Enjoy the Famous Indigo Brunch this Bank Holiday Monday! (29th August)

The Fire & Rescue Service has a statutory duty to consult on, and publish, a 3-5yr ‘Integrated Risk Management Plan’ (IRMP). This is an analysis of the current and projected risk profile in the county, and how the Fire & Rescue Service is organised to support local communities. We work to achieve this through a combination of prevention, protection and emergency response activities. 

WSFRS has been through a significant transformation since its last IRMP was published. In West Sussex, the Fire & Rescue Service now has a much broader role working at the heart of the Communities & Public Protection directorate of West Sussex County Council (WSCC). Firefighters work alongside WSCC colleagues in Public Health, Community Safety, Trading Standards and Resilience & Emergencies to help communities become safer, stronger and more resilient.

To reflect this broader role, the IRMP for 2016-20 is known as the draft WSFRS Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP).

The current WSFRS operating model for emergency response has previously been agreed through the course of three separate public consultations. There are no proposals to change emergency response arrangements in this draft risk management plan. This consultation is to seek the views of the wider community on the WSFRS analysis of risks and its approach to risk management planning.

The draft Community Risk Management Plan should be read in context with the latest WSFRS performance data and the WSFRS Annual Report and Statement of Assurance.

The consultation closes on Friday 5^th August. A report on the consultation feedback will be presented to the WSCC Environment & Community Services Select Committee on 15^th September.

After considering the report and listening to the views of the Select Committee, the WSCC Cabinet Member for Residents Services will make a formal decision whether to adopt and publish the WSFRS Community Risk Management Plan 2016-20.

You can submit your views by completing the questionnaire and/or by:

Email: yourfireservice@westsussex.gov.uk

In writing:

CRMP public consultation

Communications Team

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service

Northgate

Chichester

West Sussex

PO19 1BD

The draft Community Risk Management Plan and all supporting information can be viewed on the Have Your Say page of the West Sussex County Council website: Have Your Say

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today visited Gatwick to hail the airport’s decision to boost its investment in the airport by an additional £200 million. 

Sadiq Khan also underlined his support for the construction of a second runway at the airport. He called on the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, to support the capital’s economy by making a final decision on airport expansion in the South East a top priority, and he urged that decision to be in favour of Gatwick. 

Gatwick Airport has for the first time been recognised in the Sunday Times prestigious Top Track 100 as one of Britain’s largest private companies.  After a record 12 months of growth, Gatwick debuted at number 86 in the Top Track 100 which ranks Britain’s biggest companies with sales over £700m.

Gatwick Airport once again teamed up with the Gatwick Diamond Initiative this week as joint sponsor of the annual Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers event, connecting large national buying organisations to local SMEs in the Gatwick Diamond area. Now in its 15th year, the event has a proven track record of generating significant new business for local companies. In the past six years it has been attended by almost 1500 local businesses with more than £22.5 million of business predicted to have been won as a result.

This week we have also reported our busiest-ever June with long haul routes rocket 24% year on year.  We are seeing strong growth right across the board, in across the UK which grew 7.4% as a whole with Belfast routes +103%, Newquay +34% and Inverness +13% year on year. Stewart Wingate said: “ June’s passenger figures are the latest part of Gatwick’s ongoing long-haul success story demonstrating once again the unrivalled potential that an expanded Gatwick would deliver for Britain.”

From Friday 15th July 2016 visitors and residents in Shoreham-by-Sea will now have a new 135 bay parking space when visiting this popular seaside town.

Shoreham-by-Sea is one of our smallest but most popular towns on the coast (as featured in Evening Standard Magazine Friday 8th July 2016). It provides a popular shopping and dining destination for residents and visitors alike but as urgently result requires more parking spaces as its popularity grows.

Adur District Council has taken the step to make a former 135 bay Council staff car park available to the public at its former Civic Centre, in Ham Road (see: map of Adur Civic Centre or aerial photo of Adur Civic Centre and car park).

The Ham Road Car Park will operate as pay and display on an hourly / daily basis, with the further opportunity to purchase season tickets. Prices start from just 25p. Full list below.

Councillor Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council, adds:

“Shoreham is a very popular town, with a wide range of bespoke and independent shops, a vibrant arts scene and popular weekly markets. It is also enjoys many charming but narrow streets and parking has become an issue. The new Ham Road Car Park will further improve on road parking and offer residents and visitors alike a more pleasant experience when visiting the town.”

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The charges for Ham Road Car Park, from Friday 15th July 2016, are:

·         25p for 30 mins

·         50p for 1 hour

·         1.00 for 2 hours

·         1.50 for 3 hours

·         2.00 for 4 hours

·         3.00 for all day

·         Monthly season tickets £35

Pictured: Councillor Emma Evans, Executive Member for Environment, Adur District Council, pictured at 9.00am this sunny Friday morning welcoming drivers to the new Ham Road Car Park in Shoreham. 

Plans to redevelop Union Place set out by Council

Worthing Borough Council are to propose an exciting new deal to the owner and developers of Union Place, following enthusiastic endorsement of plans at last night’s Joint Strategic Committee meeting.

In a report presented to the Council’s Executive Members, the regeneration plans for Union Place, in Worthing Town Centre, include a multiplex cinema, residential apartments and restaurants.

As well as providing new homes and jobs, the mixed use scheme would secure significant investment into Worthing’s daytime and nighttime economies.

The proposals of entering a development agreement could see Worthing Borough Council fund up to £3m into the development, in return retaining freehold possession of the former Police Station site upon completion.

In parallel with the negotiations, the Council is also pursuing scope to attract Local Growth Funding (LGF) from the Government. Initial bids have received positive responses and if successful, would significantly reduce the Council’s borrowing costs.

Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Daniel Humphreys, commented:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to get development moving on one of our town centre’s key regeneration sites. The proposed scheme would offer new jobs and new homes, plus a new retail offer for the people of Worthing. Even more crucially I’m convinced it will be a catalyst for other developments in Worthing Town Centre. 

“Our desire to support this scheme shows that Worthing Borough Council is absolutely committed to driving forward regeneration in our town centre. Our ability to do this at a time when most other Councils are cutting back on their services is further proof that our long-term strategy is the best one for Worthing and the people and businesses who live and work here.”

“Worthing is on the up and there is huge amounts of confidence, from businesses and the Council that this is a great place to invest.”

Cllr Bryan Turner, Executive Member for Regeneration, added:

“This proposed scheme offers excellent benefits to Worthing’s economy, which justifies our strong and proactive stance to help bring forward development on this vacant site. The scheme also presents the chance to build up to 90 new dwellings, which is vitally important in helping meet the town’s housing needs, plus the opportunity to create 100 new jobs."

Loans of up to £500,000 are now available to help companies grow and increase profits, leading to new job prospects. During 2016 we anticipate supporting a number of businesses across the region to expand rapidly.
 
The Scheme supports companies requiring finance to implement expansion activities, including marketing and sales team development, operational scaling up and product enhancement.

It is suited to projects where access to finance from conventional sources is not readily available or cannot be raised to the full extent needed.

Ambitious companies that have robust growth plans but cannot satisfy commercial lenders criteria are ideal candidates. 

Assessment is forward looking and focuses on plans, forecasts and assumptions rather than historic trading.
 
If you have clients whose plans are being thwarted by lack of funding we are keen to explore if we can help.

For more information about the Coast to Capital Expansion Loan Scheme please visit: http://www.thefsegroup.com/fund/coast-to-capital-expansion-loan-scheme/ or email c2cfunding@thefsegroup.com

Adur District Council sets out plans to regenerate Civic Centre site

A new high quality office building and demolition of the former Council office feature in phase 1 of plans to redevelop the Adur Civic Centre site on Ham Road, Shoreham.

In a report approved by Executive Members at last night’s Joint Strategic Committee, Adur District Council has set out ambitions to deliver new office space, plus new homes in later phases to help meet the local area's housing needs.

An early demolition of the Council’s former office building will also deliver significant savings, eliminating the costs of maintenance and security at the currently deteriorating building.

The site has recently been used as temporary office space for local businesses, and it was announced this week that the former staff car park will open for public use. This will remain in use until development on the new business space begins on site.

Speaking after Wednesday’s meeting, Leader of Adur District Council, Cllr Neil Parkin, commented:

“Adur currently has a lack of high quality business space, therefore it’s important that we take a proactive stance to improve this - in order to retain existing businesses and generate new investment. For the future of our District, this is a key opportunity to regenerate an existing vacant site to support our employment needs and offer new homes.”

Executive Member for Regeneration, Cllr Brian Boggis, added:

“The vacant Adur Civic Centre provides the Council with a fantastic opportunity to deliver new and much needed business premises, jobs and homes. It’s great for Adur that we can make use of this redundant brownfield site to enhance our district’s economy. Going forward, it will be vital to see people getting involved with consultations throughout the planning process, to help shape the scheme into a fitting development for our community.”

The Trash Test Dummies are as full of laughs as their bins are full of surprises. Three dexterous dummies deliver a dump truck full of hilarity. These world class circus performers and their household wheelie bins take fun to new heights with riotous stunts and an astonishing display of balance, acrobatics, slapstick and juggling. The Trash Test Dummies are taking to the stage with their award-winning show, which comes to Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre on the 16-17 July as part of Worthing Theatres’ Summer of Circus. 

Performers Jamie Bretman, Jack Coleman, and Simon Wright are passionate about creating innovative circus and physical theatre work, that demonstrates jaw dropping skills to take audiences on a journey into their playful imagination, where they explore the infinite uses of everyday objects in the most profound and hilarious ways.

Their production is ideal for families of all ages, with slapstick comedy for kids and slightly more mature humour for adults that will go over children’s heads like the wheelie bins themselves.

There is no dialogue in the production, as the show is focused heavily on the acrobatic feats of the physical performance, also making this the ideal show for those who are more visually stimulated or hearing impaired.

The Australian based company comes to Worthing as part of a bespoke tour, where afterwards it travels to the London Southbank Centre and then to the Edinburgh Fringe. For three years running Trash Test Dummies have won accolades at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, including awards for Highly Commended Circus and Physical Theatre and Best Children’s Presentation. They were also nominated for the Best Circus Award in the Fringe World festival in 2015.

“Three men took to the stage with their wheelie bins, what happened next blew our minds.”

★★★★★ The Funny Tonne

Click here to take a look at exclusive member discounts at Worthing Theatre

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Trash Test Dummies 

Date: 2pm, Saturday 16 July & Sunday 17 July 2016

Time: 8:00pm

Price: £14.50, Family £48

Venue: Pavilion Theatre, Marine Parade, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3PX

Box office: 01903 206 206 or online at www.worthingtheatres.co.uk

EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum Petition

The Petitions Committee has decided to schedule a House of Commons debate on the recent EU referendum petition. The debate will take place on 5 September at 4.30pm in Westminster Hall, the second debating chamber of the House of Commons. The debate will be opened by Ian Blackford MP.

The Committee has decided that the huge number of people signing this petition means that it should be debated by MPs. The Petitions Committee would like to make clear that, in scheduling this debate, they are not supporting the call for a second referendum. The debate will allow MPs to put forward a range of views on behalf of their constituents. At the end of the debate, a Government Minister will respond to the points raised.

A debate in Westminster Hall does not have the power to change the law, and won’t end with the House of Commons deciding whether or not to have a second referendum. Moreover, the petition – which was opened on 25 May, well before the referendum – calls for the referendum rules to be changed. It is now too late for the rules to be changed retrospectively. It will be up to the Government to decide whether it wants to start the process of agreeing a new law for a second referendum.

The Petitions Committee is a cross-party group of MPs. It is independent from Government. You can find out more about the Committee on its website: http://www.parliament.uk/petitions-committee/role

The award winning Highdown Gardens in Worthing, received more good news this week.  Their apprentice, Sam Dexter (21, Worthing), has won the coveted Plumpton College Top Horticulture Apprentice of the Year award.

This news comes in the same week that Highdown Gardens won, for the second year running, a TripAdvisor certificate for Excellence. More details here.

Jo Hooper, Highdown Gardens Manager and Head Gardener adds “Sam is studying towards a Level 2 Work Based Diploma in Horticulture at Plumpton College.  We are extremely proud of Sam who has put  an enormous amount of work into his studies and contributed greatly towards the upkeep of Highdown Gardens.  Sam started with us in February 2015 and is due to complete his apprenticeship in May next year.  He has a very bright future in horticulture ahead of him and the award is very well deserved.”

Sam Dexter says “I have enjoyed my experience here at Highdown Gardens and have learnt a great deal, from identifying plants to general maintenance tasks. Plumpton College has offered me the chance to enhance my practical knowledge with theory and research. I feel the apprenticeship has given me a good basis to progress through the industry. I would recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone who is interested in following a career in horticulture and I’d like to thank the Council for the opportunity.”

Councillor Clive Roberts, Worthing Borough Council Executive Member for Environment adds “Many congratulations to Sam.  He is an important part of this award winning Garden and a shining example of the many young people in Worthing who benefit from Apprenticeships.  Jo and her team have done a great job of sharing their wide breadth of knowledge with Sam, and in turn have helped this talented horticulturist maintain the high standards Highdown already enjoys, for a long time to come.”

Highdown will be recruiting for a new horticultural apprentice early next year, please keep an eye on the apprenticeship website www.apprenticeships.org.uk for details.