Dear Residents
I hope you have been enjoying the arrival of Spring and some sunnier weather. I’ve certainly found it’s wonderful to drive round our villages and see flowers in bloom and bump into residents out and about enjoying our precious countryside. Please see below a few updates on items that Gareth and I have been working on lately. Have a lovely Easter!.
Local Updates:
Land at Loxwood House, Loxwood – We were contacted by residents with concerns that the landowner was clearing vegetation from this site. Gareth contacted the CDC Enforcement Team to report this as a possible breach, but they unfortunately advised that no breach of planning control had taken place as no planning application has been submitted yet and the landowner can manage the land as they wish. Rest assured that the new Biodiversity Net Gain regulations mean that if a planning application is submitted, the condition of the site in 2020 will be taken into account (using aerial mapping etc.) to determine the gain required.
Lagoon 3, Crouchlands Farm – We have been in touch with officers following to refusal of the planning applications at Crouchlands Farm to request an update on the plan to clear the lagoon. Officers are continuing to work on the plan and we will communicate the next steps as soon as we can.
CDC Wide Updates:
Budget Meeting – At the Full Council Budget meeting on Tuesday 25th February the budget was agreed for the forthcoming year. A 2.99% Council Tax rise was agreed for 2025 to 2026 to protect vital services across the District, but we continue to be one of the lowest charging authorities in the area. We are pleased to continue funding our vital Supporting You service to assist those who are experiencing cost of living related issues. We’re also continuing to support discretionary housing payments for those who need our help the most.
We’ll also be receiving just over £327,000 from the government as part of an extension to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We have committed to using £263,000 of this to continue projects that have already started, including Choose Work, the Culture Spark initiative, and supporting events and the night-time economy, which are all important in supporting our communities.
Cllr Adrian Moss, leader of the council ended his budget speech by saying “This council remains financially stable, we are debt-free, and our financial resources are strong. Our aim is to improve our district and the lives of the people that live here.”
Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation – The government has announced that the bid submitted by West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove Council, to create a new strategic authority covering Sussex, has been approved. The area has now been placed on the government’s fast-track devolution programme. This means that shadow elections for the new unitary authorities will take place in May 2027 and all existing councils will transfer to the new unitary authorities on 1 April 2028, whilst the mayoral elections will take place in 2026.
The Government has also launched a devolution consultation to create a new Strategic Combined Authority and a mayor for the wider region of West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton. This runs for eight weeks, until 11:59pm on 13 April 2025 and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/sussex-and-brighton-devolution.
Meeting your District Councillors
Cllr. Gareth Evans is available to meet residents face to face via one of his regular surgeries. Gareth will be available at the advertised venues from 12pm-2pm:
Dates to be confirmed – please check Gareth’s Facebook page or contact him below.
Should the suggested dates not be suitable for you or there are any other reasons preventing you from attending then it is possible to arrange home visits, telephone calls or zoom meetings.
Our contact details:
Cllr. Gareth Evans, email: gbevans@chichester.gov.uk or telephone 07958 918056
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarethEvansLoxwood
Cllr. Charles Todhunter, email ctodhunter@chichester.gov.uk or telephone 07500 577777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Charles4Loxwood