Young people have asked for a Youth Club to be provided on Sundays – but according to a report to the Local Action Team meeting in November, although it has been provided young people have not used it.

This is a very sad situation as facilities and resources were made available and a grant was made by the Chanctonbury County Local Committee towards funding the equipment.

Youth Leader, Julie Chapman, is now trying to set up a locality youth committee with representatives from the local community which would meet once per term. Julie would like potential members to nominate themselves this month. Such a Committee would be better able to advise/organise on what youth facilities are needed in the Bramber, Steyning and Upper Beeding area. Can you help? Let Julie know at the Cuthman Centre (01903 815515).

In chasing up why this much needed facility had still not been provided, I have learned that the provision of this Park has been delayed due to problems with implementing the planning condition on how much of the hedgerow should be cut back to accommodate the ramps.

The landowner had been surprised by the planning condition as he never considered the woodland creep to be a hedge (it had crept forward 10m over 25 years and was starting to make the recreation ground very small).

As a consequence the Horsham District Council officer involved has reached a compromise solution with the landowner who has agreed that 4 metres of recreation ground be regained and a further 2 metres of woodland creep being managed by the Woodlanders under advice from the County Council.

Because this compromise will result in the ramp being moved 1 metre to the east, Horsham planners were compelled to re-consult with neighbours. The revised plan was sent to them on 25 November and hopefully the green light to proceed with the works should given by the planners soon.

The scheduling of the works, once the go-ahead is received, involves the cutting back of the woodland creep before the nesting season (i.e. preferably in January, but definitely by end of February), to manage the concerns of the County Council and the Woodlanders. Viridor Credits have agreed to hold over their grant for this scheme, and so Horsham officers are recommending that no ground-works should start until the ground has firmed up so as to minimise damage to the surrounding grass areas. It is therefore likely that the ground-works will not be started until May and the ramp completed for use by skateboarders by mid June.

Protection for children in West Sussex has been assessed as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in their latest inspection. This places the council’s services to children at risk of harm in the same category as Haringey’s, which have been the subject of a high level investigation following the tragic death of Baby P.

Ofsted’s report on West Sussex was released on 17^th December. Ofsted highlighted major failings on the speed of completing assessments, the numbers of children both on the protection register and looked after, who were not allocated to a qualified social worker and the number of looked after children placed in residential accommodation.

Lib Dem Morwen Millson, Leader of the Opposition on the Council said, “It is very sad but this comes as no surprise. Lib Dems have been raising concerns about the numbers of vulnerable children not allocated to a social worker for over a year.

“The most disappointing thing is that this issue has been highlighted to the Council and nothing has been done about it. Lib Dem Councillors have been demanding more investment in services to protect children in our county.

“After pressure the County Council finally coughed up £500,000 to help retain social workers and attract new recruits to the County, but this needs to be the beginning of a push to attract and retain social workers in West Sussex.

“The Conservative Cabinet has shown staggering complacency in not responding to the clear shortage of social workers quickly, and we sincerely hope that no West Sussex child will pay the price of this complacency.”

I have been advised that the Mobile Skateboarding event at the Cuthman Centre planned for Saturday 20 December has been cancelled. This is a great shame for young people in the area as the previous one in Upper Beeding had to be cancelled due to bad weather.

The next Local Action Team (LAT) meeting takes place in January when I hope a future programme of mobile events during 2009 can be agreed.

The Skateboard Park in Small Dole, largely being funded with a grant from Viridor Credits West Sussex, should be constructed during early 2009, and it would be great if a site for a permanent skateboard park could be identified in Steyning.

Following a query from a local Upper Beeding resident about the lack of facilities in the Upper Beeding playground, a senior Parish Councillor has confirmed to me that the Parish Council have a budget for new seats and tables, and a design was chosen in September. It should only be a matter of time before the contractor carries out the work, and there should be two new tables with seating installed soon.

There have been more ambitious plans for new playground equipment, but this has been delayed due to the change in parish clerks. Now that the new Clerk is well established the Parish Council is likely to tackle the problem of the swings in the near future.

I have reminded Parish Councillors that if finance is a problem, the Viridor Credits West Sussex Committee, which I chair, may be able to help. As an example the Committee recently approved a grant of £20,000 to Storrington & Sullington Parish Council towards new play equipment costing some £70,000.

These resurfacing works between Coxham Lane and the entrance to the Grammar and Primary Schools in Steyning, originally planned for the end of November, are now expected to be carried out next week, starting on Monday (15th).

Highways have assured me that the contractor will not work during the peak going to/from school times each day so that the very many pupils and parents using the route should not be affected.

I have just visited the Acting Head Teacher at Upper Beeding Primary School to discuss the School Travel Plan, and was delighted to learn that the School had taken first place in the County Council’s Extra Mile Award, which had been run during the InternationalWalk To School week in October.

And Steyning Grammar School came joint second!

The winners of the Award was decided by the percentage of pupils within each school who travelled by a sustainable mode transport. Upper Beeding won with 95% and Steyning Grammar were joint second with 94%.

This is great news and shows that campaigning for School Travel Plans and the use of sustainable modes of transport does bring results. Well done everyone involved.

There was positive support at the Chanctonbury County Local Committee (CLC) meeting to this proposed new bus service.

I raised the need for early confirmation of a subsidy at the meeting in Partridge Green last Tuesday evening. I am pleased that the County Councillor for Henfield was very supportive to the Henfield Parish Council’s wish to see the use planning developer contributions for highways & transport in Henfield to help fund the first year operation of the new bus service. 

I stressed at the CLC meeting how essential it is for the County Officers to resolve any Horsham District Council and all the parish council support, so that, if confirmed, the new bus service could be operating by Easter next year. Hopefully such a new bus service would be successful and so able to continue after the first year on a commercial basis without subsidy.

In addition to those wishing to shop, attend leisure facilities or go to/visit relatives/friends at Worthing Hospital, the new bus service could be well used by people who work in Worthing and students going to college.

Should sufficient financial support be agreed, I consider that it would be useful for a joint committee to be formed to ensure that the operation of the new Compass Travel bus service is regularly reviewed. Every opportunity must also be taken to market the new service to holiday visitors to Worthing, as well as Worthing residents, to use it to visit our attractive small towns and villages north of the Downs.  

Following my meeting a few months ago with Chris Chatfield, Managing Director of Compass Travel, good progress is being made on the possible start next Easter of a new direct, two hourly daily bus between Henfield and Worthing via Upper Beeding and Steyning. (It is suggested that the first bus would leave Worthing at 7.15 am and return from Henfield at just after 8 am, reaching Worthing just before 9 am. The last bus would leave Worthing at 5.10 pm and return from Henfield just after 6 pm, reaching Worthing just before 7 pm.)

I have raised the matter with Bramber, Steyning and Upper Beeding Parish Councils, and Henfield Parish Council has also considered and welcomed the proposal (and asked their County Councillor to do the same). I have discussed the proposal with my colleagues on the Chanctonbury County Local Committee and intend to make a formal proposal regarding funding at the next CLC meeting at Partridge Green Village Hall on Tuesday 2 December.

Chris Chatfield has also had a very positive response from Henfield, Steyning and Bramber Parish Councils and Horsham District Council, although he has yet to meet with Upper Beeding Parish Council and Adur District Council (which will also be served by this new bus service).

The Public Transport Officer at the County Council is keen to increase the number of commercially sustainable bus routes in the County and has given a ’supportive but cautious’ response. There could also be some direct County Council financial support in relation to school transport which would give income for the route.

His caution about the proposal is mostly about the second year, as, if the number of passengers is good, but not financially viable without local authority support, the service would have to stop since the majority of the possible funding would only be available for one year.  

In my view, since many local people have been saying for a long time that they want this new bus service (and this is reflected in the support from most of the Parish Councils), this is a risk worth taking. If this ‘kick-start’ funding for the first year of operation is approved, for it to continue after that first year it will be up to local people of all ages to use the new bus service. 

Following pressure from Steyning Parish Council and me, the County Council has confirmed that its £5000 contribution towards the annual cost of running the Neighbourhood Wardens in Bramber, Steyning & Upper Beeding and in Ashington will be made available to the Parish Councils via the Horsham Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership for 2009/10.

The County Cabinet Member concerned has, however, made it clear that after that date Horsham District and the Parish Councils involved must ensure that the Neighbourhood Warden Schemes are permanently financed from local funds, as elsewhere in the County.

The Bramber, Steyning & Upper Beeding Neighbourhood Wardens provide a tremendous service to local people, both old and young and I am certain that the majority of residents will wish to see it continue after 2010.