Viridor Credits has announced that it has a budget of £240,000 of Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) money to give to suitable applicants based within ten miles of Horton Landfill site near Small Dole, West Sussex. This comes as part of a nationwide initiative to boost awareness about LCF grants available in respect of landfill sites managed by Viridor Waste Management across the UK.

“Having distributed £470,000 of retained landfill tax linked to Horton Landfill in West Sussex in the two years to the end of December 2007, we find ourselves short of enquiries for this year’s grants,” said Viridor Credits’ chief executive Patrick Capper. “Although we are working with an applicant in Small Dole, who is seeking some £30,000, we would very much like other local community and environmental groups to apply for the rest of the £240,000.”

In the last two years’ grants have ranged from £1,868 for Henfield Free Church to £50,000 for repairs to Old Shoreham Tollbridge. More typically, Viridor Credits has supported Washington Village Hall with an additional £5,000 (larger funding was provided in 2005) and a Multi Use Games Area at Washington Recreation Ground (£11,000). Henfield Football Club received £5797 and St Peter’s Church at Upper Beeding was helped with a grant of £20,000. Before that, grants to a total of £34,000 were given to Small Dole Village Hall.

Applications can be made for projects that fall into one of three categories, provided that the project is located within ten miles of a landfill site. They are

· Provision or maintenance of public amenities in the vicinity of a landfill site

· The conservation or promotion of biological diversity within the vicinity of a landfill site through

o the provision, conservation, restoration or enhancement of a natural habitat, or

o the maintenance or recovery of a species or its habitat on land or water

· Maintenance, restoration or renovation of buildings of historical or architectural importance or those used for religious worship, provided they offer public access and are within the vicinity of a licensed landfill.

Community groups interested in applying for funding should either visit the website, www.viridor-credits.co.uk, (see the link from Derek Deedman’s website) where there is a quick eligibility checker and an online application form, or contact Viridor Credits at Suite D, Victoria House, Taunton Somerset , TA1 3FA, tel 01823 327 221, email battwood@viridor-credits.co.uk

All suitable applications are evaluated by the local steering group for West Sussex, Chaired by Derek Deedman, which includes local councillors, business people and other stakeholders, plus representatives of both Viridor Waste Management and Viridor Credits. The steering group next meets on March 20, 2008.

The proposed withdrawal of this service at the end of June 2008 was discussed at the special meeting of  Chanctonbury County Councillors yesterday (29th).

The County and Horsham District officers put forward strong arguments to support the proposed action, ranging from health and safety to operators and public at the sites, lack of security, lack of customer care/advice, the difficulty of stopping trade and hazardous waste being deposited and the need to recycle more as most waste from these sites went to landfill.

Councillors were very concerned at the lack of discussion with users of the service. In addition with charges proposed for the alternatives or higher travel costs to go to permanent household waste sites at Billingshurst, Hop Oast or Shoreham compared with the free service available to Horsham Town residents, the south of the District was to lose out again.

It was agreed that officers should visit the mobile sites over the coming weeks to meet with users and explain and discuss the reasons for the proposed closure of the service. Furthermore a special meeting(s?) of the Chanctonbury County Local Committee would be arranged to discuss the views made at the mobile site visits, hear more from local people on the matter and give the opportunity for the detailed explanation of the reasons behind the proposal. Letters would be sent to all Parish Councils in the area updating the details already sent out with the above information.

Parish Councils in the Chanctonbury area of the Horsham District are outraged at County Council and Horsham District plans to withdraw the mobile waste recycling service at the end of June 2008.

It is claimed that the service has to close because of health & safety concerns and that  operational difficulties at the existing sites used by the mobile service mean that most of the waste ends up at landfill sites rather than being recycled. In addition there is a view that traders are using the sites for free, rather than paying for disposal , costing the council tax payers large sums of money.

The two Councils consider that with most of the waste being brought to the mobile sites by car, those cars could be driven to permanent household waste sites at Hop Oast near Horsham or at Billingshurst. Other options suggested are residents buying a second green collection bin or using an improved bulky waste service (which currently has to be paid for), for the collection of furniture. None of these options are likely to satisfy local residents especially because they will cost them more whilst the mobile service is free to the user.

In the longer term the District Council should be providing a new kerbside service for dry recyclables, but this will not cover everything which is currently going to the mobile waste service, and in any event is unlikely to be available throughout the Horsham District until 2009.

Councillors on the Chanctonbury County Local Committee  have demanded a meeting to see whether the mobile service can be saved, and are due to meeting the County Cabinet member responsible on Tuesday afternoon (29th January).

All-in-all not a good start to the County Council’s proposed change in culture to become customer focussed, providing services people really want!

The Draft Plan was  discussed at the Countryside Access Forum for West Sussex meeting in Billingshurst yesterday.

Andy Gattiker, the South Downs Way National Trail Officer outlined the strategic aims included in the Draft Plan (which is open to the public for consultation until 1 February). Further details on www.nationaltrail.co.uk/southdowns/

In response to a question from Derek Deedman it was confirmed that improving the safety of the Way where it crosses major roads such as the A283 in Upper Beeding was  included under the section of the Draft Plan relating to ‘Managing the Trail and its corridor’.

A well attended meeting on Tuesday afternoon heard from a number of speakers, representing the New Steyning Health Centre Development Group about the proposals for services in the new building which is due to be open this Autumn.

To enable more people to hear about the New Health Centre proposals, Jennie Musgrove will be speaking on behalf of the Development Group at a Steyning Parish Council meeting on 31 March. The meeting will start at 7.30pm at the Steyning Centre.

The Local Highway Manager is to investigate whether the next stage of carriageway recycling works on the Steyning Bypass scheme (between the Bramber roundabout and the Castle Lane crossing),  currently planned for 2009/10, could be delayed to enable the extra funding required for a pelican crossing at Bramber Road to be found.

This was the recommendation by Derek Deedman, agreed today by the Chanctonbury County Local Committee (CLC). The report on the possibility is required in time for the Committee to decide at it’s next meeting on 18 March whether to support  an amendment to the Highway Works Programme for that year to enable the Bramber Road crossing scheme to proceed.

An article on this matter will be included in the Winter edition of the Bramber Castle Division Focus so that local people can make their views known on the proposal. Steyning and Bramber Parish Councils will also be able to give their views to the next meeting of the CLC.

The meeting is at the Penfold Church Hall, Church Street, Steyning starting at 2pm.

The major items on the agenda are the presentation/consultation on the New Steyning Health Centre from 2pm to 3.30pm and the Bramber Road Crossing, Steyning which will part of the main agenda starting at 3.30pm. Tea and cakes will be available.

Everybody is welcome to attend to make their views known, on both the major items and on any other matter concerning County Council services in the Chanctonbury area.

Following a meeting on 14 January involving the Local Highway Manager, the Safety & Traffic Engineering Manager, the Chairman of the Chanctonbury County Committee and Derek Deedman, the position on the provision of a crossing has been confirmed as: - 

General

• This is a difficult site with poor visibility and limited space to do anything.   If there were an easy solution, no doubt somebody would have solved this by now. As it is, the solution that officers consider most appropriate deviates from national guidelines to some degree.  
• Pedestrians consider this a dangerous and difficult junction at present, but they are clearly taking great care in crossing because there have been very few reported accidents resulting in pedestrian casualties here.  The County Council needs to be careful that any new feature provides a safer crossing point without giving a false sense of security to pedestrians.

Options considered

• Different locations have been considered, a position just on the village side of the cross roads is the most favoured.
• It is not possible to install a refuge island because the road would need widening to accommodate it - this cannot be done without very great expenditure because of the presence of buried public utilities and the need to address poor visibility to the left (for traffic emerging from Goring Road)
• The option of a zebra crossing has been looked at very carefully. The principle concern is the lack visibility from the Goring Road side, which falls far below national guidelines.   It would be possible to install additional warning signs for drivers, but zebra crossings work by drivers seeing a pedestrian waiting, or starting, to cross. With limited visibility this is likely to be a problem.
• It may be possible to install a traffic signal controlled crossing (pelican) at this point.  To reduce the risks associated with the limited visibility it would be necessary to consider installation of traffic signal heads on both the near and far sides of the road (possibly for traffic approaching from both directions) as well as the application of high friction surfacing on the approaches. The crossing would be sited very close to the existing side roads, but the increased number of signal heads would help ensure drivers emerging from side roads could clearly see if the crossing is in use.  The existing bus stop (for trips into Steyning) would need to be relocated and a suitable replacement space found.

Funding

• Assessment of pedestrian use and passing traffic shows this to be a lower priority site than many other others in the County, therefore to proceed ‘local’ funding is the only option.
• Planning Development funds of £23,000 are available.  The balance (£22,000 against current estimates) would need to be found from adjustment of the 2009/10 highway works programme by the Chanctonbury County Local Committee (CLC) if the scheme is to proceed.

The Safety and Traffic Engineering Manager, together with the Local Highway Manager, will be attending the CLC meeting at the Penfiold Hall in Steyning at 3.30pm to enable the public to contribute to the debate on how to address the issue.

A presentation on the new Steyning Health Centre will be made at the next Chanctonbury County Local Committee meeting at the Penfold Hall in Church Street, Steyning from 2pm to 3.30pm. 

Speakers will include: -

Pat Arculus, Chanctonbury County Local Committee Chairman, who will open the event,

Jennie Musgrove, West Sussex County Council, will provide information about the Steyning Partnership Approach and the Care Closer to Home project, and

Dr Eric Noren, Senior GP Partner at Steyning Health Centre who will have information about New Service Delivery and Chanctonbury GPs working together. 

Put your Questions to a range of Professionals

Michael Bish, from ADM Architects and architect of the new Health Centre will be there to display the Building Design and Plans.

John Snell, Property Services at West Sussex County Council will have information about plans for the care home next door to the new health centre.

Chris Carey, Head of Property & Economic Development at Horsham District Council.

Tony Appleby, Principle Building Surveyor from Horsham District Council.

Sharon Plank, Adult Services at West Sussex County Council. 

Local County Councillor, Derek Deedman, and District Councillors, George Cockman and Len Warner will also be present.

There will be a Graffiti Wall available at the meeting to enable people to make their comments about any issues raised at the event. To make a contribution people will be able to simply write write a comment or question on a sticky label and put it on the Wall.

Derek Deedman has taken up  a request from a local resident for a post box in this area of Small Dole. This would enable people from that area of the Village to post their letters without having to travel down to the Post Office.

Derek has been informed that the Collections Planning Manager for the BN postcode area will be carrying out a survey of this box and area over the coming weeks.

It has been suggested that a bus shelter be provided at the bus stop in the Lower High Street outside the Methodist Church.

However Steyning Parish Council has decided not to provide a bus shelter at this point, without consulting bus users as to whether there is any support for a shelter. This is surprising at a time when people should be encouraged to use public transport. Clearly sitting down in a bus shelter has considerable advantage over standing and waiting in the rain!

Since it appears impossible to provide a bus shelter for Shoreham bound passengers in the High Street, a short walk to a bus shelter in the Lower High Street would provide an attractive alternative, out of the rain, for those who have to wait a while.

Derek Deedman has asked the Safe Routes to School Officer to consider the provision of a pelican crossing on the A283 Steyning Bypass at the Castle Lane crossing.

After a campaign by Derek Deedman a few years ago, the County Council provided a joint pathway/cycleway alongside the A283 Steyning Bypass from the Bramber roundabout to the Castle Lane crossing point of the Bypass.

The new route is well used by both walkers and cyclists for leisure activities and by students attending the Grammar School. The problem is that having reached the end of the pathway/cycleway users are presented with the option of making the hazardous crossing of the A283 with traffic travelling up to (and over!) 60 mph, or turning into De Braose Way, at the top of which cyclists have to dismount as the Twittens from there and over the Bypass are not for use by cyclists. In the circumstances the easiest and preferred option for many is to cross the Bypass. Many parents are, therefore, unwilling to allow their children to travel by bike to school when their child could end up killed or seriously injured and continue to drive them to school instead.

Derek believes that a pelican crossing at this location would lead to a considerable increase in children being able to cycle to the Grammar School from the Upper Beeding and Bramber area.

Woodmancote Parish Council has considered a report by Derek Deedman on the responses by local people to his article on the traffic problems in Blackstone Lane. There had been some support for a number of possible actions, including a reduced speed limit, road narrowing in places and access restricted to smaller vehicles.

After discussion at the November and January meetings it has been agreed to hold a public meeting on the matter in mid-February. Officers from County Highways & Transport will be invited to advise on what action could be carried out to tackle the situation, to enable a decision to be reached on the way ahead.

The date for the public meeting, when agreed, will be posted on this website.

Derek Deedman recently attended a joint meeting of the five South Horsham market towns community partnerships, to put the case to the County Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport for better public transport. The current problems Derek raised included: -

*the one and half hour gap in the 2A bus service from Shoreham to Steyning in the late afternoon,

*the requirement for Small Dole residents to wait nearly an hour in Upper Beeding for the connection between the 100 and 2A Services if they wished to go to/from Shoreham and Worthing,

*the lack of a direct bus to Worthing throughout the day, and

*the lack of limited stop peak time services to both Brighton and Worthing for people going to work or attending University or College.

Derek said, “Although the Cabinet Member agreed to look at the Upper Beeding connection between the 100 and 2A bus services he made no other commitments.

“It is very disappointing that at a time when we should be tackling climate change by encouraging more people to use the buses rather than their cars, that the Tory-run County Council is not investigating what extra bus services would encourage people out of their cars and is not providing sufficient additional funds to improve the existing provision of public transport.”

Works, to remove the grass verge and re-surface the footway from the Tanyard Lane junction passed Thornscroft to where the footway was improved last year, is programmed to be carried out over the Easter holidays.

Apart from making it much easier to walk on this stretch of footway, the removal of the grass verge will almost double the walking width and make it much safer for children walking to/from school. In addition it will be much better and safer for the large groups of children walking during the day between the Church Street and Shooting Field sections of the Grammar School.

Following further concerns from local people about the dangers of driving out of Canons Way, especially going right towards Bramber, Derek Deedman has asked for visibilty of approaching traffic to be improved.

The Local Highway Manager has said that the bushes and young trees need to be cutback on the inside of the bend of the Bypass to enable traffic emerging from Canons Way to have an earlier and better view of the fast traffic from the Washington direction.

In normal circumstances Derek would be opposed to the removal of trees, but as, in this instance, they are clearly making the situation dangerous and could be replaced nearer the back fences of the houses bordering the Bypass, he is supporting the Local Highway Manager’s recommendation.

Liberal Democrats in Arundel & South Downs have backed calls to the government to abandon plans to make people carry identity cards. 

Leading the call locally is Local Party Chairman, Derek Deedman. He decided to voice his concerns after Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg MP published figures showing that 37 million pieces of personal information on UK citizens were lost in 2007, mostly by the Government. 

The law bringing in ID cards has already been passed by Labour and soon most citizens will have to pay for an identity card. 

“The expensive identity cards scheme is based on the government storing large amounts of information about each one of us on a central database,” said Derek. 

“But in 2007 the Government stumbled from one data loss crisis to another. The worst example came in November when the Government lost the personal details of all 25 million families with children. That has put the privacy of every family in Arundel & South Downs at risk. 

“The dangers of putting so much information about every citizen in the UK into one central database are clear to everyone except, it seems, the Government. Ministers are in denial when they argue that the information will be safe and people’s privacy will not be undermined. 

“I am very pleased that new Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg is leading the battle to end the ID cards scheme. Liberal Democrats in Arundel & South Downs are right behind him. The plan to make everyone carry a piece of plastic should be buried before it ends up as another expensive government fiasco. 

“The scheme will be a bureaucratic nightmare. It won’t prevent illegal working. It won’t help stop crime or terrorism. If the government really wants to make an impact on crime, terrorism and illegal immigration, the money it has earmarked for this scheme would be far better spent on more police and intelligence officers. That is what the Liberal Democrats would do.”

Liberal Democrats are opposed to the Government’s proposals for the building of replacement nuclear power stations and want radical plans for increasing the use of renewables and reducing overall energy use to be adopted instead.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Derek Deedman said,

“The Government is determined to push forward an expensive programme of new nuclear power stations, which will undermine the potential for an increase in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.

“As well as the cost, there is the risk of accidents, the long-term legacy of waste and the danger of terrorist exploitation of nuclear material. Plus a new generation of nuclear power stations will mean that other technologies, such as renewable and carbon capture, are pushed out of the mix. This only serves to make the day that we can be fully sustainable further away.

“The Government should reject nuclear power and instead invest in reducing the amount of energy we use. The Liberal Democrats have put forward radical proposals to improve the energy efficiency of homes, here in Arundel & South Downs and elsewhere.

“By setting tough new insulation standards for new homes, and creating a system of ‘energy mortgages’, so the cost of energy efficiency measures can be repaid over the long-term, using the money saved from lower energy bills, we can reduce carbon emissions from existing homes by more than 60 per cent, and from newly built houses by 95 per cent, by 2050. That is more carbon than is produced annually by all the cars on Britain’s roads.

As people will be aware Viridor Waste Management has applied for planning consent to provide an additional 400,000 cubic metres of essential landfill disposal capacity within the existing footprint of the current Horton Landfill Site at Small Dole. This application also seeks to extend the operation of the site until late 2010.

Viridor have now decided to hold another public exhibition from 4.30 pm to 7 pm on Wednesday 23 January at Small Dole Village Hall, (in the Village on the A2037 Henfield Road).

The purpose of this public exhibition is to enable local people to view the latest details the Company have submitted to the County Council to clarify a number of matters raised by the County Planners and others consulted such as the Small Dole Action Group.

In particular these matters cover the question of settlement and site contours. Senior technical staff from Viridor will also be on-hand to explain the proposals, to answer any queries and to record comments and concerns.

Derek Deedman, as Chairman of the Horton Landfill Site Liaison Group, has welcomed the decision by the Company to hold this latest public exhibition in Small Dole to explain the current position on the planning application. He hopes that many local people will visit the exhibition to learn more about the latest planning proposal details and to speak to the Viridor representatives.

Cycle charity ‘Sustrans’ have obtained some grant money to start completing a surfaced link from the end of the Downs Link to the Ropetackle development in Shoreham High Street. They are currently applying for planning permission to resurface the final approx. 100m of the County Council owned section at the very end of the Downs Link and then to construct a new path across the scrub and ditch to the riverbank and resurface approx 50m south. This will then still leave a gap from that point to the existing Ropetackle development which will have to be completed when the new Ropetackle North development gets approved and the Environment Agency have completed any necessary works on the embankment. A safety audit will also have to be carried out on this proposal before it can be approved. There is then the possibility of extending the resurfacing on the section up to the Toll Bridge depending upon how much money is available.

Following the recent improvements to the South Downs Way (SDW) Bridge at St Botolphs, an additional £20,000 has been found from the County Council budget to be spent on the Downs Link between Bramber and Shoreham this year. The section between Bramber and the SDW Bridge is regarded as a priority in terms of upgrading.

Mike Croker, a local cyclist and John Ford, a member of the Ramblers Association, have made suggestions for the use of this money. Derek Deedman has passed these to the County Countryside Manager for him and the County Cycling Officer to consider in connection with the upgrading proposals.

Mike Croker has proposed that the Coombes Road from Lancing to Bramber should be re-designated as a ‘Quiet Lane’, with traffic restrictions for use as a cycle route. In this regard he agrees that the section of the Downs Link between Bramber and the SDW should be a priority for improvement as it would facilitate an easier route into the Bramber area from Coombes than the Annington Road’s rather steep hills.

In addition to supporting this improvement John Ford has asked whether the idea of going from Bramber Castle, as far as the river bridge, then under it and back to the rail track on the south side of the A283 still a contender to eliminate the current A283 crossing at road level. He additionally supports making the Coombes Road a “quiet route” for cyclists from the Sussex Pad north to St Botolphs Church and suggests that the cycle route could then join the old rail track north, loop under the A283 at the river, then go north to Bramber Castle as mentioned above.

This three span bridge that carries the A283 over the River Adur was programmed for replacement deck waterproofing and bridge joints during 2007/08.

However, although the scheme design has been completed, the works phase is unable to go ahead this financial year due to construction reasons. The construction phase of this scheme has therefore been re-programmed for April/June 2008.

Derek Deedman has asked the Senior Engineer responsible for structures to ensure that the traffic management arrangements for the works do not involve the diversion of A283 traffic through Upper Beeding/Bramber High Streets.

Congratulations go to Upper Beeding resident, Oliver Hayward, for the  award, the ‘Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany’ presented to him last year at a memorable ceremony at the German Embassy.

A keen supporter of the European Movement, the award reflects that Oliver’s whole life has been intertwined with improving relations between this Country and Germany and the Germans.

Upper Beeding

Following the improvements to the pathway from Pound Lane to Monks Walk and the access to the pathway in Pound Lane, Derek Deedman asked for a survey to be carried out on the possiblilty of the provision of a School Crossing Patrol. Such a provision would encourage more children to walk to/from school from the Newland Road area of the Village.

Sadly from the survey the number of people/traffic at site met only 6.2% of the national criteria for a School Crossing Patrol to be provided.

However a Patrol could be provided by the County Council if the wages (costing some £2,500 pa) were to be met by a sponsor such as a local business, the Parish Council or the Primary School. The County would normally provide the uniform, equipment and training involved, but if the Patrol was subsequently withdrawn the sponsor would be responsible for any redundancy payments.

Derek will be raising the possibility of funding such a Patrol with interested parties in the near future.

Steyning

With the Travel Plan for St Andrew’s Primary School currently being revised, Derek Deedman has asked the School Crossing Patrol Officer to carry out a survey for the provision of a Patrol on Shooting Field at Middle Mead.

The last survey at this site in 2005 produced a figure of only 32.8% of the national criteria, but with traffic on the roads continuing to increase, especially at this dangerous site, Derek hopes that a new survey might produce a higher figure to justify the provision of a fully county funded Patrol.

Nearly two years after Derek Deedman first raised the concerns of local people about the very rough state of this Twitten (which provides a safe pedestrian link from the Maudlyn area of Bramber to/from Steyning), the Clerk to Bramber Parish Council has placed the order for the work to be carried out.

Although a small scheme, agreement to the work was delayed by the need to overcome the lack of ownership of the land involved, the lack of funding and the need to resolve who would be responsible for arranging the work to be carried out.

After much investigative work by Bramber Parish Council, an agreement with the Chanctonbury County Local Committee on the use of planning development contributions to fund the work and an agreement between the County Council and the owner of part of the land involved, the Parish Council arranged for the work to be carried out.

Bramber residents, especially young parents with push chairs and those with physical disabilities will benefit mostly from the improved safety, but the Twitten also provides a much safer route to Steyning for all walkers, avoiding the dangerous Maudlin Lane/Clays Hill junction. 

Many thanks go to all those involved in bringing about this successful conclusion, with hopefully the work being carried out in the near future.

Late News

It was announced at the Bramber Parish Council meeting on 3 January that the resurfacing work is planned for Saturday, 12 January.

Although the planning application to extend the life of this Landfill Site to 2010 may be considered by the County Planning Committee on 12 February, the following meeting on 11 March is more likely. (Meetings are open to the public and start at 10.30am.)

The reason for the delay has been the need for more information from the Landfill Site operators, Viridor. This has now been received by the County Council, and, subject to checking, copies will be sent out to all relevant parties (such as the Small Dole Action Group) for comment.

Derek has asked for information on what would happen if the planning application was not determined by the Planning Committee before 1 April 2008, when the current permission for receiving waste material expires. He has been told that the restoration works are permitted to continue until 1 November 2009 when they must be completed. However the County Council could not take enforcement action, if any became necessary, to stop Viridor receiving waste material at the Site after after 1 April 2008, whilst the current planning application for an extension of life of tipping operations at the Site is being considered. If Viridor were to appeal against non-determination of the current application by the County Council before consideration by the Planning Committee (or refusal of the application by the Planning Committee), the appeal process will take precedence, and the County Council could not take enforcement action whilst the appeal was continuing.

The next Chanctonbury County Local Committee (CLC) meeting will take place at 2pm at the Penfold Hall, Church Street, Steyning on Tuesday, 22 January.

The major item on the agenda will be a presentation by the New Health Centre Development Group. This will give a general update, share information and invite comment on the plans for the new Steyning Health Centre building and services, and other current NHS and Social Care initiatives affecting Steyning and the wider Chanctonbury area.

Derek Deedman is very pleased that the CLC and the Development Group agreed to his suggestion for this presentation. It will give local people the opportunity to be consulted, comment on and influence the proposals for the new Health Centre, which is still due to be completed in July 2008.

Thursday, 3 January - Bramber, 7.30pm, Beeding & Bramber Village Hall

Thursday, 3 January - Ashurst, 8pm, Ashurst Village Hall

Tuesday, 8 January - Upper Beeding, 7.30pm, Beeding & Bramber Village Hall

Tuesday, 8 January - Woodmancote, 8pm, Parish Hall

Monday, 14 January - Steyning, 7.30pm, Steyning Centre

In addition to Parish Councillors, the meetings are attended by the County Councillor for Bramber Castle and the appropriate Horsham District Councillors. The Police, Police Community Support Officers and Neighbourhood Wardens also attend some meetings.

All meetings are open to the public and they can ask questions at a specific point during each meeting.