Preparing For Wintry Weather

/ northhorshampc

With memories of the floods that devastated much of the county in ‘Monsoon June’ still fresh in our minds, here are some ideas for things you can do now to ensure you are ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at us!

Health And Wellbeing

  • Get your flu jab.  If you are over 65, in an ‘at risk’ group, a carer, or are pregnant, you can get a free seasonal flu vaccination.  Book through your GP.
  • Take action to stay warm.  You may qualify for a Cold Weather payment if you are on certain benefits.
  • Check that your electric blanket meets safety standards.
  • Make sure you have sufficient supplies of food and basic necessities.  Book WSCC Meals on Wheels service.  It provides hot and frozen meals with free home delivery.
  • Find out if you have any elderly or poorly neighbours.  They may need a visit and extra help.

Protecting Your Home

  • Clear your drains and gutters, and ditches if they are your responsibility.
  • Check pipes are lagged to prevent them bursting and know how to turn your water supply off.
  • Find out about heating and insulation grants to help you stay warm.
  • Get your boiler serviced by a Buy with Confidence Approved trader.
  • Make sure you have carbon monoxide and smoke alarms and that all are working and buy spare batteries for the alarms and torches.
  • Buy a snow shovel, a supply of sand or grit and – if your home is in a flood risk area – some sandbags.  All tend to be in short supply when bad weather hits.
  • Prepare an emergency bag in case you or your family have to move elsewhere at short notice.
  • Move irreplaceable items like photos from the ground floor where they could be ruined by flooding.
  • Sweep your chimneys.

Out And About

  • Ensure you and your vehicle are prepared for the weather, following the latest travel advice before you head off.
  • Help your community by volunteering.
  • There are misconceptions about health and safety laws getting in the way of action and volunteering.  We need the Big Society most in times of adversity, when communities have to pull together.

Feeling Inspired By Sport?

/ northhorshampc

Multi CourtsHave you been inspired by the various sporting events this past Summer?

Enjoyed the spectacle of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, or the triumphs of Andy Murray winning Olympic Gold and his first major tournament at the US Open?

If so the Parish Council has two Multi Courts that are available for hire and can be used for both football and tennis as well as netball.  The courts are well used during weekday evenings but there are a few time slots still available as the new football season gets under way.

There is also availability during the daytime for both weekdays and weekends for the more casual game of football or tennis.

For more information, or to make a booking either call the Parish Office on 01403 750786 or email hall.bookings@northhorsham-pc.gov.uk

Fly-Tipping – Spot It, Stop It

/ northhorshampc

Letting someone take your rubbish away when you don’t know what they are going to do with it isn’t the answer.  It is illegal to get rid of waste using an unlicensed waste carrier and you could be committing a duty of care offence.  Should your items later be fly-tipped, you may be held responsible and could face prosecution or a fixed penalty notice of up to £300.

Only holders of an Environment Agency Waste Management License can recover, transport, deposit, or dispose of waste at officially authorised sites.  If you are unsure, you should ask:

  • If they are registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency;
  • Where your rubbish is being taken; and,
  • For a signed receipt with their carrier registration number and vehicle registration number.

If they can’t answer your questions or provide the paperwork, they may be getting rid of your waste illegally.  You can also check the Environment Agency’s website to see if they have a license and find out more at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/40047.aspx.

New Green Deal May Help Residents Create Energy Efficient Homes

/ northhorshampc

When the Government’s new Green Deal launches, it may enable tenants and homeowners to carry out improvements to their homes to make them more energy efficient, more comfortable and cheaper to run but without the need to pay for the work upfront.

Under the Green Deal, homeowners will employ an authorised assessor to carry out an energy assessment on their home.  The assessor will identify work that can be carried out to improve the energy performance of their home and the work is then carried out through a Green Deal provider and installer.

The homeowner will pay for the improvements over time through their electricity bill, at a level which will be no greater then the estimated savings to their energy bills. If the house is sold, the Green Deal stays with the property and the repayments pass to the new bill payer.

To help local builders and architects understand more about how the Green Deal works, Sussex Building Control – in partnership with the South East Centre for the Built Environment (SECBE) – is running a half day workshop on Wednesday 3rd October at the Civic Hall in Crawley from 9am -1pm.

James Walker from B&Q’s eco innovation team will provide an overview of the Green Deal, Sussex Building Control will take his audience through case studies of retrofit properties and Julian Carter from SECBE will host a question and answer session which will help to demystify the Green Deal. This event will be of interest to architects, planners, consultants, surveyors, designers and builders who carry out refurbishments to existing homes.

For a copy of the programme or for more information please email vanessa.good@horsham.gov.uk

Sussex Building Control helps hundreds of local residents complete structurally safe and energy efficient projects each year. Please visit http://www.horsham.gov.uk/environment/BuildingControl.aspx to find out more. Alternatively call 01403 215151.

West Sussex County Council Funding For Bus Routes 2012

/ northhorshampc

WSCCWest Sussex County Council has announced which bus subsidies are to be reduced during the final phase of a three year programme to reduce non-commercial routes.

Most bus routes in West Sussex are operated on a commercial basis, but some routes are subsidised by the County Council to help them run. The savings are needed because they need to reduce council spending by £79 million overall.

The first and second phases of bus subsidy reductions have already been announced, following an ‘impact assessment’ last year when feedback from members of the public and other organisations was gathered and taken into account.

The recent Bus User Survey relates to the third and final phase of subsidy reductions. The survey, which closed on 17 January 2012, gathered almost 8,250 responses from passengers and local organisations about how they use the routes.

Below is a list of bus routes within the North Horsham Parish, or to see the complete list from West Sussex County Council visit their webpage by clicking here.

Routes 23, 24 (Metrobus) Crawley – Horsham
WSCC funding will be removed from both services.  Route 23 will continue to run as a commercial service, and route 24 will cease as of 1 September 2012.  Alternative journeys will be available on route 23, and from Colgate on Compass Travel route 52.
View the revised timetable here.

Route 61 (Metrobus) Horsham – North Heath (circular)
No changes to the current service.

Route 98 (Metrobus) Roffey – Southwater
WSCC funding withdrawn from supported evening services.  Metrobus will continue to operate the current timetable on a commercial basis.

Route 200 (Metrobus) Horsham – Gatwick Airport
Reduced late evening service from 1 September due to reduction of WSCC funding.  Minor timing changes at other times to improve reliability.
View the revised timetable here.

Routes 652, 662, 674, 682 (Compass) Horsham School Services
Revised timetables.
662 morning journey to be withdrawn and replaced by a diverted Service 89 journey (will not serve Merryfield Drive or Redford Avenue).
674 afternoon journey at 16:22 from Millais School will now be operated by Sussex Coaches, extended to start at 16:15 from Collyers College and continuing to Rusper, arriving 17:07.
Service 682 at 17:00 from Tanbridge House School to be withdrawn.
These changes will take effect from 3 September 2012.
View the revised timetables here.