WSCC E-Newsletter January 2019

West Sussex County Council. www.westsussex.gov.uk
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WSCC E-Newsletter January 2019


Welcome to the latest E-Newsletter from West Sussex County Council...


The West Sussex Budget Challenge... Have you shared your views yet?

WSCC

With the amount of money local authorities receive from central government falling dramatically, West Sussex County Council faces unprecedented financial pressures for 2019/20 and beyond.

This means we face some stark choices over the next four years, as we tackle a funding gap of £145million - before we take into account money raised in council tax.

As a result, we need to find innovative ways to generate income and protect as many of our services as possible but the reality is that we simply can't carry on doing all the things we have done, in the same way.

It is important you are kept informed of what is happening, and that we are open and honest about what we have to do. 

If you haven't yet done so, please complete this survey to tell us how much you know about our budget challenge and how we can best keep you up-to-date. This will help us to ensure we provide you with relevant updates in the future. You have until midnight on 13 January 2019 to share your views.

The survey should take no-longer than five minutes to complete.  Please don’t forget to sign up for updates at the end of the survey.


Help continue to improve the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS)

Consultation picture

People’s views are being sought to continue to shape a service for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers.  

The West Sussex SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS) is calling on families and professionals to help it decide what else may be needed from the service.  

The comments will help SENDIAS produce its next two-year service plan.

SENDIAS staff provide impartial and confidential information, advice and support to parent carers and young people with SEND, to help them understand and access the provision available to them.

The online survey is now live until 13 January 2019 and can be found at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/SENDIAS 


Watt do you think? We need views on electric vehicles and charging points...

Electric vehicles

Whether you currently own or drive an electric vehicle, are considering buying one in the future, or have no plans to switch to electric - we would like to hear from you!

The county council does not currently provide on-street charging points for electric vehicles, but we are developing an Electric Vehicle Strategy which will set out what we plan to do to help the Government achieve its ambition of at least half of all new cars being ultra-low emission by 2030 - and zero vehicle emissions by 2050.

While we cannot guarantee our position will change, we will use the results from this survey to help inform and shape our strategy.

The survey is available via this link and will take between five and ten minutes to complete.

You have until Friday 11 January to get involved by sharing your views.


Make your mark in a West Sussex school!

School recruitment

Looking for a new challenge in 2019?

Are you or is someone you know interested in training to be a teacher? There are 284 schools in West Sussex looking for someone like you.

Whether you want to teach, become a school bursar, a governor, a governing body clerk or apprentice, there is something for everyone.

To find out what opportunities are available, we’re hosting two recruitment fairs that will give you the chance to find out what our schools can do for you.

  • Saturday 2 February, 10.00am-2.00pm - Fontwell Park Racecourse BN18 0SY

  • Saturday 9 February, 10.00am-2.00pm - Ifield Community College, Crawley RH11 0DB

For more details visit our dedicated campaigns page.


Be a life-changer

Fostering video

As West Sussex foster carer Serena revealed: “Don’t be frightened of fostering. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. It’s made my life. I wouldn’t do anything else, even if I won the lottery tomorrow.

“I wish I could start being a parent again because I feel the foster carer training and support is just fabulous. I’ve learnt so much and with each of the children every single day you learn more.”

Find out more about Serena’s experience as a foster carer by watching our video.

We have a lot of children who need a home right now. If you’d like to do something different and change a life, contact our fostering team by calling 033 022 27775 or visiting www.westsussex.gov.uk/fostering


Council’s community funding window closes 14 January

WS Crowd

Do you have an idea for a community project that stands out from the crowd? The Community Initiative Fund (CIF) is open to applications from groups, charities, CICs and more – exclusively via West Sussex Crowd.

The new online crowdfunding platform has replaced the former Small Grants Fund and Members’ Big Society Fund.

Since launching last May, we’ve pledged more than £77,000 to 35 successful crowdfunding campaigns across the county.

For extra funding support, submit your CIF application by Monday 14 January 2019. Your crowdfunding campaign must have started fundraising by Thursday 24 January in order to be considered by the CIF For more information, visit www.westsussexcrowd.org.uk


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