Welcome to the June 2025 edition of our Residents’ eNewsletter, featuring the latest news and updates from your county council.

Celebrate Sussex Day!

It’s Sussex Day on Monday (16 June) - the perfect time to discover or rediscover all the things our county has to offer.

Find a whole bunch of things to see and do, places to go and interesting historical anecdotes about our county by clicking on the link below.

You can also test your local knowledge with our fun quiz!

If Sussex Day has inspired you to get out and about and explore our wonderful county, then why not leave the car at home and take the bus instead?

Whether you are heading to the coast, countryside, or a day out in the town centre, there's an affordable and eco-friendly bus journey waiting just for you.

Young people aged 16 to 20 travelling in West Sussex can get cheaper fares with the 16 to 20 Bus Saver.

State pension age residents and people with an eligible disability can apply for a free bus pass anytime.

If you’re looking to travel in the rural areas surrounding Petworth, Barnham, and Chichester you can use our Book-a-Bus service, which also gives you access to special discountswith several local businesses.

Have your say on improving the lives of children and young people

We'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas to help us develop a plan that will help give children and young people in West Sussex the best start in life.

The Children and Young People’s Plan explains how we will work with our partners to give each child and young person the support they need to achieve their potential.

Our current plan went live in early 2022 and runs until the end of this year.

We will be updating the plan for 2026 to 2029 and want to consult with children and young people, families, and professionals to ensure their voices are heard and represented in the refreshed plan.

Local support for unpaid carers

If you're an unpaid carer for someone, whether it’s a family member, friend or neighbour, it's important to know that support is available to help you manage your responsibilities and look after your own health and wellbeing.

Check out these free support services:

Carers Support West Sussex Provides carers with guidance, practical help, and emotional support with a range of services, from benefit advice to accessing carer funds, support groups, carer hubs and a carer helpline.

Carers Health Team This service, provided by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, is designed to promote the health and wellbeing of carers over the age of 18, registered with a West Sussex GP. The team of health professionals offers free support to carers whose own health is suffering because of their caring role.

Young Carers Family Service – West Sussex County Council supports young carers under 18 through assessments that can provide advice, direct support, respite, and family assistance. They also offer mental health support for young carers affected by their caring duties.

Caring for others can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. These services are here to help you access the support you need.

Take part in these surveys

• How much do you know about recycling? To help cut the confusion of recycling we’re running another survey to ask you what information would help you to recycle more. Closing date: 30 June.
• Let us know your thoughts on proposals to improve the Hazelwick and Tushmore junctions in Crawley. Our aim is to make walking, cycling and public transport more attractive options for short journeys. We are also hosting two drop-in events at The Charis Centre, West Green Drive, Crawley on Thursday 26 June and Wednesday 2 July, from 1pm to 5pm. Closing date: 14 July.
• We want your views on the draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), compiled following a survey which ran earlier this year. A PNA is a comprehensive assessment of the current and future pharmaceutical needs of the local population and takes place every three years. Closing date: 25 July.

County councillor updates

Key positions, including chairman and vice-chairman, were confirmed at the recent annual meeting of the county council - find the details here.

During the meeting Leader Paul Marshall (pictured above), gave a statement to fellow councillors about local government reorganisation.

The county council has also recently welcomed five new councillors following a series of by-elections in the county. Here are the people who were elected:

St Leonard’s Forest – Sam Raby.

Burgess Hill North – Jane Davey.

Hassocks & Burgess Hill South – Erika Woodhurst-Trueman.

Midhurst - Yvonne Gravely.

Horsham Riverside – Louise Potter.

Head to our Newsroom to find all the latest news.

• Bognor Regis Esplanade improvements have been completed. This significant milestone marks a major step forward in the ongoing regeneration of the seafront, which will see over £40 million of investment from public and private organisations.
• Do you or someone you know use a telecare alarm? Landline phones are switching to digital, which could stop telecare alarms working. This means that all landline providers need to know which of their customers use telecare, so they can keep them safe. The switchover is already happening, so you need to act now. If you or someone you know uses a telecare alarm, call the landline provider now for support. Visit digitalphoneswitchover.com to find out more.
• Visit our Safe Clubs for Children information pages to find useful advice and guidance when choosing a holiday club or activity.
• We have upgraded all our Pay & Display machines in Bognor Regis as part of an ongoing programme. The new machines, which are now also in use in Worthing and East Grinstead, accept both coins and secure debit/credit card contactless payments. The upgrade is designed to make on-street parking payments faster, easier and more reliable for residents and visitors alike. Upgrades in Chichester and Crawley are scheduled for later this year, with Horsham in 2026. Click here for more information or to share feedback.
• Increase your skills and awareness on the road as a biker, pillion rider and/or general road user by attending a free Biker Down course in Chichester on 26 June from 6pm.
• Are you taking a travel adapter with you on holiday? Make sure the one you’re using meets UK Safety Standards. Our Trading Standards team regularly tests travel adapters for sale in West Sussex to ensure they’re compliant and, most importantly, safe. If you spot an unsafe adapter for sale you can report it here. Find more electrical safety information here.
• If you’re looking for a job in one of our schools you can now find all current vacancies on our job search webpages. Teaching and support roles are listed, as well as opportunities in school leadership. Just select the education roles and locations you’re interested in.
• The achievements of children and young people in care, care leavers and children in kinship care, and the adults that support them across West Sussex have been celebrated at the Exceptional People in Care (EPIC) awards.

Establishing good oral hygiene from an early age is key to preventing dental issues down the road. Here are some tips for looking after children’s teeth.

If your child experiences a dental emergency like a knocked-out tooth or severe toothache, don’t wait, seek immediate care.

You can access urgent dental services through the NHS Sussex Emergency Dental Service.

Did you receive this eNewsletter from a friend? Sign up here.

Welcome to the June issue of initiatives+

This newsletter is issued every month with the latest news and events in our area, details of schemes and projects that will benefit our residents and businesses, as well as relevant national and local updates.

Other local news

Keep up-to-date on all the latest council news at: www.chichester.gov.uk/latestnews

Here you can find the latest media releases and you’ll also find the latest District Dispatch column, and previous issues of our newsletter that you may have missed.

Share this with a friend

Please encourage your friends and family to sign up to this newsletter at: www.chichester.gov.uk/newsalerts

In this newsletter you'll read our Highway Operations 2024/2025 update, Riparian Toolkit, scheme updates and so much more!

Highway Operations 2024/2025

A busy but effective year of maintaining the county’s road network

Figures for the 2024-2025 financial year have highlighted the significant progress made by WSCC’s 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
• 36,031 sqm of small and medium scale structural carriageway and footway patching.
• 4,789sqm of repairs during a 3-month trial of mastic asphalt. This repair technique is highly durable, has recycled properties, no wastage and no excavation required. We are monitoring sites to establish if this should be a regular programme for future years.

Given the challenges face during the winter of 2023/24, the County Council retained a Jet Patcher and employed 3 find and fix gangs for winter 2024/25 to offer further resilience to deal with carriageway deterioration. The gangs were deployed on a proactive approach to identify areas of deterioration and repair them before they became a safety issue.

The overall number of defects identified and waiting to be repaired on the network are at some of the lowest levels in recorded years.

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 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.

The highways team also delivered a variety of traffic related maintenance, including:

• 2,635 signs cleaned and cleared of overhanging vegetation
• 123,000 drainage gullies cleansed
• 63 small scale dranage schemes completed
• 27million sqm of grass verges cut

Increasing winter resilience by managing the county’s drainage assets

A relatively dry winter when compared to the previous two years allowed the County Council's contractor to utilise additional resource to maintain the county’s drainage assets in a serviceable condition through the winter months and deliver some of our lower priority works.

We operated 5 reactive jetting vehicles through the winter which were deployed to flooding locations reported by members of the public. In most cases the contractor was able to resolve the problem and ensure the asset was free flowing. Whilst we inevitably had some unavoidable road closures this year due to flooding, the number was vastly reduced compared to the previous 3 years.

Works continued on clearing our ditch network in rural areas and again this work had a positive impact on enabling surface water to drain from the highway.

Riparian Toolkit is now available

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new Riparian Toolkit designed to support you with watercourse/riparian matters in your area. If you have not yet received your copy, please do contact us at Parish-Town.Enquiries@westsussex.gov.uk and we will email it to you.

The toolkit provides readily accessible information and resources on topics such as:

• Riparian ownership and responsibilities
• Guidance on managing vegetation
• Contact details for relevant agencies

We believe this resource will help you when assisting residents with watercourse enquiries.

Dates for your diary

4 June 2025

We invite you to an informative virtual briefing to learn more about the West Sussex County Council's Community Highway Schemes and Community Traffic Regulation Orders. Representatives from the team will provide insight to:

• What is a Community Highway Scheme (CHS) and a
  Community Traffic Regulation Order (TRO)?
• How do we assess and prioritise CHS and
  Community TRO applications?
• How long does it take to deliver a CHS and a Community TRO?
• How can parish and town councils can support their communities when they are making an application?

Please do submit your questions to Parish-Town.Enquiries@westsussex.gov.uk with the subject line: 4 June Briefing.

Invites will be sent in the next week.

23 June 2025

We invite you to an informative virtual briefing to learn more about the vital work of the West Sussex County Council Highways Network Management team. This is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Highway Network Management Plan - Highway Network Management Plan

Representatives from Highway Network Management team will provide insights about:

• Who we are (an introduction)
• Legislative Requirements
• Emergency Works
• Timescales
• Overview of the Highways Network Management Plan
• Demand of the Network
• Forward plans
• Compliance Inspections
• Lane Rental

Please do submit your questions to Parish-Town.Enquiries@westsussex.gov.uk with the subject line: 23 June briefing.

Invites will be sent in the next week.

Licence to plant

If you are looking to plant a tree near the highway you may be interested in the Tree Licence to Plant Scheme. This scheme, which is free of charge to apply requires you to pick the sites, fund and source the trees, plant and maintain them. The county council will check the site and species for suitability and issues the licence. For more information and application form here.

Donate a tree

Alternatively, you could contribute to the cost of a new tree to be planted outside/near your property through the Donate a Tree scheme. Orders need to be received before July to secure planting in November to End February. If your chosen species is suitable for the are, the cost covers the acquisition of the tree from a reputable company, planting and undertaking a three-year cyclical maintenance plan. Just fill out the form on the web, and we will do the rest.

Please note: With all new trees planted, we ask that you water them, especially during periods of dry weather.

The new Lyminster Bypass is now open

Motorists in West Sussex can now enjoy faster and more convenient journeys to and from Littlehampton and Bognor Regis on the Lyminster bypass which officially opened on Friday 9 May.

The County Council worked with Jackson Civil Engineering to design and build the northern section which includes a 225-metre viaduct that is an engineering masterpiece, designed to endure and adapt to future climate challenges. With 96 foundation piles anchored deep into the chalk base, it guarantees stability and longevity.

Built on a floodplain, the viaduct features advanced flood management solutions, including a natural-looking swale and ponds to handle rainwater runoff.

Public Realm Improvements bring new look to Bognor Regis Esplanade

West Sussex County Council is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Bognor Regis Esplanade improvements. This significant milestone marks a major step forward in the ongoing regeneration of Bognor Regis seafront, which will see over £40 million of investment from public and private organisations.

The project has delivered several enhancements aimed at improving the accessibility, safety and aesthetic appeal of the Esplanade.

WSP Volunteering Activities

WSP are consultants in highway and engineering design and are contracted to work with the county council. They volunteer and deliver social value across the county, carrying out activities such as preserving wildlife habitats, volunteering with charities or working with schools to deliver career fairs/talks to name a few. A few recent highlights of their work include:

Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group

The charity focuses on preserving wildlife habitats on the Manhood Peninsula. In October 2024, four WSP colleagues volunteered at Triangle Pond in Birdham, helping to clear vegetation and add bark and chippings to the path. Their work aimed to improve the habitat for water voles and other aquatic creatures.

Pagham Harbour Conservation Area

In February 2025, a team of WSP volunteers under the supervision of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) helped clear over a quarter of the vegetation in the Pagham Harbour Conservation Area. The volunteers visited Tern Island, which is part of the internationally important wetland site for wildlife such as Blackheaded Gull, Little Tern, Common Tern, and Sandwich Tern.

Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital

On 4 July 2025, volunteers will attend Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital, which cares for injured and orphaned British wildlife before releasing them back into the wild. They will be helping with tasks such as cleaning enclosures, site maintenance, and outdoor upkeep as the hospital gears up for their busiest season.

Scheme Updates

Planned works to deliver Community Highway Scheme at A273 Clayton Hill, Clayton / Pyecombe

Following the application for a Community Highway Scheme (CHS), two pedestrian islands have been constructed at:

• Junction of the B2112 and A273
• A273 north of the junction with Underhill Lane.

The scheme, which includes the introduction of a 40mph speed limit, will provide better crossing facilities for pedestrians. (please see image below). Works are planned to take place from 12 May to 20 June 2025 between 7:30 am – 5:30 pm. Some delays are to be expected as the works will be using temporary traffic signals which may cause some delay. This is to ensure the site is safe to pass through. Further details can be found on one.network .

Please plan your journey in advance and look out for important safety signs along your route. If you have any concerns regarding access during these works please ask the onsite staff, your safety is our priority.

Please Note: These works will not interfere with the planned London to Brighton Bike Ride 2025 on the 15 of June 2025.

Junction Improvement Works at Cedar Avenue / Rocky Lane, Haywards Heath

Improvement works at the Cedar Avenue junction with Rocky Lane (A272) will begin on 9 June, running through to 15 August 2025 between 8 am – 4 pm with traffic management in place.

The junction is being widened to improve safety and reduce potential conflict between road users and pedestrians by improving sightlines as well as creating a better, safer crossing point for pedestrians. Work will involve relocating significant utility infrastructure beneath the road surface to accommodate the improvements.

The proposed changes will be delivered by West Sussex County Council’s contractor, Landbuild, alongside several key utility providers including SGN, UK Power Networks, BT, Virgin Media and South East Water. The various utility works will take place in a collaborative manner to minimise disruption where possible.

Advance warning signs via will be in place from 27 May 2025, we’ll also be letter dropping to those residents we believe will be most affected by the works ahead of construction.

Installation of a new drainage system in Burgess Hill's A273 Jane Murray Way

From 2 to 27 June 2025, essential works will take place to install a new drainage system to collect surface water from the land south of B&Q. The drainage will run through Mid Sussex District Council land and discharge into a new filter drain on the southern verge of Jane Murray Way.

These works will help alleviate flooding on the A273 Jane Murray Way and within the nearby industrial estate around William Way.

Work will take place between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm daily, with traffic managed by two-way lights. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience while these improvements are made. For further updates and details, please visit one.network.

Road safety improvements in Bognor Regis and Crawley

West Sussex County Council has converted an existing segregated footway cycleway into a shared cycleway around Orchard Way Roundabout in Bognor and its connection points. This scheme originated from concerns raised following cycle collisions. Works included:

• Resurfacing
• Vegetation clearance
• Tree crown lifting
• Signage upgrade

These improvements will benefit pedestrians and cyclists using the roundabout.

Another road safety scheme in Crawley involved replacing outdated directional signs at all entry points to the A23/A2011 Tushmore Gyratory. The work also included updating lane destination markings and clearing vegetation around the junction.

Gatwick Road Roundabout to Hazelwick Roundabout, Crawley

West Sussex County Council recently completed resurfacing works in Crawley from Gatwick Road Roundabout to Hazelwick Roundabout and all adjoining side roads (entrances).

Improved public transport satisfaction

We're proud to share that satisfaction with bus services in West Sussex has improved to 86% following the results of the 2024 Transport Focus survey. And Compass Travel were the second most highly rated bus operator of the 61 included in the survey.

In the 2024 National Highways and Transport Network survey, West Sussex bus passengers have reported increased satisfaction with bus safety, bus accessibility and cleanliness.

Environment and climate change newsletter

Would you like to hear about how the county council is working to protect the environment and how you can be more sustainable in your day-to-day life? Sign up to our Environment & Climate Change e-newsletter and receive all our latest news and developments straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Keep up to date

WhatsApp

Bringing you gritter alerts, grass cutting updates and up to date information on road issues affecting high speed roads. You can follow silently or opt for alerts to notify you when we share an update. To find us open WhatsApp and select "Updates" from the bottom menu, then simply search for WSHighways or click the link - WSHighways.

Bluesky

Updates on emergency reports are posted every day. Just search for @wshighways.bsky.social.

X

Updates on emergency reports are posted every day and project updates are posted frequently on the West Sussex Highways X account (formerly Twitter). Just search @WSHighways.

Produced by the Customer Liasion Officer, Highways Transport and Planning. Please contact active.communities@westsussex.gov.uk with any comments or suggestions.

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Manage your preferences | Help with your account