Residents reminded to register to vote ahead of upcoming West Sussex County Council election

Residents in the Chichester District are being reminded to register to vote by Monday 20 April if they wish to vote in the West Sussex County Council election on Thursday 7 May.

To cast their vote in this election, people must be registered by midnight on Monday 20 April. Registering only takes five minutes and can be done online at: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.Residents who are unable to register online or who need additional support can contact Chichester District Council’s Elections team to request a form or for other support, by calling 01243 521010 or emailingelections@chichester.gov.uk.

Postal and proxy voting allows people to cast ballots without going to a polling station in person. The last day to apply for, or make a change to, a postal vote is5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026and people can register to vote by post at:www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote

Residents are being reminded that the law around handing in postal votes has changed in recent years and this means that anyone visiting Chichester District Council offices or a polling station to hand in a postal vote will need to sign a declaration form. Due to this, the council is asking people not to post votes through their letterbox, because they will be unable to accept them. Instead, voters will need to bring it to the council’s reception where they will be asked to sign a form to confirm that the vote has been received. However, if someone posts their form to the council by Royal Mail, a signed declaration is not required.

Proxy voting allows people to authorise someone else to vote on their behalf. Recent changes to the rules mean that someone can only be proxy for up to two people. Anyone who votes on behalf of UK voters who live overseas can act as a proxy for up to four people (but only two of those can live in the UK). The last day to apply to vote by proxy is5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026and this can be done online at:www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.

Voters will need to show photographic ID to vote. Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK or EEA driver’s licence; and, some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person's bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. The full list can be found at:www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Voters can use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo. People voting on behalf of someone else will also need to show an accepted form of ID.

Voters who don’t have an accepted form of ID must apply for a voter authority certificate by 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026. Please visit:www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or request a paper application form from Chichester District Council’s Elections team by emailingelections@chichester.gov.uk or calling01243 521010. A hard copy photo or electronic photo must be supplied with the application.

On Thursday 7 May 2026, polling stations will be open from 7am-10pm. Polling cards will be sent out to registered voters at the end of March, and people are being reminded to check their polling station on this card as it may have changed. Voters can also check their polling station here:https://wheredoivote.co.uk/.

For more information about the West Sussex County Council elections, including full details on how to vote, please visitwww.chichester.gov.uk/elections.

Roll-out of our new household food waste collection service is well underway

The roll-out of our new household food waste collection service is progressing well since we began on time and on schedule last month. To date, over 30% of the district have now received their food waste starter packs, and the first collection rounds have also started. By the end of May, approximately 90% of households in the district will be receiving the new service which is fantastic news.

I’d like to thank residents for their patience while the service roll-out has been taking place. I’d also like to thank everyone who has been using the service so far – your efforts are very much appreciated and no matter how little food waste you think you have, it will all combine to make a difference to recycling rates within our district.

The roll-out is taking place in phases until May, so please don’t worry if you haven’t received your starter pack yet. Just a reminder that the starter pack should arrive before your first scheduled collection and will include: a kitchen caddy; a roll of liners; an outside food waste bin and instructions on how to use the service.

If you know that collections have already started in your area and you still haven’t received your pack, then please report this to us on our website using the dedicated e-form: www.chichester.gov.uk/article/40671/Report-a-food-waste-bin-delivery-issue

I’d also like to thank the teams that have been working to deliver the new service. Some of the crew members are completely new to this role, and as with anything new, it can take a little time to settle into a rhythm and routine.

The service has been designed to be as simple and easy for you to use as possible. You can place a wide variety of food waste in the bins including uneaten food and plate scrapings, dairy products, such as cheese and eggs; bread, cakes and pastries; raw meat, cooked meat and bones. You can also add tea bags, coffee grounds, cooked vegetables, peelings, fish, pasta, rice, and beans.

Once collected, your food waste is then taken to be recycled at an anaerobic digestion facility located in Horsham. Once it arrives at the facility, it is then used to generate natural forms of energy, such as biogas and bio fertilisers. This is a much more efficient and environmentally friendly way of processing food waste. People can watch the full recycling journey at: www.chichester.gov.uk/what-happens-to-your-food-waste%C2%A0

You can place a wide variety of items within your food waste bin including: cooked and uncooked food waste: meat and bones; dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt; cooked and uncooked vegetables and fruit including peelings; plate scrapings teabags and coffee grounds; eggshells; solid fats; pet food and mouldy and out-of-date food.

Around 10 per cent of all household properties in the district are flats and properties that use shared bins. If this applies to you, then the service will be rolled out to these properties separately in the autumn - in line with our original schedule - and you will receive more information about this in due course.

We are also reminding residents to check their collection start dates at www.chichester.gov.uk/food-waste or using the free Chichester District Council app which can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play.

The app allows you to do a range of tasks, and by switching your notifications on you can receive bin collection day reminders so you know when to put your bin out and personalised notifications for any changes to your bin collections due to service disruptions.

We’ve been using regular app notifications as part of the food waste collection service roll-out to help let people know when their starter packs are being delivered and when their first collections are starting. You can find out more about the app on our web page at: www.chichester.gov.uk/chichesterdcapp

Best wishes,
Diane Shepherd
Chief Executive, Chichester District Council