7 minute read
Storrington air quality
46 Local issues
Storrington Pollution
Advertisement
Air Quality Group finally publishes meeting notes
Well progress of sorts. The Storrington Air Quality Steering Group (AQSG) has finally been forced into publishing “notes” from its meeting held on 31st January, ending with the somewhat vague intention of next meeting “towards the end of March on a date to be arranged”. Presumably this date and venue will not be published in order that the public is able to attend, which seems to fall far short of the usual way council business is managed. The notes were distributed in Storrington together with the press release from Horsham District Council entitled “Storrington Air Quality Update“. This reported “the steps and measures introduced since….2011 plus improvements in the vehicle fleet have resulted in significant improvements to AQ in Storrington.” He points to the 2019 report which states that actually only two measures have been taken 1. The HGV restriction in School Hill 2. Stopping restrictions in North Street and says that these are “anticipated to bring further improvements in air quality”. As we have said previously, both these measures - the only proactive measures which have been taken - were assessed at improving air quality by 1% each. The AQSG meeting notes report that, in actual fact, even this paltry action isn’t working as HGVs are ignoring the School Hill restrictions, and the North Street restrictions are also being ignored. Mr Rankin hopes that the restrictions on parking and unloading in the High Street will bring an improvement. What was very welcome in the AQSG notes was the item “schemes for consideration”. These include CCTV monitoring, action on the Tesco roundabout; the possibility of installing green walls (walls which have plant growth over them to absorb pollution); anti-idling measures; and to review the items mentioned in the 2017 report to see if any of these should be revisited. The last item in the AQSG notes reported that “work would continue with local schools (on anti idling campaigns at pick up times)”. This is news to Storrington Primary, who have never been asked by anyone other than Sussex Local to join such a campaign. We invited Anna Worthington-Leese, the ASQG chair, to join in our campaign on this several months ago, but we have been studiously ignored and, at the time of writing (mid March) nothing further has been done. Anyway, as we said, progress of sorts.
No idling banner lasts two days
As previously reported, we held a prize competition for the children of Storrington Primary to design a logo for a “no idling” banner to be placed on the railings, paid for by Sussex Local.
Sadly, two days after being installed, the banner was found destroyed apparently, according to some reports, due to the wind. No other banners were affected. However the good news is that the Air Quality Steering Group are taking up the mantle of the noidling campaign at schools (see above) so we look forward to seeing some progress on this soon.
HGV protest group forms A new group called Storrington Traffic Action Group (STAG) has formed and has been staging protests by the roadside in March. Their aim is to persuade operators of HGVs to use the West Sussex County Council prescribed Strategic and Local Lorry routes through Storrington and other villages. The A283 through Storrington is not actually included on this map. If you would like to help contact stag20@protonmail.com info@sussexlocal.net
through the door
47
48 Competition
Birdie’s a hoarder. The neighbours call her a harridan and a harpy, although most have never even met her. They see her hoard as a hazard for house prices. But it isn’t rubbish. It’s her life’s work and it exists because years ago something deeply cherished was stolen from her; Birdie’s not been able to give up anything since. She’ll do anything to get this priceless thing back. Anything at all. National treasure Su Pollard gives a one-woman tour-de-force performance in this razor-sharp and
bittersweet dark drama from Fringe First award winner Philip Meeks. ‘Su Pollard gives the performance of her life, an unmissable tour-de-force of comedy and drama brought together in a fantastically constructed piece of theatre.’ Theatre weekly. We have a pair of tickets available to see Su Pollard star in Harpy at The Capitol, Horsham on 23rd April 2020 at 7.30pm. www.thecapitolhorsham.com
To enter the competition answer the question below: Q: Su Pollard rose to fame on which beloved British sitcom? a) Only Fools and Horses b) Hi-de-Hi! c) ‘Allo ‘Allo! Send your answer and contact details to: Harpy Competition, PO Box 2237, Pulborough, RH20 9AH or enter online at www.sussexlocal.net/ features/competitions Winner drawn after 14th April 2020. Please indicate if you wish to remain on our mailing list. Win a pair of tickets to see Harpy
through the door
49
50 Finance
Lost pension? How to find it! Many will have paid into several schemes over the years says Ivan Lyons, MD Investment Solutions, Worthing
In today’s modern economy, people no longer have a job for life. Most people will have a number of jobs and will be contributing to pension schemes along the way. It is then easy to lose track of these pension schemes. We often have new clients contact us saying they have no idea how much they have saved into their pensions. With the average person having around six jobs in their lifetime, it can be difficult to keep up to date with all the paperwork. Getting up to date information on your pensions is a great starting point. So how do you find a lost pension? 1. If you have been paying into a pension via your employment, start by writing a list of where you have worked. Ideally try and include dates. Then it’s a case of trying to track down those missing pensions. 2. If the company still exists, contact them and ask for the HR or payroll team, or the department that looks after the pensions. You ideally want them to send you an up to date statement which includes your projected income at retirement from your pension scheme. If you have moved to a new house since you last received a statement, be armed with your old address and postcode. The pension tracing service If the company you used to work for no longer exists, or you are struggling to contact the right person, why not try the pension tracing service run by the department of work and pension. They can help you look for your lost workplace pension or occupational pension scheme.
Adding it all together Once you have all the details on your lost pensions, you should have an idea of how much you will receive from your existing schemes at retirement. Is it enough? Do you know how much you will need? Is the money invested in the right place according to your current situation and attitude to risk? For independent advice you can speak with our financial planners. Further information and resources are also available via our website (news section). Investment Solutions, Grafton House, 26 Grafton Road, Worthing, BN11 1QT. 01903 214640 email Ivan at: ilyons@graftonhouse.net or visit our website www.investment-solutions.co.uk. ‘Investment Solutions’ is the trading name of Investment Solutions Wealth Management Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Award Winning Chartered Independent Financial Advisers
▪ Investment Advice ▪ Pensions & Retirement Planning ▪ Financial Protection ▪ Estate Planning & advice on Inheritances ▪ Equity Release & Long Term Care ▪ Specialist advice for High Net Worth Individuals & High Earners
Grafton House, 26 Grafton Road, Worthing, BN11 1QT Contact Ivan Lyons Tel: 01903 214640 www.investment-solutions.co.uk facebook: www.facebook.com/financialadviserworthing Twitter: @investment_sols Instagram: investmentsolutions5785
‘Investment Solutions’ is the trading name of Investment Solutions Wealth Management Ltd who are authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
through the door
