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Newsletter - March 2016
Dear Constituent
Welcome to the Easter edition of my constituency e-newsletter and I hope you are gearing up for a relaxing break. It has been a very busy time politically with a not very well handled Budget and the subsequent resignation of the DWP Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. I posted a response to the many emails I received about welfare reform on my website along with other circulars. I have also included a brief run-down on the Budget highlights in this newsletter too.
On the international front the recent terrorist outrage in Brussels underlines the importance for us all to be vigilant and the vital and professional work that our police and intelligence services do to keep us safe and reduce the threat of similar attacks happening in the UK. When visiting Europol in Amsterdam with the Home Affairs Select Committee last month I saw the valuable working going on with intelligence sharing including our partners from across the Atlantic and beyond too. Just today I spent the morning at the Counter Intelligence Unit at Scotland Yard to see the incredibly challenging job they are doing there to deal with Daesh alone.
The main theme of recent street surgeries has been the forthcoming EU referendum and I have been handing out Vote Leave literature having come out firmly for that side of the debate. (Other opinions are available from other colleagues!) I have now arranged 2 further ‘Talk to Tim’ meetings in Findon Valley and Southwick in April where I will focus on the Referendum but I have also been asked to participate in a number of other hustings with representatives from both sides and I will post details of them on my website when they have been confirmed. Certainly I do not think there will be any lack of opportunities to talk about the EU over coming months. Also don’t forget my Pensioners Fair on April 22nd in Worthing.
Details of all these meetings are below.
Best wishes
Tim Loughton MP
Member of Parliament for East Worthing & Shoreham
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Surgery Dates
Advice Surgery
Lancing
Friday 8 April 2016
Southwick
Friday 22 April 2016
For an appointment, please call 01273 757 182, or email eastworthingandshoreham@gmail.com.
Street Surgery
Southwick Street Surgery
Southwick Square
Saturday 2 April 2016
10am - 12pm
(Councillors only this week)
Shoreham Street Surgery
Shoreham Farmers' Market
Saturday 9 April 2016
10am - 12pm
Lancing Street Surgery
Lancing Queen's Parade
Saturday 16 April 2016
10am - 12pm
Worthing Street Surgery
Worthing Town Centre
Saturday 16 April 2016
12:15pm - 2pm
No need to book an appointment, just show up!
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'Talk to Tim' Public Meetings
I have organised a further two ‘Talk to Tim’ public meetings in Findon Valley and Southwick respectively in April where I will focus on the upcoming EU Referendum, as well as any other national or local issues people wish to raise. Everyone is welcome so please do come along.
Findon Valley
Saturday 9 April 2016
All Saints Church Hall, Findon Valley, Worthing, BN14 0DT
2:30pm
Soutwick
Saturday 23 April 2016
The Barn, Southwick Community Centre, Southwick Street, BN42 4TE
2pm
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In Westminster
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EU Referendum - UK Security and Policing
(You can watch my podcast on this here: https://youtu.be/Bkui1vyycDE)
The EU referendum campaign has so far been marked by a lot of scare stories and I really want to deal with the facts. Many people have been saying that if Britain votes 'Leave' on 23 June 2016 it could undermine our security. Well from a military perspective, the most important alliance we're involved with is of course NATO, which includes a lot of EU countries and a lot of countries beyond, such as the United States and Turkey. NATO is the cornerstone of our defence policy, as well as our own defence capability, and the EU does not have a key role in that. So let's have no more nonsense about our defence capability being undermined if we were out of the EU.
Turning to policing and intelligence; in this country we have an excellent police service, probably the best in the world. We also have the best intelligence services in the world, MI5 and MI6. Those forces share intelligence on a routine basis and it is very effective. We could have had far more terrorist attacks if it had not been for the effectiveness and professionalism of our police and intelligence services.
They do not have that sort of relationship on the continent and there have been many criticisms that actually police forces and intelligence services in EU countries do not work nearly as closely together as they do in the UK.
In fact the most important and effective intelligence sharing relationship we are in is what is called the 'Five Eyes' alliance, i.e. UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Our intelligence services cooperate very strongly together and clearly there is a shared interest when it comes to combating global terrorism. We need that relationship to continue to work, but apart from us none of the other 'Five Eyes' countries are part of the EU.
Recently I went with the Home Affairs Select Committee to Amsterdam to visit Europol which does some really impressive work on countering global crime, people trafficking, money-laundering and terrorism. We met some very impressive and professional police officers, from around the EU nations, and saw the great job they are doing, which includes swapping data, sharing intelligence and moving operationally to combat criminals and terrorist wherever they are. But we also met a lot of people from other countries outside the EU, including representatives from US Homeland Security, who have offices inside Europol, right next to the British and French police, working shoulder to shoulder with other European police forces. There were also representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, all based physically within Europol sharing intelligence and working together to combat international crime. Incidentally, America does not pay anything for the privilege of being based at Europol other than the cost of people they have seconded to work there.
So that can go on whether we are part of the EU or not. Are those people who want to scare us into remaining in the EU actually saying that if our Belgian or French police counterparts got wind of terrorist activity on their side of the continent, or in the Channel, or close by to us, that they would not share that with Scotland Yard, MI5 or MI6, simply because we are not longer members of the EU? Well that is a nonsense.
What we need is much better intelligence sharing and much better joint cooperation between police forces and intelligence services not just within the EU and Europe but globally. We have that at the moment with Europol and it will continue to do a very good job, including us, whether we are part of the EU or not.
The security and intelligence sharing we enjoy in the UK will not be impacted upon if we vote for our independence on 23 June 2016 and we Vote Leave from EU, as I hope you will.
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EU Referendum:
Ex-pats and UK nationals in the EU
(You can watch my podcast on this here: https://youtu.be/HzBIEqSxaWI)
A number of residents have been in touch with me regarding what would happen to ex-patriots and UK nationals in the EU if Britain leaves.
Well again there has been a lot of scaremongering. One of my colleagues described the status of British citizens on the continent if we vote 'Leave' as being like "illegal immigrants". Let's just dispel some of this nonsense and misinformation going around.
Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969, anybody already living in an EU country, or who has property there, will have their current arrangements protected if we come out of the EU.
There are "acquired rights" which people have built up over time.
This works both ways as well. Whilst there are 320,000 Brits living in Spain and 250,000 Brits living in Ireland, there are roughly 400,000 French citizens living in London alone. London has been described as France's 6th largest city. There are more than double the number of French people living in London than there are Brits living in the whole of France.
There is not going to be any mass deportation of French people if we vote to come out of the EU on 23 June! We will continue as we are at the moment, certainly anyone living in an EU country, or who has property in an EU country, will have their current arrangements protected.
Looking at the case of Greenland, which is the only country to come out of the EU, their citizens continued to have rights to live in the EU and there was no mass deportation of Greenland citizens back to Greenland. So let's put that scare story to bed once and for all.
Looking at healthcare costs, at the moment if you are living in Spain then NHS pays out the costs of any healthcare costs you might have and, by the same token, EU countries are supposed to reimburse the NHS for the costs of healthcare for EU citizens treated in the UK. In fact, what is happening is the NHS is paying out a lot more for British citizens in other EU countries than the NHS is getting back from EU citizens in the UK. So we are already paying for the healthcare cost of British citizens living in EU countries and that would continue just the same if we voted to come out. Another scare story put to bed.
In terms of people's working rights, this is one of many things that will need to be negotiated after we come out of the EU. It is going to be a complicated negotiation, but it will mean that we can choose what skill sets we want to come to this country. Similarly, there will be many UK citizens who will want to work on the continent and who will benefit those economies. This being the case common sense will prevail. There need be no huge upheaval in where people are living or able to work if we come out of the EU on 23 June.
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EU Referendum: The Budget and the EU
(You can watch my podcast on this here: https://youtu.be/QSCaTgv5AHE)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer recently presented his Budget to Parliament. It was a good Budget against a backdrop of difficult economic conditions, the Chancellor was able to announce forecasts for growth in our economy of 2.2% this year, which is the highest in the EU. We also had the latest unemployment figures which showed the unemployment rate had fallen again to 5.1%, compared to 10.2% in Europe, we also have the lowest number of young people claiming unemployment benefit since mid-1970s, which compares with the youth unemployment rate in the EU of 19.7%.
The deficit is now down by 2/3 and we still on track to make sure we eliminate the annual deficit by 2020. Compared to the state of many countries within the EU, e.g. Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, which are being propped up by the Eurozone.
There was good news on Business Rates, which can be crippling for businesses, and some 600,000 small businesses will be taken out of Business Rates altogether.
We cannot be complacent and we have challenging times ahead.
One thing that is not coming down is our contribution the European Union. £350m every week goes to the EU whilst we remain members and I always ask what we get back for our money? I would quite like an honest straight answer as to what that £350m of British taxpayers' money buys us in Europe every week. Could not we spend that money better?
What was also in the Budget, which not many people have picked up, is that the amount of money we are going to be paying to the EU in 2016/17 has been estimated at £11.8bn, last year at the Budget is was estimated at £9.4bn, so the bill has gone up on the quiet and we do not know what we get for that money.
There is another important area where we just do not have control in this country and that is over VAT, which brings in £138bn a year, but it is EU that sets the rates at which VAT is set and what it applies to.
There are two high profile examples of where the Europe has got it absolutely wrong and we as taxpayers are powerless to do anything about it.
First, there is the notorious 'Tampon Tax', which I did a podcast on a few months ago (https://youtu.be/B2M2857NjOE), where at the moment there is VAT charged on women's sanitary products, but it is not a luxury and is a nonsense. It is Europe that does not allow us to do anything about that.
Second, there has been a court ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which said energy efficient products, such as solar panels, which the Government wants to see more of, as we want to be more environmentally friendly, must be charged at the higher 20% rate of VAT, not the lower 5% rate the Government had originally placed on them. Unless we can do something about this then the VAT is going to go up 15%. This is a nonsense, I thought the EU was all about being environmentally friendly. We've certainly got a government that takes it responsibilities to the environment very seriously, we want more people to insulate their house, more people to use solar power and do more energy efficient things.
There were good things in the Budget, but there could have been more good things if they were under our control rather than the control of Brussels.
I was disappointed that the Chancellor used the independent Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) to claim that there would be uncertainty if we voted for Brexit on 23 June. In fact, the OBR said no such thing and it is ironic that an independent group are being used to promote the vote 'Remain' campaign. The OBR have said themselves that it is absolutely not for them to make a judgement on the implications of Brexit.
One thing the OBR did say was that the Government was not going to meet its immigration targets largely because we have 250,000 people coming from Europe each year and we have the crisis in the EU of the 1.8m refugees coming to EU countries over the last year alone and that is not likely to improve over the next year.
At the end of the day, I think it is our politicians answerable to our constituents (you can vote us out whenever you like, you cannot do that we faceless bureaucrats in Europe) are the ones who should make important financial decisions for our country. At the moment, too often we are hampered from doing that by EU rules, regulations and faceless bureaucrats, which is why on the 23 June we need to vote 'Leave' to take back control.
Sumary of Main Announcements
- From April next year the tax free personal allowance will rise to £11,500.
- The higher rate threshold will also increase to £45,000, a tax cut of over £400.
- A new Lifetime ISA was introduced to help those under 40 save. For every £4 saved, the Government will give you £1. So put in £4,000 each year and the government will give you £1,000 every year until you’re 50
- ISA limit increased from just over £15,000 to £20,000 for everyone.
- Fuel duty has been frozen for the sixth year in a row.
- Corporation Tax to 17% by 2020.
- Capital Gains Tax cut from 28% to 20% for top rate taxpayers and from 18% to 10% for basic rate taxpayers.
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Commoration of Tibet Uprising in ceremony at Westminster Abbey
On 10 March we remembered 57 years since the Chinese violently occupied Tibet and began their systematic oppression of freedom
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Meeting with Richard Gere
Fascinating meeting with Richard Gere, in his role as President of the International Tibet campaign, at Westminster talking about Tibet and the Dalai Lama ending with a big hug!
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In East Worthing and Shoreham
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Outcome of meeting with Southern Rail (GTR) managers
I spent most of last week involved with rail issues and specifically the continued poor performance by local rail operator GTR which is responsible for Southern. On Saturday March 13 th I joined over a hundred demonstrators brought together at Shoreham station by the Shoreham Society to protest at the continued closure of the pedestrian underpass forcing constituents to endure the long delays at the level crossing experienced by drivers. I have been working with the Shoreham Society to put pressure on Southern and Network Rail to move this ahead for the last few years and the recent tragic death of a 20 year old local man at the crossing has reinforced the seriousness of getting something done.
The following Monday I joined the CEO of GTR Charles Horton on a visit to the Control Centre at Three Bridges jointly run by GTR and Network Rail where they handle all the movements of local trains and deal with delays caused by faults on the track, rolling stock breaking down, staffing problems etc. On the morning I visited there had been a major incident with a signalling fault and they were desperately trying to reconfigure the service to catch-up. I had also been alerted by a constituent earlier that morning to a train which had been cancelled only to be seen 4 minutes later speeding through Shoreham station and I asked for more information on this where it was clear they had misled passengers which only adds to cynicism about why there are so many problems on the service. I then joined Charles Horton in the cab of a train to travel up to Victoria, arriving only ten minutes late.
Last Wednesday I joined other Sussex MPs I another debate on the state of the local service following on from the summit held with GTR, Network ail, the Rail Minister and others back in January. There were no real new arguments only increased frustration with the amount of delay in getting a better service. You can read the full Hansard of the debate here: http://goo.gl/GhpIbV or watch it here: https://youtu.be/bXKSxIrPYzo.
On Thursday I held a public meeting at a packed Council Chamber in the Shoreham Centre where representatives from both Network Rail and GTR took a string of lively questions from the audience. I am grateful to all those constituents who came along and especially to those 2345 who signed my petition online in opposition to the ticket office closure proposals which I passed on to Southern along with a lot of individual letters and another petition from Lancing organised by councillors Carol Albury and Ann Bridges. The proposals are now subject to scrutiny by Transport Focus and ultimately the Department of Transport. I will update my website when we have further developments.
The overwhelming issue from the meeting was the practice of ‘skipped stopping’ and I have had lots of examples of how this is affecting people trying to get to jobs or students missing lessons etc. It would be useful to have a greater explanation of exactly how often this is happening and whether there are some stations which are being skipped disproportionately on our stretch of the line. I used the example of the allegedly cancelled train on the morning I came in which turned out to be running but which missed out several stations to make up time after a delay caused by the driver at Littlehampton. The key issue from this is that GTR need to be much more honest and transparent with passengers and failure to do so has resulted in a loss of trust. Given the progress they have made on communication through real time social media this is a major downside.
Not surprisingly there was very substantial opposition to the closure of ticket offices and I gather that the unions have attempted to scupper this so if it goes ahead it will be cause great antagonism. There were particular concerns from disability groups represented at the meeting and especially from partially sighted people who really need more help. I am afraid that nobody believed that fewer than 30% of tickets at Shoreham are sold through the ticket office and again people asked for the evidence from data collection which I asked for at previous meetings and which I still have not received. The refund system is bureaucratic and compacted and of course the refund vouchers cannot be used in the machines
There was substantial criticism of the fact that the old fashioned 313 services have been extended along the Brighton-Portsmouth line where there are no loos and where a lot of room is also taken up by people taking on bikes. There were several instances of dangerously crowded trains. There were serious complaints from one constituent at the meeting about the shortfalls in the electronic key system where he appears to be paying well over the odds for his journey. I was promised a response from the GTR representatives to many of the questions raised and again I will post them on my website when I have them and highlight them in future newsletters.
I have recorded a podcast on the meeting which you can see on my website here: http://goo.gl/2ueUtj
March’s update on the joint performance improvement plan for GTR and Network Rail is available at www.southernrailway.com/improvementplan or www.thameslinkrailway.com/performance. |
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Air Accident Investigation Board’s (AAIB) report into Shoreham Air Show accident
On March 11th the Air Accident Investigation Board produced their second report into the Shoreham Air Show accident. You can see the full report here https://goo.gl/c7NWrv and it raised some very serious concerns about shortcomings in the risk assessment processes amongst other things. I made the following comments and have since held a meeting with the head of the Civil Aviation Authority who are the licensing body for air shows. The final report on what actually caused the accident on August 2015 is likely to be published at some stage in the next few months and I am reserving counsel on exactly who or what is at fault until then. This week the Coroner also opened a preliminary inquest into the accident and this is likely to take some time.
The memory of the tragic events of 22 August still loom large for the local community in and around Shoreham and the thoughts of all of us remain with the families of the 11 victims.
This report, as with the impending coroner’s inquiry, will inevitably reopen wounds that are still raw with those close to the men who lost their lives and it is important that we get to the full truth swiftly and help provide some form of closure for everyone.
It is important that we acknowledge that this is the second of the interim reports published by the AAIB and their meticulous and thorough job continues. We still do not know exactly what caused the accident to happen in the way it did on that day and we should avoid jumping to conclusions about who or what might be at fault. In particular, police investigations are continuing to determine if any criminal acts have played a part.
However this report does raise some very worrying questions about the safety procedures that were followed and which may have had an impact on events.
“It is clear that crucial risk assessments were deficient and that certain processes that should have been carried out were just not happening. I know that the organisers of the air show at Shoreham are some of the most experienced and skilled people in this industry and safety of those in the air and on the ground has always been of paramount importance.
It is the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who are responsible for the safety of air shows, they produce the regulations, they issue the licences and they presumably should be monitoring implementation and its effectiveness. With this in mind, I was alarmed to hear how few shows are actually attended by their staff.
A striking deficiency appears to be that, whilst risk assessments were carried out at Shoreham, which took into account things like the proximity of the congested A27 and spectators watching from outside the Air Show perimeter, the risk assessment was not tailored to the different types of aircraft taking part. Extraordinarily, the flying display director does not appear to have been fully appraised of the exact manoeuvres and routes to be taken by individual aircraft in order to make sure appropriate risk assessments have been drawn up and acted on in good time. That surely is just basic common sense and good practice so why was the CAA not making sure it was happening in practice?
The report also raises concerns about why the plane was flying at such a low altitude over the crowded A27 and apparently minimum heights for high powered jet aircraft were not observed as was queried right after the immediate crash.
It also seems strange that a full record is not kept when problems occur at other air shows and certain routines are stopped so that lessons can be leaned elsewhere. These are all recommendations that are made in the report but which basic common sense suggests should have been in operation well before now.
Whilst I will reserve final judgement about the causes of the crash until all the information has been analysed and published there are urgent measures that the CAA need to look at in their own procedures and need to be introduced or enforced to make sure similar air shows can take place safely.
It is important that we have a proportionate response though so that smaller air shows are not regulated out of sight in what has been an otherwise very safe activity over the last 60 years, which brings pleasure to many millions of families and flying enthusiasts.
I will certainly be seeking an early meeting with the Head of the CAA and the Transport Minister to make sure that these considerations are being pursued urgently. We owe it to the memory of the victims at Shoreham to get this right and to do everything humanly possible to prevent such a rare tragedy happening again in the future.
On a related note, I was very sorry to hear about the death of Derek Barber who had chaired the Shoreham Air Show organising committee for many years and was a stalwart supporter of the chair RAFA. Our condolences to his wide, Lesley, and family.
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Clean for the Queen
(You can watch the video of this event here: https://youtu.be/51w2VLyM9EY)
I joined forces with volunteers and councillors to tidy up around Worthing Town Hall ahead of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.
Spirits were high during the half hour stint to ‘Clean for the Queen’, equipped with marigolds, brooms, litter pickers and even feather dusters.
The nationwide initiative aims to see Britain’s towns gleaming in time for the Queen’s landmark year, officially celebrated in June.
I think we need to urge everybody to do their own bit in their community, whether it’s cleaning up their street, a park, or their local beach.
Let’s have street parties that are spic and span because everyone’s done their bit. What better way to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday.
Parties are already being planned for the area, including one on Lancing Beach on Sunday, 12 June from 1pm - 6pm.
The free event will feature live music, a dinosaur ride, and a train from the bandstand to Widewater.
Stalls can be booked for £12 a table and all profits will go towards charity ME Association.
Keep Lancing Lovely's next litter pick is on Sunday 27th March 2016 between 10.30am and noon meeting up near The Perch on Beach Green, Lancing
You can find out more here: http://keeplancinglovely.weebly.com/
On a separate note, I have already written to the highways Agency to do something about the terrible state of litter on the A27 between Southwick and Shoreham.
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Carol’s Manor
Councillor Carol Albury’s fantastic community team in North Lancing were out last Saturday putting the finishing touches to the revamp of the parade of shops in Manor Road. Having cleared away the jungle, had the wall repaired and crazy paving re-laid, the volunteers painted up the new planters which are looking great. There was also some more clearing up to be done with the drains as well which had become completely blocked with rubbish which I had a small part in ungunging together with local builder, Paul Mansfield, who has been an absolute star helping with this project. Well done to Carol and the whole team – a great community effort
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Adur Local Plan
Last Monday, Adur Council discussed the final version of the Adur Local Plan before it goes to the Inspector for approval or revision. This is obviously something I have held public meetings about in the earlier stages of the consultation.
The relevant document, including the local plan, can be found via the links below:
http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/meetings-and-decisions/committees/adur/cabinet/committee,137677,en.html
http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/meetings-and-decisions/committees/adur/planning/committee,137678,en.html
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City College Brighton & Hove and Northbrook College, Sussex have announced proposals to create a new Regional Institute of Arts & Technology
The Greater Brighton & Sussex Institute of Arts & Technology will transform the lives of young people and adults across the City Region through the provision of high quality vocational, professional and technical routes into employment. Responding to the identified economic priorities of Greater Brighton and Sussex, it will sit at the heart of the City Regions' drive to increase productivity and economic growth through the provision of high quality vocational and applied pathways from foundation to technician and associate professional level.
The proposed new College will be formed from a merger of Northbrook College and City College Brighton. The Institute will teach around 3,500 16-18 year old students, 7,500 adults, 1,000 undergraduates and more than 800 apprentices, generating an income of c.£40 million.
The organisation will retain existing high quality local campuses and local delivery in Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing but will be led be a central executive team and governing body pursuing a single strategic plan.
At the moment the two colleges are at the proposal stage and there are plans in place for a full public consultation later in the year to ensure that the views of staff, students and the local community and fully taken into account.
I for one fully welcome this announcement and look forward to working with them to ensure that Sussex continues to be a greater place to work, starts business and develop new skills.
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Tiffin Cup 2016
The annual Tiffin Cup competition to find the best South Asian Restaurant in the country. Now in its tenth year, the competition celebrates the best of South Asian cuisine and offers you an opportunity to champion a business in your community.
Once the nomination are made ten entrants will be short-listed accordingly to regions and invited to a special cook-in at Bellamy's Restaurant where the overall winner will be found.
The year all proceeds will be donated to the very worthy charity World Vision and WaterAid.
I invite constituents to nominate their favourite South Asian restaurant in the East Worthing and Worthing constituency. Please email your nomination to loughtont@parliament.uk and include your full name, constituency address and postcode as well as the full name and address of the nominated restaurant. One nomination per constituent. The closing date for entries is Thursday 14 April 2016.
I will announce the name of the restaurant with the most votes put forward to the Tiffin Cup on his website on Friday 15 April 2016.
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I was glad to be able to watch a thrilling match at Culver Road in Lancing on Saturday saw Sussex County FA Youth team through to FA County Youth Cup national final beating Cheshire 3-2
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Congratulations to Air Cadets Stacey and Daniel from Shoreham 1440 Squadron, for gaining their gold and silver certificates respectively for their volunteering in the community. It was good to catch up with the local air cadets in Shoreham again.
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Sphere Business Centre
A brand new centre for emerging local businesses and entrepreneurs is officially opened at Northbrook College in Worthing.
Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Worthing Borough Council, Northbrook College and a host of local businesses, have delivered this exciting project. It's hoped that new businesses can benefit from this stunning new office space, before growing and moving on to bigger things.
Find out more about the opening here: https://youtu.be/JZHA9zwbdVE
Or find out more about the centre here: http://spherebusinesscentre.co.uk/about-us/
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Kids Count - MP Constituency Commendation
The Award is for an individual between the ages of 8 and 25 who has inspired others by their personal dedication, personality, enthusiasm, resilience, flair and commitment to one, or a number of issues affecting others. It is also possible to nominate a community group who by example, track record and commitment have signalled that responsibility lies within their own community to protect and foster the well-being and development of young people.
If you would like to enter, please fill in the form above and either send it to the email address or postal address provided.
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Sussex Community Chest now open to good causes
There are not many non-civic events which attract leading politicians, mayors and dignitaries from across Sussex but the launch of the annual Community Chest is certainly one of them.
Council leaders and local authority figureheads from all corners of East and West Sussex descended on Arundel’s Black Rabbit pub to kick off Hall & Woodhouse’s annual cash grant giveaway - a scheme which has seen the family brewer award £414,000 to good causes in the South since 2002.
Read more here: http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/news/sussex-community-chest-now-open-to-good-causes-1-7281872 and see if you have a good local cause that might benefit.
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Shoreham Slipway
The long running saga of building a new public slipway has taken a new turn after I arranged a ‘Slipway summit’ at Southwick. Last year Adur Council granted planning permission for a new slipway near the Adur Rec site opposite Ropetackle subject to a legal agreement and various other conditions. Subsequently there have been a lot of complaints that the consultation on the application neglected to involve a lot of the users of this stretch of water especially the Sea Scouts and Canoe Club who train many youngsters between the bridges.
There have also been concerns from Natural England and the Environment Agency about the impact on wildlife.
Subsequently I brought all the interested parties together for a roundtable discussion including users of the river, the Environment Agency, Adur and West Sussex councillors and planning officers, Shoreham Port Authority and members of the Shoreham Slipway Group. Subsequently it was decided to look again at the prospect of the slipway being located at Ferry Road which was one of the original options. This is now being looked at as a matter of urgency given it will need to tie in with the Adur Tidal Defence Works which are due to start in July. It will also need to work with the delayed completion of the Ferry Road landscaping which all things being equal could get underway at the end of the summer but where have we heard that before? I will keep constituents posted
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Patients set to benefit as two GP practices merge
Two GP practices in Shoreham are set to merge to create one ‘robust and resilient’ practice.
Church View Surgery and Adur Medical Group based in Shoreham Health Centre will be merging on April 25, and will be known as Harbour View Healthcare.
The new practice will also operate from Downsway Surgery in Southwick – the current branch surgery of Adur Medical Group.
Partners say the move is an ‘excellent opportunity’ to develop services for patients as it will combine expertise from both practices.
Patients will still be able to use both of the current telephone numbers to contact the new practice, and the surgery opening times will remain the same.
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Celebrating Shakespeare 2016
A joyous feast of diverse events from Shoreham Wordfest to mark the 400th anniversary of the great BARD, taking place from 21 - 24 April 2016.
All tickets are available:
Online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/shorehamwordfest
Tel: 07498 555477
Tickets for events at the Shoreham Centre can also be purchased direct from the Shoreham Centre, Tel: 01273 454686, Email: info@shorehamcentre.co.uk.
All information about events can be found on the Shoreham Wordfest website: www.shorehamwordfest.com. |
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Shoreham Rotary Association Tour
I was delighted to show a group of Shoreham Rotary members around the Houses of Parliament when they visited recently.
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I hope they all enjoyed it and found it a fascinating day.
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Follow Tim on Twitter, like his Facebook page, watch his Youtube channel, or visit his website by following the respective links below:
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