Newsletter 21/04/23
20 April 2023
Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.
Email Account Deactivation
I want to remind you that come May 9th, those choosing not to stand in the upcoming election will have their @eastgrinstead.gov.uk email addresses deactivated. Please note that come this date you will no longer be able to access your account under any circumstances. Therefore, any important emails that you wish to keep (bearing in mind our commitment to GDPR*) be saved in another location accessible to you.
For those standing in the upcoming election who were not re-elected, your email will also be deactivated by May 9th. I would recommend all review their inbox and save important emails to other accessible locations.
*GDPR – Emails sent to you on your @eastgrinstead.gov.uk and intended only when in the position of Cllr should not be saved privately. Please do not save any Emails containing personal information including personal email addresses and home addresses. For more information on what you can save, please see https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/contents/enacted.
Parish Update – Exceptional Highway Demand
(Sent by WSCC to all Parish/Town/District/Borough Councils)
As you will be aware, following the weather events we have experienced over the last year, we are now tackling a large number of issues on the network.
We continue to see exceptionally high numbers of customer reports, in March this was just under 8,000 enquires, this is double what we would normally expect at this time of the year and this trend continues. In January the number of enquiries exceeded 11,000.
The impact on the Highways teams has been significant. The teams are incredibly busy and the volume of work is unrelenting. Current staff vacancies and the significant incidents on the network have also added pressure to the workload.
I would like to assure you we are doing all we can to manage the workload; officers are working over-time and we have successfully recruited new staff but they need support and training to become fully operational.
Our contractors’ gangs are also working twilight shifts and Saturdays to manage the increased number of jobs. We are also looking to increase the number of gangs further but as I am sure you will appreciate; this is common to the entire south-east and nationally, sourcing additional gangs at this time is very difficult. We have deployed 3 Jet Patchers in the county, so this will help.
To enable the Highway Teams to effectively deal with the volume of safety issues being reported, we have paused non-statutory activities for a period of 4 weeks as we did in January. We have extended our response times to customers on general enquiries from 10 to 20 days.
On this basis, our responses to Parishes and Town Councils are likely to take much longer. Of course, if you have urgent issues then these can be escalated. We appreciate your support at this very busy time.
A summary of the temporary measures we have put in place is detailed below.
Temporary measures ( from April 17th up to 12th May)
- Extend SLA for customer responses – up to 20 days
- Pause non-essential licensing activities (e.g., residential Vehicle Crossovers, Standard Forms of Consent for activities like licensing banners or planters).
- Pause responses to general enquiries, including Community Highway Schemes
Planning Applications & Decisions
West Sussex County Council Newsletter
Government to send test emergency alert this Sunday
Everyone in the UK will receive a test on their mobile phone of a new Emergency Alerts system on Sunday (23 April).
The test Emergency Alert will be a loud, siren-like sound with a message sent to your mobile phone at 3pm.
The new system will enable people to be contacted via their mobile phone in the event of emergencies where there is a danger to life nearby, such as severe flooding.
Only central government and the emergency services will be able to send them.
You can opt out of receiving them if you are in a vulnerable situation.
Emergency alerts on your phone will not replace local news, radio, television or social media.
To find out more information about this new system, and the test, visit the government’s website on the link below.
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The Coronation is almost here!
The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May with the Archbishop of Canterbury conducting the ceremony.
And with hundreds of events and volunteering opportunities currently listed on the official Coronation website, it looks like West Sussex is going to be celebrating in style!
You can browse through what’s on in your area by entering your address on the website.
Take a look at our Coronation webpages via the link below for lots more information about the long weekend of celebrations.
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Tackling food waste
We are teaming up with Sussex-based food rescue charity UKHarvest and waste management company Biffa to run Community Food Hubs.
The Hubs are open to all residents and set out to tackle waste and provide education sessions to help residents learn how to reduce the amount of edible food which ends up in the bin.
With many facing cost-of-living pressures, Community Food Hubs encourage residents to take advantage of ‘surplus food rescue services’ in exchange for a small voluntary donation.
Last year’s pilot programme saw Community Food Hubs established in Bognor Regis, Crawley, and Southwick. Within six months, they prevented over seven tonnes of food going to waste and provided food to almost 3,000 people.
Building on this success, the programme has been extended to include seven community hubs, running once a month across every district and borough until April 2024.
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Spring booster COVID-19 vaccination
COVID-19 is more serious in older people and those with certain underlying health conditions.
For these reasons, people aged 75 years and over (by 30 June 2023), those in care homes, and people aged five years and over with a weakened immune system, are being offered a spring booster of the COVID-19 vaccine.
To book your booster appointment you can either visit the NHS website, use the NHS app or call 119.
If you haven’t had the first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, book now to make sure you get both jabs before the offer ends for many people on 30 June. You’ll need to wait several weeks between doses.
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Free life-saving workshops
Our West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has launched a series of free Biker Down workshops, designed to help make the county’s roads safer.
Currently, nearly a quarter of all people killed and seriously injured on the road are riding a motorcycle – a stark figure as motorcycles only account for around 5% of vehicles on the road.
If you were first on the scene of an accident involving a biker, would you know what to do? If the answer is no, then our courses are for you.
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Spring safety in the countryside
It’s the time of year when more of us get out and about and enjoy the countryside, so be aware of ticks.
Read tips on how to stay safe from ticks and more information about Lyme Disease, a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks.
Also be aware that contact with farm animals carries a risk of infection. Find more information on how to avoid becoming unwell when you visit a farm.
These three consultations below about possible road and travel improvements are closing very soon – so make sure you have your say:
- A259 Bognor Regis to Littlehampton Closes 23 April.
- Worthing Sustainable Transport Corridors Closes 30 April.
- Chichester Sustainable Transport Corridors Closes 30 April.
We also want to hear your views on the flexible bus service 99 between Petworth and Chichester. This survey ends on 9 May.
We’re looking for views from the community on proposed details for amalgamating a junior school and an infant school in Worthing. It’s part of our work with schools in the area to address the issue of declining pupil numbers. Closing date 18 May.
More news
Head to our Newsroom to find all the latest news. Below are some highlights:
- The A29 in Pulborough is now partially re-opened with all vehicular traffic permitted to travel in both directions along Church Hill, following a landslide.
- The Solar Together Sussex initiative is helping businesses in West Sussex to invest in renewable energy through a group buying scheme for solar panels, battery storage and Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points.
- Eleven new wholetime firefighters have been formally welcomed to West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service after completing their pass out parade.
- A total of 91% of those who applied to start primary school in West Sussex this September have been offered their first preference school, with over 98% offered one of their three preferences.
- You can ask questions at the next meeting of the West Sussex Health & Wellbeing Board. Questions can be asked in person or by submitting them prior to the meeting, which will take place on Thursday 27 April from 10.30am at County Hall in Chichester.
NALC Newsletter
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