Author: Andrew Taylor

Mid Sussex District Council is offering free town centre parking after 3pm on Saturdays in the lead up to Christmas.

National lockdown measures will be lifted on Wednesday 2 December and local shops will be allowed to reopen. Mid Sussex District Council is encouraging people to support local shops and is incentivising the use of car parks during quiet periods.

Councillor Stephen Hillier, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth said:

“We always support our local shoppers and traders with discounted parking charges in the run up to Christmas, but the coronavirus pandemic means we’ll be doing things a little differently this year.

“As our local shops have been closed throughout November, the December trading period could be a busy one. We want to encourage shoppers to spread their visits out as much as possible, so we can maintain a Covid-19 secure shopping environment in our town centres.

“The use of our car parks drops dramatically after 3pm in the winter because it starts to get dark and temperatures plummet. So, we’re encouraging more people to shop during this time by offering free parking after 3pm.

“By shopping at a quieter time, not only will you save money, you’ll be helping to spread town centre visits out throughout the day, making it safer for everyone.”

The free parking offer will apply on Saturday 5 December, 12 December and 19 December 2020 in all Mid Sussex car parks. Parking in Mid Sussex is also completely free on Sundays.

Residents who are self-isolating can also support local traders via the Council’s Bringing Christmas home campaign. Unique and amazing Mid Sussex companies have listed their details online at www.midsussex.gov.uk/bringingchristmashome and shoppers can search for special local goodies which are available for home delivery.

For more information about parking across in Mid Sussex visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/parking

The NHS in Sussex would like to know about your experiences of health and care during the COVID-19 pandemic so it can shape and inform the way services are provided in the future.

Have you been affected by delays to your care, either because your appointment or treatment was delayed or postponed or because you decided to wait until the pandemic had eased before having your treatment or appointment?  Click here to tell us about your experiences and any decisions or changes you have made as a result.

Since the lockdown period due to Covid-19 began, people have made many changes to their lives and what they saw as “normal”. We would like to know more about the changes you made due to Covid-19, whether you think they are good for your wellbeing, or not.

• What have you STOPPED doing since the start of lockdown? (for example, you might have stopped travelling to work, smoking, or stopped eating healthily due to changing your routine)
• What have you STARTED doing since the start of lockdown? (For example, you might have started taking daily exercise, reading more, or eating more chocolate!)

What do you feel about these changes?  Will there be things you will carry on?  How has the easing of lockdown rules affected you?

Click to take share your experiences.

Mid Sussex District Council has been awarded £549,818 by the Government to help rough sleepers leave the streets and to not return to rough sleeping.

During the first lockdown on the Government’s direction, Mid Sussex District Council arranged emergency accommodation for 11 people who were sleeping rough. The £549,818 secured from the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme, will support projects to help homeless people avoid returning to sleeping rough by finding them suitable long-term homes.

Mid Sussex District Council, Worthing Homes and homelessness charity Turning Tides will use the majority of the funding to to set up a new supported housing project for rough sleepers in the district. The project is expected to open in the new year.

The remaining £38,170 will be used to provide a winter support fund for rough sleepers, helping to meet the costs of emergency accommodation and providing rough sleepers with
the funds they need to get started in their new homes.

Councillor Andrew MacNaughton, MSDC Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning said:

“Homelessness and in particular sleeping rough has a hugely detrimental impact on people and their families, so it’s important that we do everything we can to help get peopleoff the streets.

“This funding will enable us to create suitable long-term accommodation for six people who otherwise would be living in temporary accommodation or lost to the streets. Huge credit must go to Worthing Homes, Turning Tides and Mid Sussex District Council, who have all worked together to secure this grant and make a real difference for our community.”

John Holmstrom, Chief Executive of Turning Tides said:

“We are truly grateful for the support from Worthing Homes, Mid Sussex District Council and MHCLG to make this new service possible. As a charity we are determined to reduce rough sleeping levels within the Mid Sussex district and this new service will support us in doing so.

“In Mid Sussex, there is a small but significant number of rough sleepers, many of whom have enduring and complex needs which require specialist support to thrive within their local community. This service will allow us to provide individually tailored support to those most in need, to develop Pathways out of homelessness and into secure accommodation.

“We are looking forward to opening this service and continuing to support our local community within Mid Sussex.”

Jackie Bligh, Chief Executive from Worthing Homes said:

“We are delighted to be able to help Turning Tides with this much needed project. Homelessness can happen to anyone for any number of reasons and it is humbling to see the life changes that happen once a person has been supported through the transition from sleeping rough to having a place to call home.”

For more information contact the Mid Sussex Housing Needs team on 01444 477574 or email housingadvice@midsussex.gov.uk