Chichester District Council 'committed to still supporting' residents in north following criticism

Chichester District Council came under fire after Midhurst councillors accused it of neglecting the needs of residents north of the district.

Speaking at a full council virtual meeting this week (Monday, March 15), town and district councillor Gordon McAra spoke about Midhurst Town Council's response to a Chichester District Council newsletter which sought responses to the local plan review.

Cllr McAra said his written response, submitted to town councillors ahead of the meeting, was "to remind Chichester District Council that it has a lot of responsibilities in the national park area, which has at least 20,000 people in it, a feat which seems to have vanished into a mental black hole.

He added: "Yes, there are people north of Singleton."

Read the full story here: Midhurst reminds Chichester District Council 'there are people north of Singleton'Responding to the remarks, a district council spokesman said it is 'very much committed' to supporting residents in the north of the district.

A spokesman for Chichester District Council said: “Although the Chichester Local Plan focuses on the areas in the district outside of the National Park, which has its own Local Plan, we are very much committed to still supporting these areas on all matters including the economy and housing.

"This is evident in the work that we are currently doing to support the Midhurst Vision, the business support provided by our economic development team and support for community led housing.

"The South Downs National Park Authority is responsible for planning in the national park and has an adopted a local plan in place for those areas that sit within it. Both the district council and the South Downs National Park work closely together on relevant planning matters where relevant, including housing and economic development issues.”

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