News and Events
WSCC Latest Update
 |
Welcome to the November 2023 edition of our Residents' eNewsletter,
containing the very latest news and updates from your county council.
Extra secondary school places in Adur next year
An additional 70 secondary school places are being made available for students in Adur following positive negotiations between West Sussex County Council and Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing.
The places will be available to the year 7 intake in September 2024.
Council Leader Councillor Paul Marshall said: “We are extremely pleased that our discussions have resulted in Sir Robert Woodard Academy offering an additional seventy places. This will significantly reduce the pressure on secondary school places in the Shoreham area for next year.”
|
Movember for men's health
Movember is the well-known annual moustache-growing event and an opportunity to talk about men’s health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer, the importance of screening, and men’s suicide.
A new tool on the Movember website provides tips on starting conversations with men who are struggling with their mental health.
You can also take a look at our new campaign Your mental health West Sussex which has lots of useful links and resources to help support with emotional wellbeing.
|
Get your Covid-19 and flu jabs now
We’re encouraging eligible residents who’ve not yet come forward, to get vaccinated against flu and Covid-19 ahead of the festive and new year season when flu and Covid-19 are expected to peak.
Having both vaccines provides the best level of protection against severe illness and will help ease the pressure on the NHS this winter.
Those eligible can book a Covid-19 vaccination online via the NHS website, via the NHS app or by calling 119 free of charge. Some people may be eligible for both seasonal Covid-19 and flu vaccines and may be asked if they would like both vaccines at the same time.
|
Have your say on important issues
- Our Budget 2024/25: We are asking residents for their views on our priorities for next year and how we propose to spend taxpayers’ money as we work to close a £44.9 million budget gap. Closing date: 10 December.
- Special educational needs and disabilities: Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission are visiting West Sussex, as part of an inspection looking at arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25.
To help the inspectors understand your experience of SEND arrangements in your area we would like your assistance in sharing and completing our survey. Closing date: 21 November.
-
Future location of specialist cancer services: Take part in an NHS England survey on the proposed future location of specialist cancer services for children living in south London and most of southeast England. Closing date: 18 December.
-
Smoke-free proposals: Have your say on government proposals to create a smoke-free generation and tackle youth vaping. Closing date: 6 December.
|
Working towards carbon neutral
We have an ambitious target to be a carbon neutral organisation and a climate resilient organisation by 2030.
Our latest Tackling Climate Change Progress Report shows the progress we’ve made and details the work undertaken in the last two financial years towards achieving our target.
|
Bus discounts for young people
Young people across the county now qualify for discounted bus fares with the new ’16 to 20 Bus Saver’ scheme.
This scheme means young people, whether they’re in education or not, can benefit from reduced child fare rates offered by local bus operators.
The discount applies across all ticket types (including weekly or termly tickets), and can be used on journeys that start or finish in West Sussex.
|
Cutting speed on our roads
We're supporting Brake's Road Safety Week from 19 to 25 November.
With one in four collisions being caused by speeding, this year's theme is cutting speed on our roads.
In West Sussex, we are working to keep all road users safe by making it easier for communities to apply for a change to the speed limit in their area, providing accessible sustainable transport routes to reduce congestion on our roads and introducing trials of our School Streets scheme to make the school run safer.
|
Fun and food for children
This winter the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme will be working with 48 different providers across West Sussex to deliver fun activities for children accessing benefits-related free school meals.
Each child will be entitled to four sessions during the school holidays, and every session will include a free nutritious meal.
All families attending will also be issued a voucher to claim free oral health products by visiting their local family hub.
Bookings can be made via our online booking system.
To register, families need to use their child’s HAF code, which can be found on their Free School Meal eligibility letter or by emailing: HAF@westsussex.gov.uk.
|
More news
Head to our Newsroom to find all the latest news. Below are some highlights:
- Over 1,400 illegal vapes, and illicit tobacco products were seized in a single day of operations by our Trading Standards officers.
- A full-time chief executive is to be recruited by the county council as it concludes a highly successful local leadership partnership with its neighbour, East Sussex.
Our Record Office in Chichester is holding an open day on 25 November from 10am until 3.30pm where you can watch vintage cine films, view our oldest archive document, get help with tracing your family tree and much more. |
Did you receive this eNewsletter from a friend? Sign up here.
We have more than 40 eNewsletters on a wide variety of topics including Envrionment & Climate Change, Walking & Cycling, Highways & Transport, Recycling, Weather Alerts and Staying Safe Online. View all topics here.