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Issue 5 | August 2019
Being clear on our budget challenge 2020/21
Find out more about the county council’s budget setting process and the proposed savings options in a new animation.
Live now on the WSCC website, there is also information on the budget setting process, next steps and the national and local context for West Sussex.
West Sussex County Council, like many other local authorities across the country, continues to face unprecedented financial pressures mainly due to increasing demand on social care services, significant reduction in government funding, and uncertainty around future funding.
The county council has made almost £240m of savings since 2010 and in the same period our funding has been cut by more than £155m by Government. But we still have a gross budget gap of more than £127m (before any council tax increase) to close over the next four years.
The budget 2020/21 web pages will be regularly updated, so please keep checking back.
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West Sussex County Council Annual Report for 2018/19 published
West Sussex County Council has noted and published its annual report for the year 2018/19, following a full debate at a meeting of the Full Council at County Hall, Chichester.
The report provides a comprehensive summary of the council’s achievements over the year, including updates on performance and an acknowledgement of the council’s commitment to improvements to its children’s services and fire and rescue service.
The annual report can be viewed online here and residents are reminded that they can keep up-to-date on the council’s performance by visiting the West Sussex Performance Dashboard.
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New Chief Fire Officer announced
Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is to join West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service as its new Chief Fire Officer.
Dr Cohen-Hatton joins the service with 18 years of fire service experience - most recently as Interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.
She is a chartered psychologist and her pioneering research into critical decision-making has received international recognition.
She said: "It is an honour and privilege to be given this opportunity to lead the fire and rescue service in West Sussex.
“I have witnessed the human and economic impact of the emergencies we attend. We are privileged to be trusted to help when these events happen, and also trusted to prevent them from happening at all.”
Sabrina will be joining West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in the autumn.
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Recycle more and #ThinkBeforeYouThrow
We’ve just launched a brand new version of our Think Before You Throw video which shows the massive amount of recycling which West Sussex is missing out on.
The West Sussex Waste Partnership recently carried out a study which showed that 22,000 tonnes a year, or just over 14 per cent of the general rubbish collected from homes in the county, could have been recycled.
The study found the common items that could have been recycled but were being missed were:
- Plastic pots, tubs, and trays (including black plastic)
- Card (corrugated and non-corrugated)
- Newspapers, magazines and other recyclable paper
- Glass bottles and jars
Please watch the video to find out more about the campaign and what you can and can’t recycle in West Sussex at www.thinkbeforeyouthrow.co.uk.
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Summer of fun in West Sussex
Our ‘Summertime Sussex’ campaign promotes the fantastic range of family friendly activities on offer in West Sussex to encourage local families to make the most of our wonderful county this summer.
Look out for posters in local libraries, tips and inspiration on West Sussex County Council’s social media, as well as competitions, trivia and nostalgia. The website www.experiencewestsussex.com is also packed full of ideas to keep children entertained during the summer holidays.
An adorable video of local schoolchildren talking about what they love doing in the summer holidays can be viewed here. You’ll see it’s the simple things they enjoy the most!
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Highways - improving local spaces and places
We know there are lots of excellent examples across the county of parish/town councils who undertake initiatives on the local highways that improve the local environment. We are keen to continue this partnership approach and enable those of you who want to do this.
West Sussex Highways has developed ‘Improving Local Places and Spaces We Live In’. This brings together in one place what communities are doing, what they can do and how we can help. The scheme will highlight opportunities in three areas:
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Community Highways Partnerships: agreements covering maintenance activities such as cutting back vegetation and clearing footpaths
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Community Led Improvements: Community Highways Schemes and Operation Watershed
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Community Action: activities for volunteer groups and communities.
This is just the start. We are continuing to develop this to see how we work together and support.
There will be a number of events/forums coming up in September and October to find out more. Further details will be available on our website in August. For further information, email active.communities@westsussex.gov.uk.
In the meantime, you can hear how Henfield Parish Council and Tarring Flood Action Group have embraced local opportunities.
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West Sussex Crowd one year on…
Community groups are once again able to apply to the Community Initiative Fund (CIF) following a successful debut year for our new crowdfunding platform – West Sussex Crowd.
90 projects received funding from all areas of the county with the crowd generating more than £625,000 in pledges between May 2018 and July 2019.
The CIF window is open to crowdfunding applications up until 9 October, and funding decisions will be taken at the appropriate County Local Committee. These meetings have so far awarded successful campaigns a combined £202,000 in Community Initiative Funding during 2018/19.
As you may also be aware, last month we introduced the Micro Fund for small-scale projects valued at £750 and under as an alternative to the crowdfunding route for smaller projects.
Please help us to promote the current round of funding and direct residents to visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/CLC and click ‘Funding’ for more information. Groups are advised to contact talkwithus@westsussex.gov.uk to find out about application deadlines relating to their County Local Committee.
Posters are available on request for display on your communities’ noticeboards.
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Taste West Sussex summer edition
The summer edition of Taste West Sussex magazine is out now.
It’s packed with local foodie features and news, plus the chance to win a year’s supply of ice-cream, a selection of ‘boozy sorbets’ and a cookery course at Kenny Tutt’s new Worthing restaurant. There’s also a coupon for a discount burger meal at a Chichester restaurant.
Read the latest edition here.
If you would like copies for your parish rooms/office please email taste@westsussex.gov.uk with the number you require.
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Our latest communication campaigns
Take a look at three of our latest communication campaigns:
Feel free to share these links, and the information contained within, to help keep your residents updated and informed.
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Your Voice: The People's Panel
Alternatively, encourage your residents to join Your Voice: The People's Panel where they'll be regularly consulted about a number of important local issues. Once registered they'll receive links to surveys, reports and outcomes and occasionally links to other public surveys.
Find out more information and subscribe here.
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Get in touch!
If you have any questions about what you've read, or you'd like to share some of the work your town or parish council is doing for us to highlight in future newsletters, email us at:
townandparishcouncilnews@westsussex.gov.uk
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Follow us on social media
Don't forget you can also follow West Sussex County Council on social media for all the latest news and updates. Just click on one of the social media links at the bottom of this email.
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Do you have an event coming up?
If you would like to promote an event in your area you can use the events calendar on our website.
You can search for West Sussex events here.
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