New national restrictions now in place To help reduce the spread of COVID-19 new national restriction measures came into force yesterday, Thursday 5 November, and will remain in place until Wednesday 2 December. More information about how this will affect West Sussex County Council services, including libraries, Household Waste Recycling Sites, registration services and ceremonies, can be found here. Please share this information within your local communities and with residents. They can also find the latest weekly case numbers on our website.    Local residents should be aware that the new tougher national restrictions include staying at home, only travelling if it is essential, and not meeting people socially. Restrictions do allow people to exercise…

Monday 26 October 2020 Issued by the Communications Team – publicrelations@chichester.gov.uk www.chichester.gov.uk/coronavirus www.twitter.com/ChichesterDC www.facebook.com/ChichesterDistrictCouncil This briefing is to keep you updated on the evolving situation around coronavirus (COVID-19) and the actions being taken in the district. Who does it affect? Residents and businesses within the district Chichester District Council staff and councillors Parish councils Community groups and charitable organisations In this briefing ·         Latest update ·         Hands, Face, Space reminder ·         Test and Trace reminder ·         Walk-in Covid testing site in Chichester ·         Self-isolation payments from CDC ·         Halloween safety ·         Claim tax back for working from home because of Covid ·         Could you be entitled to help towards the cost of heating your home? ·         West Sussex Affordable Energy…

Keep West Sussex Safe Help Keep West Sussex Safe We are continuing our ‘Keep West Sussex Safe’ campaign as case numbers continue to rise across the county. The campaign aims to encourage residents, businesses and communities to follow government guidelines to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus in West Sussex and therefore reduce the need for local lockdown restrictions. As part of the West Sussex Local Outbreak plan, on our website you’ll also find a weekly testing update report for West Sussex, which is broken down into district and borough areas. A Keep West Sussex Safe communications pack is also available that contains advice, key messages, social media posts, a…

Since the coronavirus crisis began, people from across our district have been pulling together and demonstrating a real sense of community, and that’s something we should all be incredibly proud of. Unfortunately, at times such as this, we also see a rise in the exploitation of vulnerable people, and the unease, uncertainty and anxiety that many of us are feeling at this time. This is why we are encouraging people to be on their guard. Thankfully, the majority of the support that is in place across the district is delivered by established community and support groups, but we all need to be cautious, especially with online, email and phone scams.…

Update on our financial positionPlans to cover the costs of a growing demand for services have been reviewed by West Sussex County Council Cabinet Members at a meeting this week (Tuesday 28 January 2020).The draft budget included details of investment in areas which need improvement, with £12m identified for improvements in Children’s Services and £2.6m for improvements in the Fire and Rescue Service.The Cabinet went through the proposed budget for 2020/21, which will now go before a meeting of the full council on 14 February for final approval.Find out more about our financial position by visiting: www.westsussex.gov.uk/budget

Practical fire safety training, led by experts from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, is on offer for everyone working in the county.Fire safety in the workplace is a legal requirement for employers, owners, landlords – or anyone with control of a business or non-domestic premises. Employees will be taught vital information by our and places can be booked by visiting our Learning and Developing Gateway and searching for the keyword ‘frs‘.For more information about the courses, visit our website.

Local groups have until 13 February to apply for county council funding as part of running a crowdfunding campaign via West Sussex Crowd.The West Sussex Crowd allows groups to apply for larger sums of money, and the ability to raise further funds from the local community.Also available in addition to The Crowd, the Micro Fund is an alternative process for projects with total costs totalling up to £750.Anyone expressing an interest in the Micro Fund should contact the CLC Development Team to find out the application deadline for their area. Enquiries are can be made by phoning 033 022 25075 or emailing talkwithus@westsussex.gov.uk.Applications to both funds are considered at County Local Committees (CLC).For more information, visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/CIF.

Free events for parents and carers to learn how to keep children safe online start this month to raise awareness for Safer Internet Day.The Community Safety and Wellbeing team are delivering the digital online safety sessions, offering tips and advice on how to keep children safe online, including: What children are doing online Identifying risks children may face online Showing available help, support and resources How to report concerns Please help support any of your local schools holding these events by publicising them within the local community. More information and ticket registration can be found on Eventbrite.

All West Sussex libraries will be closed on Monday 10 February for the installation of a new IT system.The online catalogue and library app will not be available from 10am on Sunday 9 February to midday on Tuesday 11 February and the telephone renewals line will not be available on Monday 10 February to midday on Tuesday 11 February.All libraries will reopen as usual on 11 February, but some may have limited IT until the new system is up and running.Please can you make residents aware of the closures where possible.Midhurst – Please note that Midhurst Library will be closed on Sunday 9 February as well.