Watch my YouTube footage and report of February's Sidlesham Parish Council to discover how your council tax money is spent

By HILARY GAVIN

THE first video footage of the Sidlesham Parish Council meeting held in St Mary’s Church Parish Rooms on the Manhood Peninsula on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026. Please excuse my shaky camerawork but I had to resort to holding my camera for reasons explained on my Facebook page on social media. Seven members of the public attended yesterday’s council meeting when WSCC Cllr Pieter Montyn was quizzed about who was responsible for a blocked culvert that exacerbated flooding in the parish. I should add that it appeared Cllr Montyn went above and beyond his duty as an elected public representative by revealing he’d spent a night in a van supporting Environment Agency as workers tackled the crisis.

Feel free to share your flooding stories on my Manhood Peninsula Matters Facebook page.

THE SECOND video footage of the Sidlesham Parish Council meeting held at St Mary’s Parish Rooms in the West Sussex village on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026. This video begins with the Chair Martin Mellodey explaining that a lady guest speaker will be at the council’s Annual Parish Council meeting to talk about the rife and water courses on the Manhood Peninsula flood plain. Cllr Mellodey also told yesterday’s meeting that a resident had approached the parish council to ask if Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 could be enacted to require local lead flood authorities to investigate flood incidents – and this was “a follow-up activity” that Cllr Tracy Parsons took up with gusto here and later on in the meeting. Cllr Adrian Harland raised the question of when a rife – such as Bremere Rife, on the Peninsula becomes a river. The perennial problem of water bubbling up on the B2145 Selsey Road outside the petrol station was discussed along with rainwater from housing seeping into ditches and the Southern Water sewerage system which flows into the Peninsula’s treatment plant.

THE THIRD video footage of the Sidlesham Parish Council meeting held in the the St Mary’s Parish Rooms in the Manhood Peninsula village in West Sussex on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026. This video starts with the tail-end of the second video when Cllr Mellodey clarified the planning schedule for the local government reorganisation. Unfortunately, the chairman and treasurer of the Sidlesham Community Association (SCA) had been doubled-booked and was manning the bar for a Skittles Evening at the village’s Memorial Hall so he couldn’t give the meeting an update on the Memorial Hall & Recreation Ground business accounts yesterday. The parish councillors went on to briefly mention the demise of The Spread newsletter, which Cllr Melloday said had left a hole in their publicity, and the on-going grant application for heating in the clubhouse and annexe put in by Cllr Nick Wade who Cllr Mellodey explained was ill so couldn’t attend yesterday. Cllr Parsons asked the Chair if the parish council could create an action to request the lead authorities responsible enact a S19 investigation into recent flooding issues as she stressed that “would be expected from the residents”. Cllr Mellody said the parish council needed to know “what the structure is” and “who is responsible for what”. Cllr Mellodey said the lady, who is due to speak at the Annual Meeting, was due to explain this matter in detail and that Manhood Peninsula rifes were the responsibility of the Environment Agency (EA), but WSCC dealt with structures, such as roadways, culverts etc. Cllr Parsons pointed out that WSCC were only responsible for public culverts, and said that this “was the concern” at the Bremere development. She told the meeting that maps and historic CDC planning applications should pinpoint responsibility at Bremere – whether it be Bremere Management or the Highways contractor. Cllr David Guest gave the meeting a definition of the Sussex term of a rife – leading up to to it by explaining that rifes on the Manhood Peninsula had been natural water courses which were later historically managed as ditches for farming on the low-lying fields and by the Land Settlement Association (LSA) in the 1930s. The meeting heard a brief update on the Business Forum and councillors agreed to defer the issue of the hole in publicity left by The Spread newsletter to a later meeting after quite a lengthy discussion on the item which I mentioned in my Facebook social media page. The meeting heard that a resident had complained to the Parish Council about the state of the Sidlesham Quay, which Cllr Mellodey said his fellow Cllr Nick Wade had researched and discovered that Sidlesham Parish Council was responsible for its maintenance.

THE FOURTH video footage in my series of five of the Sidlesham Parish Council in the village on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026, which cut out early as my photo memory card ran out of storage. As you can hear Cllr Adrian Harland spoke about inconvenient foundations at the Quays for motorists.

FIFTH video footage of the Sidlesham Parish Council held at the St Mary’s Parish Halls in the village on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026, which begins with a the tailend of the discussion on upkeep at the Conservation Area at Sidlesham Quay. Cllr David Guest asked whether Historic England could step in help maintain historic sites and Cllr Mellodey suggested the parish council should approach Chichester District Council (CDC) – who promoted the idea of a Conservation Area – “to talk through the various points” on maintenance. Cllr Parsons felt the council should wait for Cllr Wade to report back to them as he had researched this item. Parish Clerk then gave the meeting an update on the No 51 bus route, saying there was now electronic signage at most of the Stagecoach bus stops. She went on to say that the parish council and RSPB Medmerry were looking for shelters, both north and south-bound, which would be financed by the Stagecoach scheme and they would take responsibility for them with RSPB carrying out maintenance.
The parish clerk and Cllr Mellodey updated yesterday’s meeting on the ongoing talks with Chichester Golf Club, WSCC and Stagecoach about the “dangerous” Green Lane bus stops. The meeting heard that the golf club was considering freeing up land to give to WSCC to make it safer for their employees to reach the club from the two stops. Cllr Mellodey told councillors they had had “very good cooperation from WSCC and Stagecoach” in making Stagecoach bus stops safer. All the parish councillors were adamant that the Green Lane bus stops are never used – so I’d invite you to visit my blog to educate yourselves more about this issue. Chichester Golf Club has a driving range and family-friendly par three course and crazy golf and Cllr Mellodey told the meeting that tourists at the old Bunn Leisure caravan site (now Seal Bay) had hired taxis to reach the club’s crazy golf course so the issue warranted discussing. The councillors went on to agree on the charities they’d favour to give the historically named “Parish Pennies” donations to. At this point Cllr Tricia Tull took the lead in deciding to give £150 to five charities.
A member of the public questioned where this money came from and was told it came from the parish council precept (via our CDC council tax) and Sidlesham parish councillors decided where this money went. At this point my Photo Memory card had run out of storage so I resorted to the old ways of pen and paper for taking notes – which was much easier after I’d laid down my camera on adjacent chairs. I’ll update you later on the remaining items – which included Speedwatch – that were discussed off camera if I get time.

Hilary Gavin

A freelance journalist who wants to see a return to public accountability in the local press

Visit the Sidlesham Parish Council website to see yesterday’s agenda or take a look at the council’s noticeboards in the village, which unfortunately Parish Clerk Alison Colban told the meeting had been damaged in the recent wet weather.

Public discusses flooding in Sidlesham with councillors at parish council meeting

Hilary Gavin

Freelance journalist & writer

( I’m here to cover local stories that affect YOU – the public)

6 Southover Way

Hunston

CHICHESTER

West Sussex

PO20 1NY

Tel: 07940 444664

email: grumpywoman@hilarygavin.blog

Hilary Gavin

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