Following the election in May of this year, in which I was fortunate enough to be re-elected, I now also have the great privilege of having been chosen to be Chair of Steyning Parish Council (SPC) for another year.

The election saw a considerable number of new Councillors coming onto the Council and with these new members, plus those returning ones, I am confident that we will be able to work together in both a positive and proactive way.

The Council exists to serve the totality of the community with its disparate needs and interests. We don’t always get it right, and we certainly can’t always please everyone, but what we can, and are doing, is try our utmost to get it right.

All Council committee meetings are open to the public and time is set aside at the beginning of each meeting for questions from the public. This is your opportunity to observe how the Council functions and, as importantly, bring forward issues or concerns. We will always try to answer questions on the night but where this is not possible, they will be answered in writing after the meeting.

As a Council we are at the beginning of a four-year term and as such will be spending some time considering what our priorities and ambitions for this term are. Once we have finalised these, we will publish them on our website and via a quarterly update on what SPC is doing and hoping to do, in ‘Your Steyning’.

In the meantime, we are always keen to hear from members of the public, any and all suggestions welcome, but please be mindful of the limits of our remit and authority. We may not be able to action your suggestions, but we will always try if possible, and can and will, lobby organisations such as Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council on residents’ behalf if appropriate.

Cllr Joanna Norcross

Dated 9th June 2023