Like residents across Rother, I have been shocked by the scenes of destruction in Ukraine and saddened by the devastation faced by innocent people who have been forced to abandon their homes.

It’s frightening to see how quickly the situation has escalated and we can only hope a peaceful resolution is found as quickly as possible, for the sake of the Ukrainian people.

We are blessed in Rother to have a district full of kind-hearted residents who want to help in any way they can, and we know that many are setting up local appeals and fundraising events.  To help people donate and make a difference, we have included a list of appeals from national organisations on our website.

At our recent Cabinet meeting we took the decision to look for a company to help us in our fight against fly-tipping, littering and graffiti. These issues are a blight on our beautiful district, and I know that residents want to see us take more action to tackle them.

As well as taking enforcement action, the company we employ will be expected to organise litter picks and events that would have a positive impact on our local environment.

As a district council we try to do as much as we can to make a positive impact on our communities and I was delighted to hear from companies benefitting from our making a difference business grants.

Local businesses have been hit hard by the effects of Covid and the months of restrictions and many are struggling to make ends meet.  With discretionary grants set by the district council, many businesses have been given a helping hand on their road to recovery – businesses like Oastbrook Vineyard, Bow Tie Tearooms and software company On Tap.

We want to offer as much support as we can to help boost Rother’s economy and I would encourage those businesses who have not already done so to get in touch and find out what help we can offer.

Tickets for our new community lottery going on sale at the end of this month and we have already seen a fantastic number of organisations and groups showing an interest in becoming beneficiaries, with 25 coming forward so far.

The initiative has been launched to ensure that, whatever financial pressures we as a council face over the coming years, the schemes and activities that make such a difference to the lives of our residents continue to receive as much financial support as possible.

There is still a chance for charities, not-for-profit community and voluntary groups to take full advantage and I would urge them to find out how they can benefit by visiting www.rothercommunitylottery.co.uk/good-causes

Published: 14th March 2022