March 13, 2026
Welcome to this week’s blog - as always, thanks for having a read.
We are reminding you that to vote (for Donna) on Thursday May 7th, 2026 in the West Sussex County Council elections you must be registered by 20th April 2026. She could be the only female candidate in Selsey, which is regrettable considering Sunday was International Women's Day, and women make up only 41% of local council positions in England.
Before the campaign starts, I am having an early birthday celebration with children and grandchildren tomorrow, Saturday March 14th. If you have never ‘been on the inside’ you may not realise that there is a lot of preparation before the official campaign begins (when the nominations close on Thursday, April 9th.)
As we have mentioned before, Ali is one of the first people to read the blog. Last week we told you about Chichester District Council’s budget and Council Tax setting meeting. Ali is keen on the bottom line so was particularly interested to learn that our overall Council Tax increase from April is made up of West Sussex County Council’s 4.99% increase, the police increase of 5.62% CDC’s 2.99% and your parish’s precept. The average parish increase across our District is 14.65%. Selsey Town Council is one of the lowest with only 1.57%. If like Ali you want to learn more before the bills land, this link is for you: -
https://www.chichester.gov.uk/yourcounciltaxbill
This week Donna and Val had CDC’s Planning Committee on Wednesday morning then later Ali, Ian, Mike, Andrew, and I had Selsey Town Council's Finance and Administration Group which primarily focused on budget versus actuals in the year to date. Donna was not with us because she went to Sidlesham Parish Council. Donna also attended Cabinet at West Sussex and spoke on Adult Social Care and SEND issues. Next week, on Monday I have CDC's Corporate Governance & Audit Committee. Donna and Val will be there on Wednesday for CDC'S Development Planning & Infrastructure Panel, and in the evening the whole team has the next Full STC.
You can watch meetings live: CDC and WSCC.
Most importantly, this coming Tuesday evening, March 17th, is Selsey's Annual Town Meeting in the Selsey Centre. The doors open so you can browse the stalls at 6.30pm. Mick and Val will greet you, Donna is on tea duty and I am making sure the tech works smoothly during the presentations.
The evening is a good reminder of what Selsey (and the wider Peninsula) have to offer. Each place is unique in its own right and worth exploring. For instance, if you are a literary fan and want a change of scenery, we are near enough to Jane Austen country for it to make a good day out: -
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/gorgeous-five-mile-jane-austen-33534545
Lastly, a quick heads up that we may soon learn the government's decision about how many and what our unitary councils will be.
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
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