Still facing Covid challenges for staff
Iwant to start by saying how grateful our waste collection, street cleaning and parks teams are for all of the support you have given them over the past two years. At the height of the pandemic, people waved at them, clapped them and thanked them for everything they had done. This support has helped to lift their morale when they have needed it most.
Our council is one of the few across the country that has continued to deliver these services to you without disruption throughout the pandemic.
We continue to face considerable challenges due to the amount of staff affected by coronavirus and the measures we have put in place to keep our teams as safe as possible. We fully intend to try to continue with our normal high standards of delivery, but we do hope you will understand if your collections, street cleaning or parks maintenance are affected over the coming weeks. We hope this will not be the case and our crews are determined to go above and beyond to keep the services running smoothly. Please do give our crews a wave when you see them!
I’m pleased to tell you that we have just launched a £10,000 funding pot to help our communities commemorate the Platinum Jubilee. Parish councils will be able to apply to us directly for grants of up to £250 to pay for lasting tributes, such as tree planting, street furniture, and equipment for celebrations that can be reused.
There are many ways in which residents can get involved with the celebrations, including street parties; the Big Jubilee Lunch; beacon lighting; and the Queen’s Green Canopy project, which is encouraging people to plant trees. If you plan on organising a street party, please visit www. gov.uk/government/publications/your-guideto-organising-a-street-party/your-guideto-organising-a-street-party#what-sort-ofevents-does-this-guidance-apply-to where you can find guidance on this.
In other good news, our project to increase the amount of much-needed short stay accommodation for people facing homelessness in the Chichester district is progressing really well. This important piece of work forms a critical part of our homelessness strategy and means we can provide a further 17 flats to complement our existing short-stay accommodation.
This will make a real long-term difference to people’s lives and is just one of the ways in which we, as a council, are working to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. You can find out more atwww.chichester.gov.uk/ freelandcloseproject. The work is due to finish early this year and we will let you know as soon as the completion date is confirmed.
Cabinet considered some really interesting projects at their meeting this week. One is a pilot scheme to support young people across the district who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic. Our adult social prescribing scheme has been so successful that officers recommended the council funds a two-year pilot project to support young people aged 13-19. This will run from April 2022, and will be managed and funded by the council in partnership with Hyde Housing Association and Clarion Housing Association.
Finally, I also want to remind you our opening hours at East Pallant House are changing. From Monday, February 7, our customer services centre opening hours will be 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday. However, our phone lines will continue to operate from 9am- 5pm, Monday to Friday. If you need to visit our offices, please wear a face covering, unless exempt.
The best way to access our services, is on our website: www.chichester.gov.uk. Going online is a convenient way of accessing a whole range of services, including settling council tax or business rates bills, applying for resident parking permits and resident visitor permits, signing up to services such as bulky waste collections or the garden recycling scheme, to name just a few.
If you haven’t already, please do sign up to our email newsletter at: www.chichester.gov. uk/newsalerts, for the latest news and events in our area, details of schemes and available support.