West Sussex County Council’s Public Health team is working closely with Public Health England (PHE), which is leading the national COVID-19 response and providing messaging for the public.

The latest Department of Health & Social Care and Public Health England information on COVID-19 is available to read on the Government website.

Public Health England has a regularly updated blog to answer many frequently asked questions.

You can help prevent the spread of germs and infection by following NHS advice:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• always wash your hands when you get home or into work
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards
• try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

West Sussex Highways continues to take action against potholes, with 2,479 repairs completed across the county in January alone.

Recent, frequent changes between cold temperatures, to mild/wet weather, and back again, have significantly increased the number of potholes on our roads. With the expansion and contraction caused by temperature change, deterioration will occur, resulting in new potholes.

However, pothole repairs are only part of the picture - we also have a pothole prevention strategy, and:

• resurface whole/large sections of roads, removing all the surface and replacing with a new one on top;
• micro-surface, where a layer of asphalt emulsion is blended with finely-crushed stone to seal the road surface;
• use surface dressing, spraying the road with bitumen binder, followed by a layer of stone chippings which are then rolled in.

In 2019 to 2020, we invested a total of £8.9 million treating 806,000m² of carriageway using these three methods. The draft 2020/21 programme is being finalised but will see further investment in West Sussex’s roads. 

If you're interested finding out more, visit our website for the full news story. 

If you're interested in how your council tax will be spent over the coming financial year, you can find out more in our online council tax leaflet.  

Our new agreed budget means council tax will rise in April by 1.99% - plus an additional 2% for adult social care – making a total increase of 3.99%.

This puts the County Council element of an average band D council tax bill at £1,438.74 – or just under £4 per day. This is an increase of around £1 per week compared to last year’s bill.

You council tax makes up 32% of our day-to-day revenue spending. For every pound you give us we spend 35p on adults and health, 26p on education and children’s services, and 16p on environment, highways and infrastructure.

If you're interested in our budget and where we’re investing money you can find out more in our recent news item. 

This month, libraries will be celebrating all the ways that books, reading and local libraries can help people stay healthy and well.

Special events taking place include Wellbeing MOT’s, NHS health checks, reminiscence taster sessions, story walks for children and games for families.

The libraries will also have their regular events, which are a great way to help improve your wellbeing on a regular basis. These include Knit and Natter, Relax with Colouring and ‘Melody for the Mind’, a singing group for people with dementia and their carers.

All libraries will also have displays of books chosen by library staff to lift your mood and help you feel better. The genres range from uplifting poetry to non-fiction titles with practical advice for difficult times.

All the events during Wellbeing Month (and throughout the rest of the year) are listed on the libraries page of our website.

As part of our Age Well campaign, we're focusing on the ways that residents can be active in later life, throughout March.

Therefore, we're encouraging those aged 65 and above to complete our Super Six exercises, in order to improve their strength and balance, which could prevent a nasty fall.

More information on preventing falls can be found on our website. 

From 1 April all 11 Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRS) in West Sussex will change to their summer opening hours.

This means the sites will stay open for longer to cope with the demand for services, which usually increases over the spring and summer months.

The summer opening hours will run until 30 September and can be checked online from 31 March.

Anyone visiting a HWRS needs to take ID with them to prove they live in West Sussex such as a driving licence. 

If you drive a commercial style vehicle you’ll also need to apply for a permit.

#SaveTimeGoOnline

1. How can I request a birth/marriage/death copy certificate? Order a copy or make amendments here.

2. How do I book a Registrar for my wedding? Click here for details on how to book.

3. How do I report a pothole? You can report it quickly via Love West Sussex.