Welcome to the Local Alliance Blog

If you are hoping to staycation this year, where might you go? SussexLive have chosen their top four seaside places in Sussex , two of which are in our area.  Other parts of our District have also recently been gaining media attention: Halnaker’s walk of trees , Boxgrove (for the Priory ) and Fernhurst which seems to have bucked the trend of rising property prices caused by the Covid urban exodus and has experienced the largest fall in house prices in Sussex in the last year . That is in sharp contrast to these places . 15 Sussex attractions have also been included in Lonely Planet's top 500 unmissable experiences in the UK .  If you value our local beauty spots you might be interested in the possibility that Brighton might ban the use of disposable barbecues in public , millions have signed up to anti-food waste apps , and you can find out more about composting here including how to purchase a subsidised composter. The second stage of the first part of the road map ...

Do you worry about coastal erosion and, if you live by the sea, how safe your home might be? CDC are applying for grant funding as part of the Beach Management Plan we approved last week. £250,000 each year until 2026 will be sought from the Environment Agency as part of the third phase of works being carried out along Selsey, Bracklesham and East Wittering: by the end of March it is hoped to have completed the second phase from Park Lane, Selsey to Shore Road, West Wittering (which includes enhancing timber groynes and placing over 35,000 tonnes of shingle at Selsey.)  CDC are also making more than £670,000 available to help raise standards of accommodation in the private and private rented sector through the new Housing Standards Financial Assistance and Enforcement Policy we also approved at Full Council last week. Many of us worry about policing, and can post things that should be reported on social media then wonder why no action seems to be taken. It is important to keep log...

Do you have green-fingers? Although I come from a long line of gardeners, I have never seemed to have much time to devote to the garden; Donna, however, is hard to drag away from garden centres or anywhere selling plants and other garden-related products. One of our favourite places to visit is West Dean Gardens, including its extensive greenhouses but, you do not need a garden or greenhouse to grow plants: this advice on growing houseplants from one of West Dean’s greenhouse gardeners may prove useful whether you have a garden or not . Should you be a little less greenufingered, this article features no-mow alternatives to lawn and turf .  When we all get to go out again (except for work), this article about highly rated places to get fish and chips in West Sussex might interest you . You might be also interested in learning more about The Great Sussex Way , formerly Visit Chichester. Today (Friday) was the overflow Full CDC from Tuesday last. I joined between lessons, Donna was t...

How has Covid affected young people? Much has been said about the impact Covid is having on all our lives but, with the reopening of schools, more focus has recently been placed on what the impact has been on young people; this week a chance to hear from some young people direct in the form of a podcast came my way in which members of the West Sussex Youth Cabinet discuss how Covid has affected them .  Young people like their smartphones and apps. If we’re honest, we do too. You may have heard that WhatsApp is making video calls possible on your laptop or desktop. We have all been spending a lot more time on screens in the last 12 months, using Zoom, Teams and Meet (to name a few) to keep in touch. To be honest, after a while it is very tiring. This week Stanford University shared the findings of their research into “Zoom Fatigue” and suggested some simple fixes . Donna and I have another week packed full of meetings this week - the public ones, including part 2 of last week's Fu...

I heard a new word this week - do you know what a nonagenarian is? Are you one yourself? Would you start a new career if you were in your nineties?  Earlier this week, I came across this article about six senior high fliers including one who became a comedian at 89 and another who became an author at 93. There’s even someone who became a Councillor at the same time as I did nearly two years ago, but at the age of 100 had 44 years on me.  Donna and I have Full CDC on Tuesday, so you can watch it live from 2pm . It’s main focus is the budget; these are difficult times because statutory services have to be maintained but the pandemic has significantly impacted on local government revenue streams, e.g. parish councils (maybe 5% of your bill) have lost letting income while CDC (about 9%) has lost car park revenue. In the 2021 budget we unsuccessfully tried to include provision for extra support for businesses should the, then just emerging, pandemic negatively affect the economy. ...

Do you value the uniqueness of our local area? When I tell work colleagues where I live they always tell me how fortunate I am to live here and comment on how beautiful our District is. West Sussex is committed to help reduce the threat to our bees and other pollinators that are vital to our crops, gardens and countryside, as well as improving awareness and increasing the number of pollinator habitats, so they have produced a Pollinator Action Plan . In similar vein, if you would like to learn more about wider climatic matters this website may prove useful . Healthwatch West Sussex exists to make health and care services work for the people who use them. They give people across West Sussex the opportunity to have their say about health and care services. They are an independent organisation but have a statutory voice, meaning those who plan, buy, provide and monitor services (commissioners and providers) have to listen to people through them. The Chichester Festival Theatre are deli...

What falls ever more infrequently on our District’s beaches? That’s right, snow! The recent cold weather is a reminder to reduce the risk of your pipes bursting by regular boiler servicing. fixing dripping taps and lagging tanks and pipes, particularly close to doors and other cold spots. It is also a good idea to make sure you know where your stopcock is so you can quickly limit the damage, if water starts gushing, and check empty premises regularly. With Half term upon us, the wonders of the “red planet”, live tours of the night’s sky, stunning astrophotography, nocturnal wildlife talks, children’s colouring activities and a chance to win a top-of-the-range telescope are among the highlights of the South Downs National Park’s Dark Skies Festival , which includes a real-time tour of the night sky with acclaimed astronomer Dr John Mason. Speaking of young people, did you spot this news story about our County’s Youth cabinet and the national award they have won ?  I recently c...