Chichester District Council Report for September 26

District Councillor Report – September 2026

Update on Local Government Reorganisation in West Sussex

We are still waiting for the Government to make a final design on the future of local government in West Sussex. CDC has formally written to the Secretary of State to express their support for the Government’s proposed modification to the West Sussex local government reorganisation plans. This option would place us with Horsham, Mid Sussex and Crawley. In their response, CDC highlighted Chichester District’s predominantly rural nature, including its market towns, extensive agricultural land, protected landscapes and dispersed communities. They believe these shared characteristics make the inland authority a better fit for the district and would support more effective planning, housing delivery, environmental management and rural transport services.

Alongside this, all West Sussex council leaders have jointly written to the newly appointed Secretary of State to seek greater clarity on the timetable for a final decision. Continued delays create uncertainty for staff and residents, while reducing the time available to plan and implement the new arrangements ahead of their introduction in 2028.

All parishes meeting

Ahead of the next Parishes meeting taking place in the Committee Rooms on 12th October 2026, we would like to ask the Parishes for their suggestions for agenda items.

Please e-mail your suggestions to democraticservices@chichester.gov.uk  by the 4th of September 2026.

A reminder about bin locations

Funding has been agreed for a new project aimed at ensuring that more litter in the district is recycled. Cabinet has approved £170,000 for the project which will include reassessing litter bin locations, installing new bins in highly used areas and devising a behaviour change campaign aimed at encouraging more people to take their litter home so that it can be more effectively sorted and recycled. The district currently has around 600 litter bins and 250 dog mess bins and combined these are emptied 134,000 times a year. Initial analysis has highlighted that while some bins are extremely well used, there are others that are not well used, which could possibly be re-sited. Public recycling bins are not always efficiently used and can quickly become contaminated by general litter which is something that the council also wants to look at.

If you have any ideas about where bins could be usefully located or relocated then let CDC or us know so that it can be taken into consideration. 

Could you or a loved one be at risk of a fire at home?  

Each year West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service visit around 5,000 homes across the county to help people live safely and prevent fires. These visits, including any smoke alarms or specialist smoke detection equipment fitted during the visit, are free of charge.

Anyone that has a higher risk of having a fire in their home or is less able to escape their home in an emergency, is eligible for a Safe and Well Visit. Factors such as living alone; having a disability or impairment; smoking in the home; living with a health condition which requires the use of medical equipment; and hoarding can all increase the risk of fire.

A Safe and Well Visit covers many aspects of fire safety in the home, such as having working smoke alarms, cooking, charging electronic devices, and planning an escape route. It also covers health and wellbeing topics such as smoking, using emollient creams, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise – which can all have an impact on a person’s safety at home.

If you feel that a Safe and Well Visit would benefit you or someone you know, you can find out more and request a visit at www.westsussex.gov.uk/safeandwellvisit.

Cllr Brett Burkhart is available on 07876 594168 or bburkhart@chichester.gov.uk

Cllr Ellie Newbery is available on 01428 656941 or enewbery@chichester.gov.uk