Minutes – Community Liaison Sub-Committee – 21 November 2025
The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Agenda and papers – Community Liaison Sub-Committee – 21 November 2025
The minutes of this meeting are presented below.
You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Community Liaison Sub-Committee – 21 November 2025
COMMUNITY LIAISON SUB-COMMITTEE
Minutes
Date: Friday 21 November 2025
Time: 10.30am – 12.00 noon
Location: The Council Chamber – The Council House • North Street • CHICHESTER • West Sussex • PO19 1LQ
PRESENT: Cllrs Sarah Quail (SQ), Ann Butler (AB), Judy Gershater (JG), Rhys Chant (RC), Sean McHale (SMH), Nicholas Russell (NR)
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Communities Officer, Town Clerk, Pam Bushby (CDC Communities Manager), Dawn White (Community Warden) Natasha McLeod (Chichester BID CEO), Graham Pound (Friends of Chartres), Jennifer McNeil (Friends of Ravenna)
1. ELECTION OF CHAIR OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE FOR 2025-2026
Decision: Cllr Judy Gershater was ELECTED Chair
2. TO AGREE SUB COMMITEE MEMBERSHIP
Decision: Sub committee membership was RESOLVED as:
Councillors Judy Gershater, Nick Russell, Joanne Kondabeka, Clare Apel, Sean McHale, Sarah Quail, Ann Butler, Rhys Chant
3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Kondabeka and Apel.
4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
NR joined the meeting at 10.31am
RC declared an interest in the Young Peoples Shop
5. SUB COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE
Decision: The sub committee RESOLVED to adopt the proposed Terms of Reference
6. UPDATE FROM YOUNG PEOPLES SHOP
The Young Peoples Shop were unable to attend the meeting so it was agreed that the item would be DEFERRED to the next meeting
7. TO NOTE REPORTS RECEIVED FROM COMMUNITY GROUPS
- Friends of Chartres
- Friends of Ravenna
- Friends of Speyer
- Friends of Valletta
- Chichester Tree Wardens
- BID
Friends of Chartres:
A short report had been provided. A visit to Chartres is being arranged. The trip to Chartres (30/4 – 4/5) will be followed directly by a trip to Ravenna (8/5), so many members will be travelling directly from one to the other.
Cllrs asked how relationships with local schools were developing?
FoC have made contact with a number of schools but are still finding it difficult to establish a relationship Graham Pound asked if members of the committee could advise him of any contacts they had in local schools.
Cllrs asked if it was a reasonable expectation to build links with local secondary schools?
There have been many problems as schools struggle with resources and the cost of school trips is becoming increasingly prohibitive. Schools do not seem to be interested in building exchange links with schools in Chartres.
Friends of Ravenna
They have been working with schools in Ravenna to help develop English conversation skills with pupils. They now have a group of 22 thirteen-year-old Italian students looking for pen pals and exchange families in Chichester. The focus is on building links and relationships between individual families and children. The aim is to build individual pen pal relationships and grown from there.
Cllrs asked if there was any scope to build on musical and cultural links between the two cities?
Yes – Chichester University sent a group of students over last year and helped facilitate the trip, finding host families, etc, but music is tricky due to the logistics of transporting instruments etc. They are currently exploring if there is a way in which Italian students can travel over to perform here.
Chichester Tree Wardens
Paula Chatfield (Tree Wardens) had been unable to attend the meeting in person, but requested any questions be sent directly to her.
Cllrs asked if the tree wardens had been directly involved in the public realm scheme design?
The TC advised she would check with WSCC.
8. POLICING AND SECURITY IN THE CITY
To receive reports and/or updates relating to policing and security in the city:
- BID Ambassadors
- Sussex Police
- CDC Community Wardens
- CDC Communities team and Joint Action Group (JAG)
- BID Ambassadors Report
Key themes in the City:
Lots of low value small theft – wine, food, etc from local shops – mainly due to substance abuse issues. Higher value crime in more organised groups is an ongoing issue. Roof running and Youth ASB remains an enduring problem. A few have been caught and punished, so hoping this will start to have an impact. Coop, Tesco, Boots, Iceland and TK Maxx tend to suffer most of the shoplifting; some are employing their own additional security.
Rough sleeping remains a problem – a few rough sleepers have been violent/abusive to ambassadors.
BID are expecting more police to begin patrolling the City Centre on foot from January 2026 to try and help address longstanding issues.
Cllrs asked if more CCTV coverage in the City help with some of the problems?
There are issues with CCTV quality in many of the shops, and not all the retailers report all incidents.
Pam Bushby (CDC) advised that 9 cameras in the City Centre were installed in 2022. The quality of the footage is good, but the issue is that they are not continuously monitored. Monitoring could definitely be improved. CDC had their own monitoring station in the past; this was expensive to run and ceased in 2019/20 when Sussex police took over monitoring centrally from their HQ. Continuous monitoring ceased in 2022.
Update from CDC
The local chief inspector is changing – CI Adam Craig is taking over from 1st December (transferring from Crawley). A roof running exercise has been undertaken to look at where additional security measures can be installed – most of the access is via fire escapes, so not much that can be done to prevent this. Partners are now looking at how to focus on offenders and how to reduce the number of incidents.
Graffiti seems to be an issue at the moment – post-remembrance Sunday there was a rash of swastikas etc at sites around the City. Avenue De Chartres car park remains a persistent problem, although the graffiti here tends not to be racist/fascist.
There are ongoing issues with Anti-Social Behaviour at Canon Lane/Cathedral Green. Evening patrols are still ongoing, and the outreach team are engaging with rough sleepers, plus reporting ASB, etc. This will continue until Xmas.
Support from Joint Action Group has been provided for the Belltower and the Life Group to support their youth work. Approx. 30-40 children are regularly attending their sessions.
4 e-bikes have been seized recently. Partners led by WSCC Fire & Rescue Service are launching a Junior Citizen scheme for year 6 students in Arun and Chichester (possibly hosted at Goodwood) which will cover the basics of how to be a good citizen with focus on community safety, etc.
A memorial tree for Declan Moody will be planted in Bishops Palace Gardens on Monday 24th November at 10am if anyone wishes to attend.
Cllrs asked how much was the shortfall in funding for the junior citizen event? Is this a public event?
No, it is a school and child focused event, organised with local schools. The scheme has been run in other areas around the country and data shows that it has made a positive impact on behaviour and youth engagement. An event will be held at the Council House later in the year to try and secure corporate event sponsors.
Emergency Services (and Armed Services) day will be taking place again next summer in Oaklands Park. KC confirmed that CCC will be attending again in 2026.
Community Wardens Update
Dawn had taken part in the roof running exercise to identify issues/weaknesses for properties to help secure them from roof runners.
Dawn has been doing lots of works with shops and businesses to make sure they report crime and theft incidents. Has focused on foot patrolling in the City. Work has included assisting with a number of elderly residents who have had trips and falls in the City Centre due to the state of the paving. Working well with the BID and Ambassadors and building good relationships and partnerships.
The Mayor urged members to visit the Boys Club and see the work they are doing with young people who are excluded from school/not in education and the impact that this is having. The Boys Club are still struggling with volunteers, so help needed in recruiting additional people.
Cllrs asked what is happening with regards to securing the Tannery site?
Pam Bushby advised there is some evidence that a homeless person was living there, as well as evidence that young people have been accessing it for ASB purposes. CDC are currently working with the WSCC estates team to try and secure the premises. Cllrs advised that the site is a real problem for local residents and that there are still delays on when the site will be redeveloped due to the land contamination issues.
9. ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON THE NEXT AGENDA
All previous items
10. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Date of next meeting:
Thursday 12 Feb at 10.30am
Meeting closed at 12.11pm