News and events

There is a big push ongoing to reorganise councils in England into a single tier of local authorities where all services for each area will be delivered under one roof.

This is a positive move and could very well be part of the solution to the pressures we’re facing. But it is not a magic bullet and could be a missed opportunity if we fail to address the challenges. 

I fully support the ongoing processes of devolution and local government reorganisation and believe that creating a combined authority for Sussex with an elected mayor will bring many benefits for our region.

My reservation is that I’m yet to see the government correct the one issue that could bankrupt local authorities across the country. Under the social care act, councils such as West Sussex County Council are required by law to provide certain levels of care.

My colleagues and I are very passionate about this issue and place our commitment to protecting vulnerable people as our topmost priority. Yet as a local authority we cannot afford to keep doing so in the way the system currently works.

Year after year we are coming under increasing pressure to keep funding services that meet the growing and increasingly complex need for social care.

In West Sussex, our teams strive to provide the best possible service and are always looking at ways to improve and make best use of our resources. But while the need for our services has grown, the funding from successive governments has not. This is simply not sustainable.

The government has asked us to look at reorganising councils with a view to creating efficiencies in the system, but this alone will not solve the social care issue unless government resolves the central question of funding. We must also consider how reorganisation is being approached. The government’s White Paper published last year stated that councils should look to create unitary authorities in areas with a population of 500,000 or more.

This makes sense because it provides a footprint for authorities delivering services under one roof for a large population that will produce efficiencies in terms of the number of people, the building space, and cost of administering one organisation rather than several.

I want us to produce an option that sits within these guidelines so that we minimise the risk of additional cost and service disruption and negates the potential for smaller unitary authorities that would not produce the efficiencies needed to make reorganisation effective.

I want to be clear that I want devolution and local government reorganisation to succeed. Both present significant opportunities for West Sussex to flourish and prosper, but we must address the challenges. Failure to do so risks exacerbating the financial pressures and missing the chance to fully reap the benefits, leaving us with the same problems in the years to come. 

Collaboration is key to success, and I am committed to working with my colleagues and partners across local government to develop a proposal that is right for the people, communities and businesses we serve and support.

Together, we can shape the right local government structure for West Sussex, one that is funded correctly, that is fit for purpose, that makes best use of resources, that delivers the right services to the right people when they need it, and most importantly that keeps people safe.

At a full meeting of West Sussex County Council on Friday 16 May 2025, I provided a full statement to members regarding the latest position on LGR and this statement is available by clicking here.

In addition, we have received feedback from government on our submission which is available by clicking here.

Future of local government in Sussex

   For further information please contact the news desk on 0330 222 8090 or email [email protected].

Becoming a foster parent can be an extremely fulfilling role and provide a young person with a much needed loving and caring environment. 

Many people take on this role but more are needed, and that is why West Sussex County Council is calling on more people to consider becoming foster carers and help transform the lives of young people. 

Across West Sussex, foster carers open their homes to provide love, stability and care to children and young people, but many more foster carers are urgently needed to ensure every child can be matched with the right home for their individual needs. 

As part of the Foster Care Fortnight, a national campaign which runs from 12–25 May, West Sussex County Council will raise awareness of the impact of fostering and inspire more people to consider becoming foster carers. It’s also a chance to thank foster carers for the incredible impact they have on children every day. 

This year’s theme, ‘The Power of Relationships’, celebrates the meaningful connections that transform lives. Throughout the fortnight, voices from across the fostering community will be sharing stories of the powerful relationships that make a difference to them, from the bond between a foster carer and a child, to the vital support of social workers, friendships within the fostering community or the connections with birth families. 

Could you support a local child? Contact Fostering West Sussex on 0330 222 7775 or visit fosteringwestsussex.org.uk for more information. 

“Love isn’t measured by DNA”  

Stewart and Lyndsey Morris from Horsham have been foster carers with West Sussex County Council for seven years. 

Mr Morris said: 

“From the moment we welcomed our first foster child, our hearts grew in ways we never imagined. Each child who has come through our doors has their own story, their own struggles, and their own hopes for the future. Some stay for only a short while, while others become part of our family for years.  “Our daughters have grown up in a home where love isn’t measured by DNA but by the bonds we build. They have learned to be kind, compassionate, and welcoming. They understand that family is not just about who you are born to but who stands by you, who loves you, and who opens their heart to you.” 

Could you transform a child’s life? 

By fostering with West Sussex County Council, you will join the council’s large community of foster carers who look after one another, get access to professional support and ongoing training, and receive a competitive financial package of up to £31,338 per year for foster carers and approximately £15,000 a year for Supported Lodgings hosts (per child/young person). 

Councillor Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, said: “Relationships are at the core of fostering, and West Sussex County Council's fostering team continues to work tirelessly to support vulnerable young people and their foster families. This work is crucial in our efforts to keep children and young people safe and ensure that all children in West Sussex have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. 

“There are still many children and young people in need of a place to call home, so I urge those who are considering becoming foster carers or Supported Lodgings hosts to get in touch with our dedicated and helpful team and explore the power of relationships through fostering for themselves.”  

Could you support a local child? Contact Fostering West Sussex on 0330 222 7775 or visit fosteringwestsussex.org.uk for more information. 

Notes to Editor

Kelly Wilkes, Head of Fostering and Kinship Service at West Sussex County Council, is available for interviews on fostering and Foster Care Fortnight. Please contact the press office to arrange.

The image used in the release is of the Morris family (quoted).

  For further information please contact the news desk on 0330 222 8090 or email [email protected]. For urgent out-of-hours enquiries please call 07767 098415.

Fancy brushing up on some skateboarding skills or even trying it for the first time? 

Then come along to one of our free community Skate Fest events during May half term. There will also be music and DJ workshops, art and rap and you can get your wheels checked. 

You don’t need to book, just turn up on the day at any one of three events during the school holidays. Children of all ages are welcome.  

Organised by Mid Sussex District Council, the events will be happening from 2pm – 4.30pm on: 

• Tuesday May 27^th @ St John’s Park, Burgess Hill, RH15 9AA 
• Wednesday May 28^th @ Victoria Park, Haywards Heath, RH16 4LR  
• Thursday May 29^th @ King George’s Field, East Grinstead, RH19 3LH 

Cllr Anne-Marie Cooke, Cabinet Member for Communities and Communications, said: “It’s great that we’re holding these skate events again as they’re always so popular for children of all ages. Grab your skateboard and come and join us!” 

Skate Fest is just one of many free community events organised by the council for youngsters during school holidays. It follows on from Playdays events that were held earlier this year with more than 1,550 people attending the February half-term days. 

For more information, visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/playdays 

ENDS

Picture caption: Skate Fest is back! 

Residents who have had a Safe and Well Visit from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service have been given a free book to help them discover – or rediscover – a love of reading.

The fire service’s Rural Engagement Officer, Ben Applin, teamed up with the county council’s Library Service to give away the books, which was an initiative to celebrate World Book Night in April.

The event celebrates the difference that reading makes to our lives and encourages people to read for pleasure.

Alongside the book, people were offered an application form for the Home Library Direct Service, where volunteers deliver books to people who are unable to visit a library, and an information sheet about the Library Service.

The aim is to let people know there are ways they can enjoy books and reading even if they can’t get to one of our 36 libraries.

The book, A New Year by Leia Aboulela, is a Quick Reads title.

Quick Reads are short books by bestselling authors, written in an accessible and easy to read style, aimed at adults who are new to reading, or lapsed readers looking to get back in the habit.

Councillor Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue, said: “This is an excellent initiative and I hope it will encourage lots more people to discover our wonderful library service, which this year is celebrating 100 years of being right at the heart of our communities.

“Helping people and communities fulfil their potential is a key priority for the council, and both the Safe and Well visits and the Home Library Direct Service are great examples of this.”

Home Library Direct: If you cannot visit a library because of age, illness, disability, mobility problems, caring responsibilities or other reasons, a volunteer can bring books, audiobooks and other resources free of charge. Find out more here.

Safe and Well Visits:

This a free service for people in the county that are most in need, aimed at providing fire safety advice and ensuring risk in the home are minimised, while also helping to reduce isolation for those who are home or bed-bound. It involves a pre-arranged home visit to offer advice on how to make it safer and, where appropriate, fit smoke alarms or other specialist fire detection equipment free of charge. Find out more here.

For further information please contact the news desk on 0330 222 8090 or email [email protected]. For urgent out-of-hours enquiries please call 07767 098415. 

(You must quote your Interested Party Reference number in all correspondence with the Planning Inspectorate).

Dear Sir/Madam

Please find below a link to a letter from the Secretary of State that has been published on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

The letter invites comments from all Interested Parties. The deadline for receipt of comments is 9 June 2025.

https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/document/TR020005-003996

You can also view the letter under the Documents tab on the project webpage of the National Infrastructure Planning website:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/TR020005

Yours faithfully

Gatwick Airport Case Team National Infrastructure Planning Helpline: 0303 444 5000 Email: [email protected]

Web: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ (National Infrastructure Planning)

Web: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/planning-inspectorate (The Planning Inspectorate) X (formally known as Twitter): @PINSgov This communication does not constitute legal advice. Please view our Privacy Notice before sending information to the Planning Inspectorate. https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/help/privacy-and-cookie/

West Sussex County Council’s figures for the 2024-2025 financial year have highlighted the significant progress made by its highways team in improving the condition of the county’s 2,500 miles of road.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, the council’s highways team delivered a wide programme of essential reactive maintenance and proactive improvements including:  

• 44,767 potholes repaired, using durable methods such as ‘sawn and sealed’ patching and ‘spray injection patching’
• A decrease in the average time between receiving a report and repairing a pothole to just 14 days
• 134.5 miles of surfacing works, including surface dressing, micro-asphalt and major carriageway patching
• 36,031 sqm of small and medium scale patching

Over the winter months, the highways team have also been working hard to keep drainage systems clear and ensure water can run off the roads as effectively as possible, cleansing 123,000 drainage gullies and completing 63 small scale drainage schemes. These works help to protect road surfaces from water damage and reduce the risk of flooding in the event of heavy rainfall.

As part of our efforts to improve winter resilience on the road network, extra resources were provided to clear more gullies, ditches and areas where leaves build up. Extra CCTV resource was also brought in to monitor and identify issues, and an additional jetting unit was provided to clear flooded areas and get them moving as soon as possible.

The team’s hard work has been reflected in the number of reports of defects, such as potholes or blocked drains being submitted by the public. In recent years, there has been an upward trend in the number of defects being reported, however, in a clear sign of the improvement in the condition of the county’s road network, there has been a drop in reports from 69,669 last year to 53,574.

“It’s been a difficult few years, with extreme fluctuations in weather across the seasons, increased costs and a large volume of repairs being required, but now we’re seeing the rewards of our ongoing investment and improved delivery across both our reactive repair and proactive preventative maintenance programmes”, said Cllr Joy Dennis, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

She continues: “falling report numbers tell us that our strategy is working and that residents will benefit from safer roads year‑round. But while we’re pleased to see a drop in reports, we’re not slowing down our ongoing maintenance and repair programmes. This is reflected in not just a significant increase in the number of repairs the team have made this year but also in a decrease in the average time it takes us to repair a defect following it being reported.” 

New contractors Volker Highways and FM Conway bring fresh focus 

New partnerships with VolkerHighways Limited and FM Conway underpin this shift from reactive fixes to proactive maintenance.  

At the start of this financial year, the council transitioned to working with VolkerHighways Limited for the delivery of core carriageway maintenance across the county. VolkerHighways’ remit covers everything from rapid-response pothole and jet patching repairs to our winter maintenance programme and vegetation management. A key focus of the contract will be the cutting of average repair times by up to 25% while still ensuring that high quality services are consistently delivered. 

At the same time, FM Conway took on the contract for cyclical and small‑scale drainage works. Their responsibilities include routine gully cleansing and the installation of new pipes and chambers, applying root‑cause solutions to reduce repeat defects and extend the lifespan of drainage assets. As part of this new partnership, we have also increased the frequency of our gully cleansing programme. This means that all 140,000 gullies will now be emptied every 2 years instead of every 4 years.

“Partnering with VolkerHighways and FM Conway means we can accelerate both our reactive repairs and our proactive maintenance programmes across Local Highways Operations in another step towards our goal of a more resilient, well‑maintained network which keeps West Sussex moving”, added Cllr Dennis. “As part of our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030, we are looking forward to working with both organisations to adopt greener technologies and materials to reduce our environmental impact.”

Residents are encouraged to continue reporting any issues using the council’s online reporting tool, helping the Highways Team respond quickly and effectively. 

More information about ongoing improvements to the road network can be found on the council’s Better Roads campaign page. 

ENDS

For further information please contact the news desk on 0330 222 8090 or email [email protected]. For urgent out-of-hours enquiries please call 07767 098415. 

events coming soon..

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Silver Sunday on the 22nd April 

Save the date for the next Silver Sunday on 19th October 

Join us for Cuckfield's 1st ever BioBlitz

Horsefield Green

Sunday 11th May 11.00am – 4pm

We will be undertaking some walks and have various experts on hand to help us identify as much wildlife as we can.

Please note, if too cold or wet, the event will be moved to Sunday 8th June.