At the last full Council meeting (10^th January 2013), the Parish Council approved a new Open Spaces Policy, which can be seen here.

The formulation of this new Policy addresses one or two issues that have recently arisen regarding our Open Spaces and Play Areas and is part of the Parish Council’s Risk Management processes.

At first glance, the Policy looks as if it full of do’s and don’t’s and you will not’s and this is not allowed etc.  When you look closer, however, it can be seen that much of what is in the Policy is common sense and has been part of the management processes anyway.

The Parish Council is keen to protect all the Open Space in their ownership and to ensure a safe and well managed environment is provided for all users.  Above all – the Parish Council wants you to enjoy the Open Spaces and Play Areas.

The 2011 Census offers an insight into changes in England and Wales by providing a snapshot of the population on 27 March 2011: who people are, how they live and what they do.

The Census is unique because it is the only information source that measures these characteristics together across the whole population.  Aside from being of interest generally, this information, together with other statistics, is used by central government to plan and allocate local authority services funding, and is used by local authorities, including Horsham District Council, to develop their policies and services to meet the needs of their local communities.

What the Census reveals about Horsham District residents is that while there are some similarities with the national picture, there are a number of important areas where it does not reflect the characteristics of the population of the country as a whole, notably housing tenure, car ownership, marital status and a higher age profile.

The number of people owning their own homes is dropping and more are renting privately. Home ownership – either with a mortgage or loan, or outright – has decreased since 2001, when the previous Census was conducted, but to a lesser degree than nationally. In 2011 three quarters of Horsham District residents owned their own home, slightly fewer than in 2001. Over one in ten now rent from a private landlord or letting agency.

Car ownership is high in the Horsham District at one and a half cars per household. The rural nature of the District is likely to have had some impact on this statistic, and this has not increased since 2001. Nationally this figure is 1.2 cars per household.

Marital and civil partnerships in the Horsham District do not reflect the national trend. Just over a quarter of residents are single; nationally this figure is 35%, and over half of the residents of the District are married (55%).

Attitudes to religion seem to have changed significantly and are in line with the national position. The number of Christians in the District decreased to 64% from 76% in 2001, and the group who stated that they had no religious affiliation increased to 27% from 15% in 2001.

The Census suggests that people are becoming better educated, with more getting degrees or similarly high levels of education; in the Horsham District one in three people have qualifications at Level 4 or above (e.g. first degree).

In addition to the detailed information released by the Office for National Statistics about the Census 2011, interactive data visualisations are also provided on its website (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/index.html) to help interpret the results.

Horsham District Council is working with a number of residents in Roffey to make much needed improvements to the younger children’s play area at Beech Road.  The Council has put together three designs and would like residents to comment on these plans to help inform the final decision as to what design should go ahead.

The designs show schemes costing up to £46,000, but the Council (dependent on the outcome of a funding application) is only currently able to fund up to £24,000, which will provide a new multi-play unit, a new set of toddler swings, a path and a replacement fence instead of the dilapidated wall.

All comments should be sent to freeplayzone@horsham.gov.uk by Wednesday 19 December.

Cllr Jonathan Chowen, Horsham District Council’s Cabinet Member for Arts, Heritage and Leisure, said:

“I hope that anyone with an interest in the play area in Beech Road takes this opportunity to have their say on these new and exciting plans.  It will be great to see how this play area develops in the future and how these much needed improvements will make for a better environment for the local children to enjoy.”

Please leave your comments on Horsham District Council’s facebook page, email freeplayzone@horsham.gov.uk or join the local residents’ facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/242518249186427/

The plans can be viewed by visiting the Horsham District Council website (www.horsham.gov.uk) by searching ‘current play projects’ in the top task bar.

The Council would also like to hear from anyone who could help local residents apply for additional funding (through an application to Biffa or Big Lottery) to complete the play scheme, which would include an extra roundabout, play mound and trail.

For more information on the plans, call Horsham District Council on 01403 215256 or email freeplayzone@horsham.gov.uk

Residents and visitors to the Horsham District are being reminded to take care if they are approached by street or door to door charity collectors this Christmas and New Year period.

The message comes from Horsham District Council and Sussex Police at a time of year when there tends to be an increase in the number of bogus charity collectors.  Unlicensed collectors can sometimes be found in Horsham town centre and other busy town and village locations, usually selling charitable tickets.

In a normal year, Horsham District Council licenses over 150 street collections and takes great care to ensure that collection permits are only granted to genuine charities.  If in doubt, remember that:

• All collectors should be able to produce a valid permit issued by Horsham District Council
• Charity collectors should have a sealed collection container with the charity registration number and name on it. A business or company registration number is not a charity registration number
• Collectors should be able to describe the charity’s work in sufficient detail
• Door to Door collectors should be wearing badges issued by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO).

Councillor Sue Rogers, Horsham District Council’s Cabinet Member for a Safer and Healthier District, said:

“Whilst thankfully charity fraud is rare, there are some people who set out to prey on the generosity of others.  It’s not our intention to stop people giving to charity but to encourage them simply to be aware of who, what, where and why they are giving.  If in doubt, don’t be afraid to say no and report the matter to Horsham District Council or the Police.”

Horsham District Commander Chief Inspector Howard Hodges of Sussex Police said:

“Christmas shoppers should take care when opening their wallets and purses in public view.  Our advice would be to avoid giving out any personal information in the street, including address and bank details, which could be used by an unscrupulous person to access your finances or to allow them to use your identity.  Instead, consider researching the organisation on the internet when you get home.”

Further information and advice is available from Horsham District Council on 01403 215488 or from Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999 or 101 (non emergency telephone number) or the Charity Commission on 0845 3000 218.