Author: Andrew Taylor

Over the winter period we can receive many phone calls from residents to our contact centre and answers to many of these questions can often be found on our website.  

Using our website you can report problems with roads, apply for a child’s school place, find information about a local library, access registration services and much more.

If you’re nervous about going online, our Community Safety and Wellbeing service have put together some expert, easy-to-follow safety tips to help protect you from falling victim to seasonal scams. Better yet, these tips can be used 365 days a year.

Looking after our health and keeping well is even more important during the cold winter months. We also know that older residents can feel more socially isolated during winter and we are encouraging more people to join a group or club to build their social circle. You’ll find lots of information and contact details for organisations across West Sussex on our Age Well campaign pages.

Other ideas include ordering our Meals on Wheels service which delivers hot and nutritious food to vulnerable residents in their own homes 365 days a year. More than just a meal though, it provides the peace of mind that comes from regular safe and well checks by the dedicated team of delivery drivers who also offer a friendly face and regular company to their customers.

It’s also important to make sure you or your family have had the flu jab. It’s free for everyone who has a long-term condition, are over 65 or have young children.

Over the winter months we recycle around 10,000 tonnes of paper and card, at our Household Waste Recycling Sites and via your home recycling collections.

Staff at our Materials Recycling Facility will be working extra shifts to process your recyclable wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and Christmas cards.

You can help us by making sure your recycling is clean, dry, and loose. Please don’t leave any recyclable materials outside of the bin as if it gets wet it won’t be able to get recycled. If you’re unsure whether you can recycle your wrapping paper do the scrunch test. If the paper stays scrunched then it’s okay to go in the recycling.

Don’t forget extra recycling that you can’t fit into your recycling bin can be taken to your Household Waste Recycling Site. Remember to take some ID to prove you live in West Sussex.

A full A-Z of what can and can’t be recycled can be found on the West Sussex recycles website.

East Grinstead Town Councillor Frank Osborne was surprised with a plaque to recognise his long service which started back in November 1969, when he was first elected to the Urban  District Council. Frank then served on both the new Mid Sussex District and Town Council following local government reorganisation in 1974 serving until the late 1990s. He returned to the Council in 2011 representing the residents of Imberhorne.

Council Officers had discovered the original declaration of office signed by Cllr Osborne, a copy of this was mounted along with a copy of his most recent declaration in May 2019 to mark his remarkable length of service, and this was presented by the Town Mayor Cllr Danny Favor at the Council Meeting on 7th January 2020.

Cllr Osborne Quipped that this was a great surprise and he was pleased he had dressed up for the meeting.  He went on the say that he had seen many changes, challenges and fights over the years, had worked with many Councillors and he was proud to be a member of the current Council.

In partnership, West Sussex County Council and the South Downs National Park Authority have prepared a Proposed Submission Draft Soft Sand Review of the West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan, as required by Policy M2 of the adopted Plan.

The Soft Sand Review is being published prior to its submission to the Secretary of State to allow representations to be made on its ‘soundness’ and legal and procedural compliance. Representations can be made up until 11.59pm on Monday 2 March 2020.

Attached is a covering letter providing further information, as well as our Statement of Representations Procedure.

• Soft Sand Review Statement of Representations Procedure
• Soft Sand Review Reg.19 Letter

Mid Sussex District Council has set up Christmas tree recycling points at convenient locations across the district to help residents dispose of their real Chistmas trees when the festive fun is over.

The Council has arranged for 24 temporary Christmas tree drop-off points in towns and villages across the district, so there will be a place nearby where residents can recycle their real Christmas tree. All people have to do is take along their tree to the most convenient local site, place it in the marked area and it will be taken away to be recycled locally.

Residents with a green garden waste wheelie bin can put their tree directly into it, as long as the lid can still close firmly. Alternatively, people can take their real tree along to one of the Household Waste Recycling Sites at Fairbridge Way in Burgess Hill or Imberhorne Lane in East Grinstead.

Sites will be open between 28 December 2019 and 10 January 2020 at the following locations.