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12/10/10
Council scoops RSPCA gold award
Worthing Borough Council has scooped the top gold mark in the RSPCA’s Community Stray Dog Footprint awards. The council received this prestigious award for the high quality work it does to prevent and look after stray dogs.
The council is one of 11 district/borough councils in the UK and only one of two councils in Sussex to reach the RSPCA’s high gold standard. A total of 123 footprints were awarded out of 141 entries.
Worthing’s dog warden Russ Akehurst has been invited to the House of Lords to be congratulated by the RSPCA. A delighted Russ said: “It’s good that our standard of service to stray dogs has been recognised by the RSPCA. Last year in our first year of entering we achieved silver, so to be awarded gold this year is really special.”
The RSPCA were impressed by the comprehensive policies and procedures the council has in place to look after stray dogs in and out of hours. When a stray dog is reported to the council, Russ will check to see if it has been micro chipped. If it has, then they it is returned to the owner. If it hasn’t then they are taken to the council’s holding kennels.
Dog owners who collect their dog from the kennels are offered micro chipping, which the council can arrange for £15. People can report stray dogs 24 hours a day seven days a week in Worthing by calling 01903 221410 during office hours or 01903 821992 evenings and weekends.
Cabinet member for clean, green environment Clive Roberts said: “This is an outstanding achievement and recognition of an excellent service. Congratulations to Russ and all the team. And while we are on the subject of dogs I’d like to let residents know that we will be consulting on dog control orders in the near future.”
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14/10/10
Benefit fraudster has to do 200 hours unpaid work
On the 13th October 2010 Mr. Nigel Sayers, aged 54 years of Goodwood Road, Worthing appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court for sentencing, having at a previous hearing pleaded guilty to three charges of benefit fraud under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 as amended, namely two counts of dishonestly making a false statement to obtain Council Tax Benefit and one offence of failing to notify a change of circumstance.
The circumstances of the case are that Sayers claimed Council Tax Benefit in respected of the property that he lived in and owned but enquires by the Council's corporate fraud team revealed that he had not disclosed several bank accounts and thereby his true capital situation, one account containing a deposit of £20,000.
The investigation also revealed that he had failed to notify a change of circumstance in that he was receiving Working Tax Credit.
The Magistrates retired to consider the sentence on return the Chairman of the Bench addressed Mr. Sayers saying: "It is pretty nasty taking money from the pubic purse and you had £20,000 in the bank. You are close to custody, although you entered a guilty plea we did not get a sense of regret or sorrow. We do feel there is a certain lack of remorse. Conditional Discharge is not appropriate in any case of fraud on the benefits system. There is money around - there is substantial equity in the house and there has been no effort to pay it back."
Mr. Sayers was made the subject of a Community Order for 12 months with the requirement that he complete 200 hours unpaid work, the sentence being concurrent for all the offences.
He was also ordered to pay the full prosecution costs of £1,007.10.
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15/10/10
A very special Pilates class
A Pilates class specially designed for women recovering from breast cancer has been launched during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Encouraged by the turnout to a free taster session a class will now take place every Thursday evening from 6.15pm to 7.15pm at the brand new Maybridge Keystone Centre, Raleigh Way, Goring by Sea. Class costs £3 and the first one is free.
Adur and Worthing councils have funded the sessions, which are supported by the Butterflies Breast Care Support Group.
The Pilates classes were organised to help women recovering from breast cancer regain their confidence in a relaxed and friendly environment. Pilates is an ideal and safe exercise. It improves posture and enhances mobility and strength, which may have been impaired because of cancer treatment.
Adur and Worthing councils, Community wellbeing officer, Annabelle Trent said: “I am really pleased that we have been able to provide an activity for this specific group, which I hope will provide the opportunity for women in recovery to increase their chances of making as full a recovery as possible.”
Teacher Kerrie Chinn from B Balanced is running the classes, she said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to provide a safe and welcoming class for ladies recovering from breast cancer.”
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18/10/10
W.O.W. – Worthing Obesity Week- From 1st to 7th November at Worthing Leisure
Worthing Leisure would like to invite all residents to get fitter, more active and healthy during the Worthing Obesity Week.
We are launching a challenge to any team of three to five people to go on a six-week Weight Loss Challenge.
All teams who take part in the challenge will be given induction and support by the Fitness Advisors to help and guide them along the way.
Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges we face. The Government is committed to taking action to reverse the rising tide of obesity.
Almost one in four adults in England are currently obese, and if we carry on as we are by 2050, nine in ten adults will be overweight or obese.
For more information on this event, please contact Duncan Anderson, General Manager of Worthing Leisure
Telephone: 01903 502237
Background information on Worthing Obesity Week and Worthing Leisure
Worthing Leisure is launching a weight loss challenge at the Aquarena and Worthing Leisure Centre during the Worthing Obesity Week, which will run from 1st to 7th November. The challenge is for teams of 3-5 people to lose weight in a six-week period.
Each team will be able to convert the combined team lbs they shed into £'s of any FIT4 membership type.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Worthing Borough Council consists of four leisure sites that serve over 98,000 residents of Worthing Borough and beyond. All our sites are located near one of the main rail stations and have free car parking facilities:
Worthing Aquarena is situated in the heart of Worthing, within walking distance from the seafront.
It is a large swimming complex with a 33m pool, diving area, flume, and teaching pool.
Apart from the wet facilities, it has a fitness studio and 30-station fitness suite.
Davison Leisure Centre is a dual use site and part of Davison girls’ school. The site is open to the public from 5 pm on weekdays and all day during weekends and holidays. It has outdoor tennis and 5-a-side courts, badminton courts, fitness suite and a studio.
Field Place is a Grade II listed building. It has four buildings with meeting rooms, a theatre / function room, tennis courts, model railway, bowling greens, Petanque green, pottery and arts room.
Worthing Leisure Centre is the largest of our four sites, with the following facilities: double sports hall, squash courts, fitness studio, spinning studio, weights room, fitness suite with wet area, soft play, bar, café, function room, projectile range, Astro turf and athletics track.
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21/10/10
Adur and Worthing councils await the details of budget announcement
Leaders of Adur District and Worthing Borough Councils are confident they can handle the challenges ahead set by yesterday’s robust budget announcement by the government.
But faced with the prospect of annual cuts of over seven percent for each of the next four years, they warned that we have yet to see the small print to find out what it will mean for Adur and Worthing.
“Whilst we were expecting a tough settlement, this is a severe challenge and we face extremely tough choices about which services we will keep running. Some of these cuts will cause real pain and anxiety for many people, but we will do what we can to protect front line and essential services. And in truth, we have yet to see the detail
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“Some of the text that came out from government yesterday could mean that the need for reductions could be more severe in the first year than expected and finding savings in the short term is much harder than those we can plan for over a two to three year period,” said Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council
“Over the next couple of months we will be looking carefully at the results of our ‘your chance to be chancellor’ consultation, which received thousands of responses from local people and we thank all those who played their part. Then we will assess the spending targets we have been given and, in our cross party Budget Advisory Group meetings, we will devise budgets that will protect essential services as much as possible. But we cannot pretend that this will not be painful,” added Paul Yallop, Leader of Worthing Borough Council.
The Councils Budget Advisory Groups start work next week. They will report to various council committees and both Cabinets before appearing at full Council meetings in February.
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21/10/10
Splash Point opening event postponed
Splash Point’s opening Halloween themed event on October 30th is being postponed. The work on the cultural makeover is progressing well but there have been a few delays over the last few weeks, mainly due to delivery of some of the more specific materials.
Everyone working on the project is doing their best to make sure the Splash Point scheme is built to an extremely high standard as befits the unique and attractive design by craft:pegg.
The next few weeks will be critical in terms of weather, so fingers crossed for a Christmas Splash Point opening in December.
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2/11/10
Worthing remembers …
Worthing will be remembering the tragic loss of life following two World Wars and other conflicts on Sunday November 14 when the annual Remembrance Service and March Past will take place at the War Memorial in Chapel Road.
The two minutes’ silence will start on the first stroke of the Town Hall clock at 11.00am after which the Mayor’s Chaplain Revd Mike Parker will conduct the service.
Borough Mayor, Ann Sayers, accompanied by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, Gordon Tregear, will lay wreaths for the fallen and take the salute at the March Past in front of the Town Hall at approximately 11.30 am after the Service.
The civics attending the service include Chief Executive Ian Lowrie, MP for East Worthing & Shoreham – Tim Loughton, Police District Commander James Asser, Fire Commander Roy Barraclough, Youth Mayor – Matthew Badcock, Honorary Aldermen, Borough Councillors and County Councillors.
This year’s parade will be led by Parade Marshal Squadron Leader Peter Norton includes the Combined Ex-Services Contingent with their Standard Bearers and Escorts and Contingents from the Royal British Legion, the Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Corps, Air Training Corps, Sussex Police, Fire & Rescue Service, St John Ambulance, British Red Cross Society and local Scouts, Sea Scouts and Guide Associations.
Worthing’s Salvation Army Citadel Band will provide the stirring music for this poignant event and lead the March Past.
Mayor Ann says: “I am extremely honoured and proud to represent the town and pleased that so many organisations from Worthing and further afield continue to support the Remembrance Service and Parade.”
Every year at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month Worthing residents also observe the Armistice Day remembrance marking the end of the First World War and all who gave their lives then and since.
So on behalf of the Royal British Legion the Mayor is calling for all Worthing residents and workers on Thursday 11th to stand still for the 2 minutes Silence at 11.00am. The silence will commence by the firing of a rocket from the beach area and another at the end. The Mayor also welcomes you to join him at the War Memorial if you have the chance.
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