Welcome to our November 2024 newsletter!
Your local Green team
We’re delighted to have elected a fantastic team of local party officers at our recent AGM. Please see our website for more details, or come along to our next branch meeting and say hello! Without major donors and funders, the Greens rely on the time and commitment of passionate volunteers. There’s always something for everyone to get involved in, so please do get in touch if you’re able to spend some time helping out.
Our friends in Horsham are currently running a by-election campaign for the Denne ward. The response so far has been incredibly positive, and we’d all love to see another Green on the Horsham District Council. The election is taking place on Thursday 21 November – and it’s all hands on deck! If you’re able to pop over and help out, the friendly team will be door knocking and delivering literature from now right up until election day. To get involved, please request to join the “Jen for Denne” WhatsApp group. Thank you for any assistance you can give – every bit helps!
Council news
Last year, our hard-working Arun Green Group in the district council introduced the Rights for the River Arun Motion. Although the local council has very limited powers in this area, the aim of the Motion is to find creative ways to support the River Arun. This includes protection and enhancement mechanisms for areas such as river water quality, wildlife value, and flood defences.
To support this, our councillor Steve McAuliffe recently took a boat up the river between Arundel and Houghton Bridge – looking at the condition of existing flood defences and land drainage assets. Along the way, riverbank erosion was discussed with concerned local residents, and leaks in the embankments were pointed out. River litter was also counted, as funding plans are being developed for river cleaning and invasive species removal.
Visiting at low-tide allowed for some impressive wildlife spotting along the route. Including this young seal, hauled out in the autumnal sun on a fallen tree! This is a reassuring indication of a functional food web on this stretch of the Arun. Additional protections via the Rights for the River Arun Motion would allow us to build on the current health of the river, help prevent future significant pollution, improve flood defences for local communities, protect the creatures that have made the Arun their home, and create improved habitat for the future. It certainly gets our councillors’ Seal of Approval!
Growing the next generation of Green councillors
Our next electoral focus is the West Sussex County Council elections in May 2025, and promoting the best Green candidates to win more local seats. All our members will have recently received an email with further details, and please look out for more information coming soon. If you’re not yet a member, but are interested in finding out more, please contact us.
Over the next few months we’ll be supporting our selected candidates in their local campaigns. This will include delivering leaflets, canvassing and fundraising – please remember to sign up above to get involved. With many of us disappointed at recent negative political news, it’s now more important than ever that we work together for Real Hope and Real Change. For all of our sakes’ – the future needs to be Green.
Important event on our local water – this Tuesday!
We’re pleased to be hosting an urgent online talk on Southern Water’s Resource Management Plan on Tuesday 19 November, 7pm, with guest speaker, Tracey Viner.
Southern Water’s previous draft plan was rightly rejected by public response. Unfortunately, their new effort is little changed – aside from an extra proposal to tanker water all the way from Norway. Some of our concerns include: instead of plans for efficient rainfall storage, they are proposing an energy and carbon hungry project of effluent recycling; instead of plans to plug leaks quickly, they project to still be leaking 10% of all the water they treat by 2050; and there continues to be a lack of planning around connecting up the network – leading to many good options for water security and safety being missed.
Please come along if you can, to find out more details, and ways to respond to the consultation. The consultation deadline is 4 December.
Come and meet other Greens
On the last Sunday of every month, local members join the regular litter pick on Littlehampton beach, 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 have a coffee in the cafe, from around 11am. Please sign up below – see you there!
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 topic is local transport (Friday 15 November). In particular, we’ll be looking at the ongoing talks around the A27. You are welcome to join in our members’ discussion by registering here.
Chichester & Arun Greens Festive Party will be held on Friday 6 December at Barnham Community Hall. We invite all new and old friends to help us celebrate the successes of 2024, and look forward to 2025 with renewed purpose. Please look out for an email with more details coming soon!
Our final branch meeting for 2024 will be on Monday 9 December, 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.
We are currently fundraising for the May 2025 county elections
– please give if you can:
All support is very gratefully received. Please always include your last name and postcode as a reference, so we know who to thank.