New Electric Vehicle Charging Points get the Green Light

Eight electric vehicle charging posts are to be installed across Adur and Worthing as Councils step up efforts to encourage sustainable transport systems.

The posts in four publicly-owned car parks are expected to be installed in the first half of this year as the first step to an area-wide network of posts that can be added to by businesses and other organisations.

The sale of petrol and diesel cars will be banned in Britain by 2040 meaning everyone will have to switch to electric vehicles. Hybrid are not included in the ban.

The move is aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and to cut air polluting  quantities of nitrogen oxide being pumped into the air affecting public health.

The government has said poor air quality is “the greatest risk to public health in the UK”.

As part of the Councils’ response to the move the authorities have decided to authorise eight charging posts; Two in the High Street multi-storey car park in Worthing, two in Brooklands Western Road car park, two in Worthing Civic Centre car park and two at the Pond Road car park at the the Shoreham Centre.

The network will be open so that anyone with an electric car can plug in, there will be no car park charges and the charge session will only costs £1.50 an hour.

Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Cllr Diane Guest, said; “This is a small step along the right road. We need to move to cleaner air vehicles but we need to give people and businesses the infrastructure to have confidence to take the next step towards electric transportation.”

Adur District Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Cllr Emma Evans, said, “We support the government’s move to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles and will do what we can over the next few years to support the development of cleaner air technologies.”

The existence of a charging post network is also thought to be vital in the coming decades to aid tourism as more visitors with electric cars seek out destinations that have proper networks.

It is expected the first charging post will be in place before the Spring. 

Worthing’s Teville Gate site to close to the public

Worthing’s Teville Gate will soon be closed to all as work to demolish the multi-storey car park gathers pace.

To ensure public safety, contractors from Worthing Borough Council have been erecting hoardings around the high-profile town centre plot in recent weeks.

From Monday (January 15) the site off Teville Road will be shut to pedestrians which will allow detailed surveying work to take place ahead of the planned demolition in March.

The closure includes the walkway through the centre of the Teville site and the underpass, which links the station and car park to the Morrisons superstore.

Notices informing members of the public of the closure are being placed around the site with alternative routes clearly signposted.

The local authority believes the demolition of the car park will act as a catalyst for the private company which owns the site to carry out a wider regeneration of the area.

Councillor Kevin Jenkins, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “While we acknowledge that there will be some disruption for local residents, we hope they understand that this is all about bringing real change to an area which has been derelict for far too long.

“The council regularly receives complaints about antisocial behaviour in the area. By demolishing the site we want to inject some much-needed impetus into the redevelopment of this eyesore site.

“Meanwhile we will continue to keep working with Mosaique, who own the site, to bring forward the long overdue renaissance of this area of Worthing.”

The Council has a long-term lease on the car park, which means it is the only part of the site it controls. This has enabled it to move for demolition using funding secured through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.

To help keep everyone informed about the demolition, two large banners have been placed on the side of the car park informing people passing that the project is undertaken by Worthing Borough Council supported by Coast to Capital, ECE Architecture and RLF consultants.

The closure of the whole site has been supported by West Sussex County Council, which is responsible for highways, and in consultation with Morrisons.

Mosaique continues to draw up plans to build houses and lifestyle space on the site which it now calls Station Square.

IT Support Desk Technician job advert

Salary: £21,000

Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Hours: 37 Hours per week   

Join Worthing Homes as an IT Support Desk Technician and you will play a key role in assisting internal users; supporting the IT facilities and BAU, ensuring operational issues are quickly resolved. This is an ideal role for a motivated, adaptable professional who has a passion for IT. You will be responsible for:

User Support

• ·         Provide help and guidance to desktop users
• ·         Plan, manage and maintain IT Infrastructure & Application Support
• ·         Contribute to production of standard configurations, documentation and procedures
• ·         Provide assistance and technical knowledge to aid implementation of projects

Project Design

• ·         Assist in implementing the company’s digital strategy

Systems Administration

• ·         Assist in ensuring the smooth running and monitoring of all IT systems
• ·         Develop appropriate manuals for users and support procedures
• ·         Assist in ensuring daily network checks for business critical services.  Ensuring backups (MS Azure) have completed and servers are well resourced
• ·         Assist in installing software, patching and schedule upgrades

Hardware, Maintenance and Installation

• ·         To provide in house maintenance assistance

Training

• ·         Assist in arranging appropriate IT training for staff
• ·         Provide hands on training to staff on window based projects

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic IT professional to join the Worthing Homes team, based in our refurbished office and having the benefit of an up to date IT infrastructure, helping us drive our business forward with new and exciting digital working methods.  The successful candidate will have experience in providing technical support, good knowledge of Microsoft Office 2010/2013, Windows 7 and 10 in a domain environment.  Knowledge of Hyper-V, Azure backup, MS Office 365, mobile devices and tablets, good working knowledge of AD, DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP.

In return we offer 26 days holiday (pro rata, private medical insurance (after qualifying period), stakeholder pension, childcare vouchers. To apply please send your CV with a supporting statement (maximum of 3 pages) to jobs@worthing-homes.org.uk.  Closing date for the receipt of CVs is 9am on Monday 29 January 2018. 

Job Advert: Income Recovery Officer

Worthing homes are looking for an Income Recovery Officer for 12 months (Maternity cover) 

Being a customer focused and having the right attitude, drive and enthusiasm are key ingredients for this role. You will be a qualified and an experiences professional with drive, organisational ability and vision. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to obtain a high level of commitment and excellence in the delivery of our customer service. We have invested in the latest technology to enable us to work almost completely electronically and we encourage flexible and agile working.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of income recovery managment
• Evidence of and commitment to the delivery of high quality customer service
• Experience of liaising with other internal departments and external agencies including local authority's housing benefit departments and the DWP to resolve payment queries, maximise income and minimise arrears.
• Experience of working with people with complex needs to provide guidance and support.

The First Worthing podcast of 2018 is now live!

Listen to the most recent Worthing Podcast which showcases the upcoming shows at the Connaught Theatre.

Hear it at worthingpodcast.com 

Press Release: Councils' Delivering on Platforms Promises

Piloting ultrafast broadband, demolishing eyesore buildings, creating partnerships to improve health and building offices to create jobs are just some of the projects under way at Adur and Worthing Councils, a new report reveals.

The Councils are a third of the way through their three-year programme of activities, Platforms for our Places, with the amount of work completed or well underway exceeding expectations.

In a progress report to the Joint Strategic Committee (JSC) of the Councils Chief Executive Alex Bailey spelt out the scale of the progress made. Platforms for our Places uses a colour coded system to illustrate who its commitments have progressed.

Of the 135 commitments in all 14 are blue (completed) 69 green (well under way) 48 amber (minor delays) 1 red (significant difficulties) and 3 grey (yet to start).

“If you bear in mind that the Councils deliberately set demanding agendas, my suggestion would be that we’re slightly ahead of where I anticipated we would be 12 months into the programme,” he told the JSC.

Highlights include

·        Ultra Fast broadband project, working with West Sussex County Council, has begun with procurement of a supplier under way and significant government backing including £4.6m capital investment in the bag

·        Adur Local Plan has been adopted which will see multi-million pound investments in housing and jobs while protecting green spaces and bringing in infrastructure spending from the private sector.The northern part of the old Adur civic centre now has planning permission for a new office block.

·        Teville Gate multi-storey car park is about to be demolished to help kick start the development of the whole privately-owned site.

·        A target of 600 people have been diverted from the doctor’s surgery and into programmes better suited to their needs by the Going Local social prescribing programme

·        Work on Brooklands Lake has begun and is progressing well with the full support of a Friends group of local residents and supporters of the landmark

·        A successful £600,000 bid to the Big Lottery Fund has seen the launch of a Growing Places scheme in both areas with work in community-based parks, open spaces and growing schemes helping volunteers improve their physical and mental health.

·        Work continues to progress on plans to create a state-of-the-art healthcare hub on Worthing's civic centre car park. The Borough Council has committed the land and some financing towards the £18.5 million proposal which could see brand new facilities providing primary care, such as GP surgeries, alongside community care services, which includes mental health provision, social care and clinical nurses.

With June being the halfway point of the programme Mr Bailey suggests that rather than rest on their laurels the Councils should use the midpoint to bring in new commitments or revisions to existing ones.

The only “red mark” in the programme is the plan to develop the Stagecoach depot at Marine Parade, Worthing which is being held up trying to find a suitable alternative site for the bus company.

Today the Leaders of Adur District and Worthing Borough Councils welcomed the progress report.

Leader of Adur District Council, Cllr Neil Parkin, said; “We have made these commitments public so there’s no hiding place. As local tax payers can see we are building momentum and delivering real change.

“ I am so pleased that we have taken a lead on things like demolishing the civic centre to create jobs and building on the Ham Road car park to create more.

“Our Local Plan is a document that gives us growth with protection of our natural resources but also gives us protection, it puts development power in our locally elected hands.”

Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Dan Humphreys, said, “ We are rightly held to account on this programme of activities and that is the way we wanted it. It gives a real sense of purpose to our work.

“We have brought real impetus to programmes like our vision for the seafront, already two new restaurants for the beachfront, our plan to demolish Teville Gate and bring Ultra Fast broadband here.

“We are leading the way by bringing together health providers on the Town Hall car park to help create NHS services fit for the future but as a Council we are also getting so much sharper at bringing in new resources so that we can maintain vital services like our well being programmes, our green spaces work and our economic development programmes.”

Proposed Sompting West Development - Public Meeting

Local residents will have heard rumours about plans by Sompting Estates to develop 520 new houses with Persimmon Homes on the land they own on the west side of Sompting. At the time of writing, no formal proposal had been submitted to Adur Council and the developers are claiming they have already consulted local people, siting an exhibition at the Harriet Johnson Centre on October 10th, although trouble is most local residents knew nothing about it! You can read more about the proposals here: 
www.landatwestsompting.co.uk

The proposals include a community farm and orchard, nature trail, holiday business and playing fields. But the major concern of local residents is, of course, how on earth are we going to deal with all the extra traffic, especially if it goes through the village.

This is the largest development in Sompting for some time and follows hard on the heels of the controversial New Monks Farm proposals in Lancing, which have yet to go before the Planning Committee.It is vital therefore that local residents are fully engaged with what is being proposed and have their voices heard. If and when the plans are submitted and go live everyone needs to have their say by submitting your views to the Adur Planning Committee.

From the start we have set out three criteria that would need to be satisfied before the development could be considered and this needs to be see in the context of the lack of building space in Adur outside of the National Park and the shortage of affordable housing.

• The development should be able to show why it would benefit the existing residents – jobs, environmental impact, additional amenities etc.
• How many of the proposed new homes will be genuinely affordable and how can local people and their families be given preferential allocation?
• Can the current infrastructure and especially the transport infrastructure cope with the significant increase in traffic or will the village simply grind to a halt?

New lifts just the start of multi-million pound investment in Worthing’s car parks

Work on a major upgrade to improve access to Worthing’s car parks is well underway.

As part of multi-million pound investment in it’s town centre multi-storeys, Worthing Borough Council’s contractors have begun installing new lifts in the Buckingham Road car park.

Local authority leaders took the decision to replace the two 50-year-old elevators after a series of malfunctioning problems in recent months.

The £211,000 work, which will also see the lift entrances widened to allow easy access for those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs, is expected to be complete by summer 2018.

It is one of the first steps in a three year car park investment programme which is being paid for by a number of modest increases to tariffs at some of the council car parks expected to come into force on 18 January 2018.

Councillor Diane Guest, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment, who recently visited the site to see how the installation was progressing, said: “I’m delighted to see our investment in the town’s multi-storeys is already having a positive impact.

“Our car parks are quite often the first impression that visitors have of Worthing so it’s vital that they they are welcoming, modern, safe and accessible for all.

“These new lifts are just the start of a much-needed investment programme which will have wide reaching benefits for the town centre. I’m looking forward to seeing it progress.”

Work on the new lifts began just before Christmas. It will be phased so that one lift is operating at all times to ensure that those with mobility issues can continue to access the car park.

The wider car park refurbishment programme has already seen new ‘smart’ lighting and replacement CCTV installed in Buckingham and High Street multi-storeys. This together with recently introduced night patrols will improve security at all sites.

The new environmentally-friendly lighting cost £168,000 and will save an estimated £49,000 a year - meaning it will be have paid for itself in just over three years.

Future works will include refurbishment of parking decks, entrances and public stairwells and new signage. In future it will be easier for customers to pay with online automatic billing and contactless payment options being pursued.

Adur & Worthing’s third sector urged to bid for grants

Community and voluntary groups across Adur and Worthing can start their new year with a bang by bidding for grants worth more than £3 million.

Adur & Worthing Councils recognise that the scores of third sector organisations across both areas play an integral part in supporting our communities.

To help them proposer, both local authorities are urging organisations to get their bids in to a number of pots of cash made available through the public, private and third sectors to ensure they thrive in 2018 and beyond.

For those groups that need support, Community Works, which is Adur & Worthing Councils’ community and voluntary sector support service, can provide one-to-one support before submitting any application.

It comes as there are just a few days left to bid for the Rampion Fund at Sussex Community Foundation.

Made available by E.On, which is behind the Rampion wind farm off the Sussex coast, it consists of a pot of £3.1 million with individual charities invited to bid for grants of up to £50,000.

Some of this funding specifically ring-fenced for groups in east Worthing and Lancing. The deadline is 12th January, with another round in spring.

Other grants that are available include:

·        Sussex Community Grants - deadline 12th January (two further rounds later in 2018)

·        West Sussex County Council Small Grants - deadline 15th January

·        Adur Community Grants - deadline 26th January

·        Community Chest - deadline end of January

·        Community Safety Fund - opens 8th January, deadline 9th February.

Councillor David Simmons, Adur District Council’s Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “As a council we have always valued the benefits that local organisations bring to the people of our communities.

“It is important that we continue to support, encourage and celebrate the key services and support that they provide. I urge as many groups as possible to act now so they do not miss out on these crucial funding opportunities.”

Councillor Val Turner, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Funding is always one of the challenges faced by the thriving third sector across Worthing. These pots of cash give organisations the perfect opportunity to start 2018 on a positive note.

“I urge groups across the borough to use the experience and expertise offered by Community Works which will help voluntary groups across Worthing continue to prosper.”

Thousands of properties protected from flooding thanks to Greater Brighton

Thousands of homes, hundreds of businesses and essential transport routes will become protected from flooding thanks to the work of Greater Brighton.

The Environment Agency is midway through the multi-million pound Adur Tidal Walls scheme which will reduce the risk of flooding in Shoreham.

As well as preserving existing buildings, a business case backed by the government shows the work will also protect key rail and road routes while unlocking other sites for future development.

And it has all been made possible thanks to £6 million of funding drawn in through the Greater Brighton Economic Board (GBEB) via Coast To Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

During a visit to see some of the 7.2 km stretch where work is taking place, Greater Brighton leaders said they were delighted to see the progress.

Councillor Andy Smith, GBEB chairman and leader of Lewes District Council, said: “I’m extremely impressed at the work to make one of Greater Brighton's key towns virtually 'flood-proof'. This is a prime example of how taxpayers money spent wisely and strategically can have a massive impact on the wider community.

“As well as protecting the existing communities, this work has the potential to protect important transport corridors which tens of thousands of people rely on, as well as making the area more attractive and viable for the development of much-needed housing and commercial premises.

“It is exactly the sort of project that everyone representing Greater Brighton - from politicians to business leaders to academics - wants to see happening as the wider benefit is enormous.”

During the visit, Greater Brighton leaders were given an overview of the project from the team’s base on Shoreham Beach.

It was explained that all government-funded flood protection works now need some form of match funding from other sources - which is where the GBEB and the LEP grant came in.

In total more than 2,328 properties and 169 commercial premises will be protected thanks to the work in Shoreham.

The delegation also heard how the work would safeguard key infrastructure routes, such as the coastal A259, the main coast rail link from Brighton to Southampton and Shoreham Airport.

Then, contractors from Team Van Oord gave a guided tour of a range of the flood protection works that have already been completed since they started in October 2016

It was explained that a range of methods are being used, including reinforced concrete walls, embankments, the creation of new natural habitats, and sheet pile walls.

The work will mean that the area is now protected from all but the most extreme case (1 in 300 years) of flooding.

Dave Robinson, of the Environment Agency, said: “When complete, the Shoreham scheme will reduce the tidal flood risk to thousands of homes and a significant number of commercial properties in the area, as well as protecting important local infrastructure such as the road network, railway line and Shoreham Airport.

“This is one part of the Environment Agency’s national effort to reduce the risk of flooding for at least 300,000 homes by 2020/21.”