Your Town and Parish Council News for October

Get Ready for Brexit

The Government’s Get Ready for Brexit campaign is now live.​ Please use your own channels and contacts to help promote the national campaign to residents and businesses.

Local government arrangements for dealing with the EU Exit in West Sussex are shared between the County Council and the District and Boroughs Councils, based upon our statutory roles and responsibilities. 

Alongside our district and boroughs, we are taking reasonable steps, in line with relevant guidance and messaging coming from the Government and its agencies, to prepare the county for our exit from the EU. 

If you have any questions please contact us.

Free tree planting packs available

Deborah Urquhart, Cabinet Member for Environment, is aware that parishes and community groups are keen to get involved in eco-projects, in order to take action against Climate Change.

Therefore, West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is working on a number of projects to support its residents, as well as Town and Parish Councils, in doing so. For example:

Here at WSCC we have recently made a pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to show leadership in our communities. As a result, we are already taking significant steps to reduce our own carbon emissions. 

We are also encouraging residents and those who work in, or visit, the county to sign up to our Climate Pledge.

However, we still need a stronger, resilient and natural environment, and increasing our tree planting may be part of that solution.

We’re encouraging all communities and parishes to apply for a free tree pack from the Woodland Trust. There are different types of packs available, depending on your individual space, planting requirements and local interest. They are taking applications for delivery in March 2020, so early registration is recommended.

Our Sustainability team would be delighted to hear from your communities if they register for a pack and to hear how the tree planting progresses.

Fostering Heroes

This autumn we are celebrating our local foster carers and giving them the superhero status they deserve.

There is an urgent need to recruit more carers in West Sussex and our children in care are looking for heroes with the superpowers of empathy, communication and listening.

You can support the campaign by displaying our ‘Change a Life’ poster on your notice boards and sharing information on social media via Facebook and Twitter. You can also use our hashtags #FosteringHeroes and #ChangeALife.

To find out more about becoming a foster carer, visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/fostering.

To request printed posters for display contact: communications@westsussex.gov.uk.

New Age Well campaign for older residents

We’re launching a new campaign called Age Well on 1 October.

The campaign aims to celebrate our older residents and support them to stay well, healthy and independent as they grow older in our wonderful county.

As part of the initiative we’re keen to find out from residents what they think it’s like to age well in West Sussex? Please can you encourage people to take part in the five minute survey and be entered into a prize draw of free leisure passes in your local area.

Over the coming months we’ll be highlighting practical and useful information on the following five themes:

• Your home - how older people can make their homes safer and consider alternative housing solutions
• Connecting with others - reducing the risk of loneliness and social isolation
• Financial stability - having good financial plans for the future
• Mental health - maintaining your mental health
• Being active - improving your health through exercise

We know Town and Parish councils are in contact with many older residents who may benefit from finding out more about the campaign to help them age well in later life. Please can you help by letting people know about the survey, the campaign and if on email to sign up for our regular newsletter.

More information on the campaign can be found on our campaign page. We are also finalising a toolkit for stakeholders to promote and engage with the campaign – if you would like to receive this, please contact our Communications Lead for Adults’, Michelle Crowley.

Befriending scheme looking for volunteers

A successful befriending scheme supporting children in care is looking for volunteers to help it expand.

West Sussex County Council’s Independent Visitor scheme sees adult volunteers paired with a young person aged eight to 18, meeting up around once a month to take part in an activity or simply spend time together.

Paige Manvell, 23 (pictured left), is one of the youngest Independent Visitors in West Sussex. Paige, a school teaching assistant from Worthing, said: “It’s quite special being with a child who needs that solid person they can rely on. It’s become just like having another friend to go out for dinner with, go bowling or trampolining or just have a catch up with.”

Applications are now open at www.westsussex.gov.uk/independentvisitor and anyone interested in finding out more is invited to an information evening at Centenary House, Worthing on 13 November, 5.30pm for a 6pm start.

Our latest communication campaigns 

Take a look at three of our latest communication campaigns:  

• Age Well
• Budget 2020/21
• Brexit

Feel free to share these links, and the information contained within, to help keep your residents updated and informed. 

Have your say on local issues that affect you

Have your say on matters that affect you and your local communities - and get your residents to do the same - by visiting our Have Your Say Consultation Hub. From major road schemes and Joint Area Action Plans, to premises licence applications and safeguarding in our schools; we want to hear your residents' views to help shape future policy and decisions.

Our current consultations are:

• Waste Prevention Questionnaire
• Age Well survey

Keep a look out on the hub for our Small Schools consultation when it launches on 7 October.

Go to the Have Your Say Consultation Hub for details of all of our current consultations.

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.