the cupboards for families on low incomes whose children usually receive free school meals during the term time. These will be given out next week. They need anything you can spare so please donate
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
Tim
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