Welcome to our January 2025 newsletter
Changes planned for local democracy
In December, the government published a ‘devolution’ white paper, which would see sweeping changes to how local democracy is organised. These include abolishing district councils (e.g. Arun and Chichester), to be replaced by one much larger authority.
Is it happening here? West Sussex County Council recently decided to volunteer our area for the fast-track version of these changes. This decision was made by the cabinet, not the full council.
What does this mean locally? We’re still waiting to hear if the County Council elections scheduled for May this year will be postponed. If so, the Conservatives will cling to power locally for at least another year – and way past their mandate. We’re concerned that important decisions about the future shape and structure of our local government will then be led by an out of touch, unpopular council.
But is the reorganisation a good idea? Some parts of the White Paper look promising e.g. control over local transport and cycle lanes, and community rights to purchase local facilities. But there’s little detail at this stage, and we’re worried that changes will be rushed through without proper scrutiny and important public debate.
Don’t the Greens support devolution? The Green party are strong supporters of local, grassroots action – as can be seen through our network of parish, district, town and county councillors across England. We stand for:
- taking decisions as close as possible to the people most impacted;
- trusting local communities to know what is best for them;
- supporting them with investment to deliver real change;
- and fair voting for local elections using proportional representation.
But these plans risk moving power away from local councils to huge remote super councils and regional mayors. And we want the May elections to go ahead as planned!
What are Greens doing locally? We continue to encourage all our members and supporters to get involved in their local areas – whether this be parish councils or neighbourhood groups. So we’re still campaigning and getting the Green message out as enthusiastically as ever! We’d love you to join us, Adrian, please get in touch to help out:
Come and meet other Greens on Littlehampton beach
On the last Sunday of every month, local members join the regular litter pick on Littlehampton beach. This is followed by a coffee and a chat in The Beach Cafe, Sea Road, Littlehampton (opposite The Wave leisure centre).
To join us on the beach clean, please meet at 9.30am by the Shack, where the grabbers, gloves and bags are all provided by the Cafe (as part of Surfers Against Sewage). A member of the Beach team usually leads the clean. Afterwards, we’ll be in the cafe, from around 11am.
Please note: We won’t be meeting if there is a weather warning in place!
Members updates
Each month we hold an online policy discussion for members. It’s a chance to look at an important and topical area in more depth, in a relaxed and respectful setting. Our next topics are: solar power (21 February), and local rivers (21 March). You are welcome to join in our members’ discussion by registering here.
Our next branch meeting will be on Wednesday 12 February, 7pm on Zoom. All members are welcome to join us, and non-members can also be admitted by prior arrangement. We look forward to seeing you there.
Can we help you? Want to join us? Have skills to share?
Keep in touch with your local Chichester and Arun Greens
Join the party: join.greenparty.org.uk
Ask a question: contact@chichesterarun.greenparty.org.uk
Keep up to date: Find us on Facebook, You Tube, TikTok and Threads
Help us grow: We rely on one off donations or regular standing orders to help us cover the cost of our local campaign work.
All support is very gratefully received. Please always include your last name and postcode as a reference, so we know who to thank.