Our local services, already suffering from cuts, now face a new threat. Within two years the two councils we rely on for many of these services, Adur District and West Sussex County Council, will be abolished. 

As part of national local government reform, they will be replaced  by a Sussex mayor and “unitary councils” serving 500,000 people. Perhaps more. This will be bad for Shoreham because: 

• Important decisions will be taken by people unfamiliar with Shoreham's special needs
• Shoreham's local voice on the new council will be weaker
• The unitary council's priorities won't focus as much on Shoreham as Adur has

A town council to protect our services…

In Shoreham, we could protect many of our vital services by forming a  town council.  

A Shoreham Town Council would have the same powers as a parish council, such as neighbouring Lancing Parish Council. Other Sussex towns, such as Littlehampton and Horsham, have created town councils or are setting them up. Shoreham’s own town council could: 

• Be a strong voice in planning decisions – keeping focus on the need for more services, like health care and schools, to meet  a growing population.
• Run community buses and influence other public transport services.
• Work with the police on crime prevention and controlling  anti-social behaviour.
• Protect and enhance the environment by improved litter collection and graffiti removal.
• Deliver many other useful services using a “general power  of competence”.

Town councils: what we’ve done so far… 

The changes in local government are being rushed through by the government. That means we don’t have much time to decide to form  a town council – and to set it up. 

In the Liberal Democrats, we’ve led the campaign for a town council.  So far, we’ve: 

• Lobbied the leader of Adur District Council and sought to build a constructive dialogue encouraging him to take steps to set up a Shoreham Town Council.
• Set out the case for a Shoreham Town Council in The Argus  and Worthing Herald.
• Made the case for town councils individually to Shoreham community and civic organisations.
• Placed an article explaining the need for a Shoreham Town Council in Inside Shoreham & Southwick magazine.
• Distributed thousands of leaflets, such as this one, seeking  to attract more supporters to our Shoreham Town Council campaign. 

Why we now need your help… 

We can win the campaign for a town council and save our services,  but we need to show there’s a public demand for it. We need more people to help put our messages across. Please consider supporting our campaign. You’ll be joining a friendly group of local people. 

If you would like more information about our campaign or would like to offer to help, visit: 

https://digitallibdems.typeform.com/to/dO77TaqZ