October 2026

New Nature Recovery Fund launches

We have launched a new £725,000 Nature Recovery Fund to support projects that help local communities and wildlife adapt to climate change.

Eligible organisations can apply for a grant of between £50,000 and £100,000 for capital expenditure.

The Nature Recovery Fund is focused on turning the priorities of our Local Nature Recovery Strategy into practical actions, such as habitat restoration, hedge creation, and watercourse improvements.

Take action on flooding

We’ve set out some simple steps you can take now to reduce the impact of flooding and prepare should severe weather affect the county this winter. 

We’ve produced an online flood guide which provides practical advice on how to prepare, what to do during a flood and where to find support afterwards. 

It’s a good idea to check whether you live in a flood-risk area so you can take steps  to reduce the impact of flooding should it occur.

This could include signing up for flood warnings, preparing an emergency kit, creating a household flood plan and considering measures such as flood barriers or airbrick covers to help protect your property. 

Upgrading our streetlights

In March 2026, we began a 4 year project to upgrade over 65,000 streetlights across the county to energy-efficient LED technology, and connect them all to a central control system.

This combination of LED lighting and smart controls will help us reduce energy consumption, lower carbon emissions, and maintain a reliable street lighting service for residents.

The new lanterns direct light more precisely onto roads and pavements, reducing unnecessary spill into nearby homes, gardens and the night sky. This supports darker skies while providing lighting where it is needed.

More than 10,500 street lights have been upgraded since the project began and works are running ahead of schedule.

You can find out when the streetlights in your area will be upgraded on our project page linked below.

Cutting bills and saving emissions

Energy-saving projects across West Sussex schools and county council buildings are expected to cut bills by £63,463 a year and save 74 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Our Energy Reinvestment Fund is already delivering savings with lighting and heating upgrades at 11 buildings, including at Ferring Library (pictured above).

And there is more to come. Six further projects are in progress, taking the expected savings from completed and approved projects to £76,305 a year, 87 tonnes of carbon emissions annually and around 1,925 tonnes over the lifetime of the technology.

Greenprint trial results

Our Greenprint trial project to test new ways of looking after highway verges has finished, and has shown some important environmental benefits:

Lower carbon impact: Collecting grass cuttings instead of leaving them to decompose cuts emissions. Using ‘anaerobic digestion’ to transform them into energy delivers immediate carbon savings. Carbon can also be locked away by using cuttings to produce biochar – a type of charcoal made from organic waste.

Better wildlife: Removing cuttings benefits wildflowers and insects by stopping soil becoming too rich. This is one of the best ways to improve biodiversity.

We’re now sharing our experience and looking at how this information can be used in the future.

• Do you know a young person aged 13 to 18? Encourage them to have their say on climate change by completing our short survey. Their feedback will help shape our plans to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the future impacts of climate change. The survey is open until 23 October.
  
  
• This November, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub is running Green Careers Month, giving schools and colleges a whole month to help young people explore the growing range of careers, jobs and pathways linked to sustainability. You can download the Green Careers Month Toolkit.
  
  
• It’s Green Libraries Week from 21 to 28 October so discover what your local library can offer including Ask a Librarian a question about the environment or climate change, discover a library garden, find books featuring nature, gardening and sustainable living, or search booklists for adults and children.
  
  

• Residents across West Sussex are benefiting from a series of upgrades making walking, wheeling and cycling safer, more accessible and more attractive for everyday journeys, thanks to close to £1.8 million of funding from Active Travel England.

• Share your views on plans for a new walking and cycling route linking Chichester city centre with Oaklands Park, the University of Chichester and St Richard's Hospital. The consultation runs until 19 November 2026.
  
  

• Come along to a free festive Eco Fair in Worthing on 21 November, where you’ll find local sustainable makers, creators and community organisations, alongside reuse workshops, and waste prevention activities.
  
  
• A free online Carbon Literacy training course is available to learn about what can be done to reduce the risks of climate change. The course explains the causes of climate change, gives solutions which will reduce the impacts already being seen and help us all adapt to a changing climate. The South Downs National Park Authority is running the course, which is created by the Carbon Literacy Project.
  
  
• Southern Sustainability Partnership is running a Business Sustainability Showcase at Weald & Downland Living Museum on 18 November, on behalf of Chichester District Council. It’s free to attend, and aims to help local organisations understand the need for - and the numerous benefits of adopting more sustainable practices.
  
  
• Heat pumps are the best current technology to reduce carbon emissions in homes but many say they have never seen one. So Nesta launchedvisitaheatpump.com so homeowners can book a visit to see an air source heat pump in action and learn more about what it’s like to have one from existing owners and installers.
  
  
• Sign up for Water Night on 22 October, when households are encouraged to turn off non-essential taps to reflect on just how much we rely on running water every single day.

Find out here what actions you can take locally to tackle climate change.

If you have any questions, or want to share local climate action stories, email us atclimatechange@westsussex.gov.uk.

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