Following guidance from Met Office, West Sussex County Council’s Full Council meeting has been postponed until Monday 28 February at 10.30am.

Storm Eunice is set to reach West Sussex tomorrow (Friday 18 February). The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning.

Guidance states, do not drive unless your journey is really necessary.

The safety of residents, members of the public, staff and councillors is the highest priority.

Information on dealing with extreme weather and advice on preparing for high winds and storms is available from Met Office

With the winter months fast approaching, and energy bills on the rise, it’s time to start thinking about whether you could make energy efficiency improvements to your home.

If you find your home hard to heat and worry about your energy bills, let us help. You could qualify for help if you live in an energy inefficient home, which is owned or privately rented, and you are in receipt of benefits or on a low income.

The UK Government’s Green Homes Grant scheme can fund a range of energy efficiency measures including:

• Wall insulation
• Loft insulation
• Renewable heating systems (such as Air Source Heat Pumps)
• Double/triple glazing (to replace single glazing)
• Energy efficient doors
• Thermostats and heating controls

Warmworks has been appointed as the Managing Agent for this scheme. They are working  in collaboration with your local authority to help you benefit from this funding and arrange all the work on your behalf. They have an average customer satisfaction rating of 98% and a Trustpilot rating of Excellent.

Warmworks manages a range of energy efficiency projects throughout the UK. Since 2015 they’ve improved over 20,000 properties, making homes warmer and more comfortable, and reducing fuel bills by an average of £300 per year. As Managing Agent they will provide you with all the support you need, free of charge, including:

• Carrying out an assessment of your property
• Checking to see if you meet the eligibility criteria
• Providing you with a tailored report, recommending improvements for your home
• Accessing the funding on your behalf
• Arranging the installation of the energy efficiency improvements
• Carrying out a quality inspection of the work

Call free on 0808 196 8255 or visit surveys.est.org.uk/s/GreenHomesGrantSchemeLAD for more information.

As we are all aware, the pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental health and has shown us all how important simply talking with other people is and how it enables us to feel connected with others. Horsham District Council’s Community Services Officers, together with Horsham District Older Persons Forum and West Sussex Brighton and Hove Age UK, are working together to promote a scheme which they hope will get people talking again.

The Chatty Café scheme (www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk) was founded in Manchester and now has over 900 cafés and pubs across the UK registered as Chatty Café venues. The scheme is very simple: a ‘This is a Chatter and Natter table’ card is placed on a designated table in the venue which makes it clear that anyone sitting there is happy to engage in conversation. The aim is to get people of all ages back socialising, chatting, and to reduce loneliness and isolation.

A letter has been sent out to cafes across the district and the organisations are looking to encourage as many as possible to join. So far the following have signed up:

• The Bridge Leisure Centre, Broadbridge Heath
• Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, Storrington
• Halcyon Days Café, Storrington
• Southwater Country Park Café, Southwater
• Holbrook Heart Café, St Marks Lane, Horsham
• Muffin Break, Horsham
• The Pavilions Leisure Centre, Horsham

Horsham District Council is keen to get more chatty cafés, particularly in the rural areas of the district. If any café would like to find out more, please contact Claire.Shepherd@horsham.gov.uk