Residents who are applying for concessionary travel, such as bus passes or railcards, in the Horsham District from 1st April should be aware of changes to the administration of the service.

From 1st April 2013, the administration of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme in West Sussex is changing and Horsham District Council will no longer be the point of contact for new bus passes or railcards.

For those residents who already have an older or disabled persons’ concessionary bus pass, no action is needed.  Current bus passes will continue to be valid and will be renewed automatically.

Those residents who require a new railcard or to renew an existing railcard will need to apply for a new one.  After Monday 1st April 2013, those residents who are applying for a new bus pass or railcard or have any queries about a current pass, should use the following contact details:

Telephone: West Sussex Bus Pass Information Line (local rate) – 0845 075 1018

Address: West Sussex Bus Pass, PO Box 212, Waterlooville, PO7 6ZN

Email: buspass@westsussex.gov.uk

For more information from Monday 1st April, visit the West Sussex County Council website www.westsussex.gov.uk/buses

Sussex Building Control, Horsham District Council’s building control team, has produced a new brochure specifically aimed at homeowners who are thinking of improving, converting or extending their homes.

It provides information about the types of things they need to consider when embarking on these projects to ensure that the work is carried out safely and the finished building will be safe, comfortable and energy efficient for their family to live in.

You can view the brochure here: www.extendingyourhome.com/sussex

Road and path faults like potholes are top of the list of residents’ concerns – and so remain one of the County Council’s priorities to tackle.  Currently when a fault is reported and we don’t have enough detail to determine the next course of action, an officer has to make a site inspection.

The volunteers, who live or work locally, would inspect faults in their immediate neighbourhood and provide the additional information required.  This would speed up the process and enable repairs, where required, to be progressed faster.  Volunteers will receive training, guidance and appropriate equipment to undertake the inspections and will be supported by council officers.  They will need access to the internet, a camera and mobile phone.  To find out more:

Tel: 01243 777957
Email: cdbs.gatwick.diamond@westsussex.gov.uk

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.