A beautiful 11th century cathedrale century, Union Jack-flagged shops in anticipation of Charles III’s coronation on May 6, cheerful pubs, thatched roofs and rose gardens: Chichester, Sussex, is a snapshot of a wealthy and happy England. This pretty town of around 23,000 inhabitants, 100 kilometers from London, is one of the most disputed grounds of the “blue wall” – this south of the country normally acquired by the Conservatives -, a few days before the local elections on May 4. .
Some 8,000 municipal councilors must be renewed in England and the opposition parties (Labour, Green and Liberal Democrats) intend to take advantage of the setbacks of the former governments of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss to score points. The poll is also the first facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak since taking over from Liz Truss in October 2022, and the last before the UK’s 2024 general election.
Adrian Moss, elected for the Liberal Democratic Party (Libdem) in Chichester, hopes to keep his post on the district council and believes in the chances of his training. “The Tories have the majority on the council with seventeen elected out of thirty-six, we have eleven [les autres partis se partagent les six sièges restants]. But we can turn the tide and become the majority. This will make us credible to win the seat of deputy [occupé par Gillian Keegan, le ministre de l’éducation de M. Sunak] next year “, assures the elected official, from the party office, a stone’s throw from the cathedral.
The main concern of the inhabitants of Chichester, according to him, is the pollution of rivers and beaches, aggravated by agricultural discharges but especially by sewage, a national problem particularly acute in Chichester, located at proximity to a natural port renowned among water sports enthusiasts and bird lovers. “People are fed up with the m…in the water. Many forbid their children to bathe there to avoid getting sick,” assures Adrian Moss.
The cost of living, a major concern of the inhabitants
At issue are water treatment companies, privatized under the government of Margaret Thatcher, who preferred to pay dividends rather than invest in infrastructure that was nevertheless undersized. Sewers often date from the Victorian era and still collect both rainwater and sewage. As soon as it rains, they saturate and the water companies (Southern Water in Chichester) discharge the overflows into the rivers and onto the beaches.
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