Due to Covid restrictions and venue difficulties, the meeting for next week has been postponed until Monday 31st January, venue and agenda to be published nearer the time.

Kind Regards,

Colin Warburton
Clerk to Poynings Parish Council

The Mid Sussex District Council Wellbeing team is offering extra support to people who want to give up drinking alcohol this January.

Going alcohol-free for a month during Dry January can be a great start to the New Year, providing a range of health benefits like better sleep, brighter skin, improved concentration and higher energy levels.

People who do Dry January with support are twice as likely to stay dry for the whole month, so the Wellbeing team is offering a free confidential advice service to anyone who would like to reduce their drinking.

Research published by the British Medical Council in 2018 found that one month without drinking alcohol lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of developing diabetes, lowers cholesterol and reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood.

The real magic happens when Dry January is over, with the majority of participants reporting that it helped them to drink more healthily year-round. Research conducted by the University of Sussex has found that more than 70% of people who take on the month with Alcohol Change UK’s Try Day app or coaching emails are still drinking more healthily.

Councillor Norman Webster, MSDC Cabinet Member for Community said:

“Take control of your life and join the millions of people that take on the Dry January challenge.

“Prevention is better than cure and getting on top of your alcohol consumption can help you to lose weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, improve your mental health and of course, leave you with more money in the bank.

“It only takes 3 weeks to break a habit and take control of your drinking. Anyone can get involved and it’s easy to sign up and get started on your journey”.

The Mid Sussex Wellbeing Team offers a range of support to help people make important lifestyle changes that lead to happier, healthier lives. You can contact them directly by calling 01444 477191 or emailing wellbeing@midsussex.gov.uk

Mid Sussex District Council has agreed to implement a new flexible season ticket offer and to increase car parking charges in line with inflation.

The decision was taken by Full Council at a meeting on Wednesday 8 December 2021.

Car park season tickets are primarily used by town centre workers and commuters. The pandemic has dramatically changed the way people work, with many more people working from home, and this has had an impact on the demand for season tickets. The number of people using town centre season tickets is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels, so a flexible 3-day season ticket will be introduced to fit in with new working habits

Public sector organisations across the UK are facing serious budget gaps as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In local government, the financial cost of supporting communities through the pandemic has been huge. Even with additional funding from the Government, the cost to Mid Sussex District Council was £1.9 million during the 2020/21 financial year and Covid-19 will continue to have a significant impact on the Council’s finances over the coming years.

Parking charges in Mid Sussex town centre Pay and Display car parks have remained the same for the past ten years, which means they have not kept pace with inflation or rising management and maintenance costs.

The Council is increasing car park charges to help protect essential public services and enable continued investment in the parking estate, particularly in new technologies to improve customer service.

Mid Sussex is currently one of the cheapest places to park in the area when compared to neighbouring Council areas and this will continue to be the case. Parking for one hour in a Mid Sussex District Council car park will increase from 80p to £1 and parking for two hours in a Mid Sussex District Council car park will cost a maximum of £1.50 compared with £1.80 in Lewes, £2 in Crawley and £2.80 in Horsham.

Councillor Stephen Hillier, MSDC Cabinet Member for Economic Growth said:

“The financial pressures created on council finances by the coronavirus pandemic are here to stay for the foreseeable future. We must plan ahead if we are to protect our services and safeguard the long-term sustainability of the Council.

“Our parking charges have remained frozen for the past decade and by bringing them back in line with inflation we will be able to support our key statutory services while also investing in the modernisation of our car parks.

“The decision to increase parking charges is not one we take lightly, but we must make some tough choices over the next few years if we are to effectively manage our budget and recover from the effects of this awful pandemic.”