Jan 05

Get extra support with Dry January in 2022

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

Dec 20

Church Services

• On Christmas Eve – Friday 24th December – there will be a Crib Service at Poynings at 4.00pm – This will be a very child friendly occasion, so do come and encourage those with children and the young in heart to do so.

• Later on Christmas Eve, at 9.30pm there will be a service of Holy Communion with Carols at St Andrew’s Edburton, our (Bethlehem) Midnight Mass.

• Our Christmas morning Parish Communion will take place at St John the Evangelist, Newtimber at 10.00am.

Dec 11

Poynings Christmas Tree

Don’t forget, the lighting up the Christmas tree on Saturday 11th at 6pm at Cora’s Corner.     

Rushfields have donated another beautiful tree and the team of locals that were involved included, David Hope, Mark Lee, Nigs and John Digby, Mike and Christine Airey and Mike Morgan. Bring your own drinks. Warm mince pies will be supplied.

 

Dec 10

Sunday is Fulking Book Sale day

Sunday 12th December.     
Fulking Village Hall.     
11.00-4.00pm.    
Book Sale – loads to choose from

Dec 09

Mid Sussex District Council Parking charges

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.”

Dec 07

Poynings Christmas tree lighting

We will be lighting up our Christmas tree on Saturday 11th at 6pm at Cora’s Corner.

Rushfields have donated another beautiful tree and Mike Airey will be wrapping it with thousands of twinkling lights!

Pop along just before 6 with your own drinks and we will have plenty of warm mince pies!

Dec 06

Time to write to Michael Gove! No Eton New town

 

Don’t Urbanise the Downs.     

It’s now time to take the fight to a national level by putting pressure on Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Housing.      

We want Gove to re-think – or better still, scrap – the ‘Standard Method’, a mandatory but flawed system of calculating housing figures which is being imposed on local councils up and down the country, including in Lewes.       
 
The ‘Standard Method’ is based on incorrect and outdated population projections and forces local planners to deliver inaccurate and inflated numbers of new houses. It does nothing to alleviate affordable housing needs but does enable developers to maximise profits by concreting over greenfield sites – such as Eton’s plans to build a 3,000-house new town in idyllic Sussex countryside.      
 
Use of the ‘Standard Method’ is one of the key reasons that an unthinkable proposal like Eton’s is even being considered. It’s a bureaucratic blunder which poses a severe threat to 500 acres of our precious downland countryside.
 
Please keep up the fight by writing a short letter to Michael Gove (address below). Here are some of the main points you can cover but please do write in your own words:
 

  • The ‘Standard Method’ uses obsolete and inaccurate population forecasts dating from 2014 and should be reassessed – or scrapped altogether
  • The most recent figures from the ONS (2016 and 2018) show population numbers are reducing in many areas, especially in London and the South East. This trend is likely to continue – reflecting smaller increases in life expectancy, falls in the birth rate and the impact of Brexit on net migration
  • The ‘Standard Method’ forces councils like Lewes to meet unnecessarily inflated house-building targets that far exceed local housing need. Lewes now has to meet a target of 782 new homes a year – an additional 15,640 homes over 20 years. This is a huge increase of almost 38%. With limited brownfield options, the council is forced to consider greenfield alternatives – including Eton’s proposals for a 3,000-house new town on 500 acres of pristine countryside, right on the border of the South Downs National Park.
  • The Eton site has no existing infrastructure at all – no mains gas, electricity, sewerage or any main roads. It defies planning logic and best practice as well as all environmental considerations. It directly contradicts Boris Johnson’s pledge not to build new homes on greenfield sites and his commitment at COP26 to halt the progress of climate change
  • By moving away from the ‘Standard Method,’ councils could shift higher housing targets to areas with the most available brownfield land, where housing is more affordable and where the economy needs a boost. This will ease pressure to build on countryside in the beleaguered South East – and help the government’s levelling up agenda.
 
Please add any other points you want, but try to keep it brief! Encourage family and friends to write too. If we all write, Michael Gove will have to listen to us!
 
The Right Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
 
Or email to: correspondence@communities.gov.uk
 
You can read more about the ‘Standard Method’ in latest blog post.

Dec 03

Christmas Wreaths

Made to Order.    

£20/25.    

With lights £2 extra, limited no. available.    

Or    

Join us and make your own for the same Price

Potential dates 6th/7th/9th December.   

Contact Karen on 07818568999

Dec 03

Village Hall

Until further notice, the village hall will only be used by the Good start school, and no bookings will be taken.     
Any queries speak to Matt Cutress on 01273857221.

Nov 30

Mid Sussex approves food waste collection trial

Mid Sussex District Council will conduct a trial of kerbside food waste collections in three areas of the district next year.

On 29 November, the Council’s Cabinet agreed to proceed, in partnership with West Sussex County Council, with a trial collection service that includes weekly food waste and absorbent hygiene product collections.

The trial service will comprise a ‘1-2-3’ collection system as follows:

1. Introducing weekly food waste collections and an opt-in subscription service of absorbent hygiene product collections e.g. nappies and incontinence waste;

2. Retaining existing fortnightly recycling collections and the garden waste subscription service;

3. Three weekly general rubbish collections.

The kerbside food waste collections will be trialled by around 3,000 Mid Sussex households. The trial areas include a mix of housing types and locations spread across the district to ensure it represents the whole of Mid Sussex.

The trial will help the Council gather important data and customer feedback, which can be used to fine tune a new collection system. Establishing the most appropriate frequency of collections, the size of bins and how to effectively meet the needs of residents will all be important when it comes to planning future changes to waste and recycling services.

The trial will be run in partnership with West Sussex County Council.

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said:

“We know that there is considerable appetite amongst Mid Sussex residents for the introduction of weekly food waste collections and it’s a service that we’re really keen to provide.

“Our residents already do a fantastic job of recycling their waste but if we can collect food waste as well, it will dramatically increase recycling rates and reduce general waste.

“West Sussex County Council is committed to providing the means to recycle food waste in the future. Our kerbside food waste collection trial will ensure we’re ready to roll out a new collection system to the rest of Mid Sussex as soon as the treatment facilities are in place.”

West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Deborah Urquhart said:

“We are delighted to be supporting another 1-2-3 trial collection trial in West Sussex. I would like to thank all Mid Sussex residents taking part, as their feedback will greatly assist our teams in re-shaping and enhancing rubbish and recycling collections for the district and across the county in the future.

“This ultimately will help Mid Sussex increase recycling rates and West Sussex to meet, and hopefully exceed, the Government’s target to increase recycling rates to 65 per cent by 2035.”

Councillor John Belsey, MSDC Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery added:

“Just over 40% by weight of the average household waste bin in Mid Sussex is food waste and throwing all that food away has a hugely negative impact on the environment. Kerbside food waste collections make it simple and convenient for residents to recycle that waste into something useful.

“West Sussex County Council is supportive of our trial and is providing temporary arrangements for the disposal of food waste until a permanent facility is established. The food waste will be taken to a specialist facility and placed in an anaerobic digester, which uses the gas that is produced when the food breaks down to generate energy and turns the left-over material into a soil fertiliser.

“With the help of our residents, we hope that introducing kerbside food waste collections together with other future recycling initiatives and schemes will help us substantially increase recycling levels in Mid Sussex and certainly reach over 65% by 2035″.

Mid Sussex District Council initially planned to trial kerbside food waste collections in spring 2020. However, the rapid emergence of the Coronavirus Pandemic in March meant those plans were postponed, with all resources directed towards the protection of existing waste collection services and the introduction of social distancing measures for collection crews.

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