I’m glad to see the weather has settled down after last week’s dreadful storm.  It’s always heartening to see how people rally together to ensure vital services continue to be delivered when times get tough, and I would like to thank those in public and emergency services for keeping roads clear and people safe.

It’s great to see the district starting to bounce back from an extremely difficult two years; with an increasing number of visitors returning to Rother and more and more community events being arranged.

Making sure the economy recovers and thrives is so important for our towns and villages and I am delighted to see the return of the Bexhill Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair, after the event had to be cancelled last year due to Covid restrictions.

Although some restrictions will have to be in place, the event at the De La Warr Pavilion on March 25 will gives employers and training providers the chance to raise awareness of the multitude of employment and skills development opportunities open to Rother residents. 

I would encourage people to head along with their CV in hand and find out what roles are available locally.

While the responsibility for economic stability and growth tends to lie with other authorities, Rother District Council stands ready to play its part in supporting their endeavours in any way it can.

Our officers have worked incredibly hard to make sure those businesses eligible for Government support to help them get back on their feet receive it.

Additional money has been made available for those companies that have not qualified for previous Covid grants but have been adversely affected by the effects of the pandemic and I would encourage businesses to find out how we can help at information for businesses

We were delighted with the number of organisations and groups who showed an interest in becoming beneficiaries of the new community lottery which is being launched by Rother District Council to help a range of community projects across the district.

We are all too aware of the financial pressures we will face over the coming years and we wanted to do something to ensure local groups and organisations can continue to benefit from funding in the future, which is why we are launching the Rother Community Lottery this spring.

There is still a chance for charities, not-for-profit community and voluntary groups to take full advantage and ensure that they benefit from the initiative. It doesn’t cost anything to join and with every £1 ticket that their supporters buy, 50p will go back to their organisation.  Those wishing to be part of this wonderful project can find out more on our website.

Published: 1st March 2022