Reprievefor FiveVillages'residents

The proposed abolition of the joint downland area committee was put on hold this week by county councillors.

The members of the county council's governance committee referred back the issue for further consultation.

They asked for the views of Arun District Council, the parishes affected such as Walberton and Yapton, and the joint downland committee to be taken into account.

The consultation will take place before the governance committee's next meeting on February 4.

Yapton Parish Council chairman Cllr Stephen Haymes welcomed the decision.

'We, alongside a number of town and parish councils, felt that the proposal was being steamrolled through by county with no consultation,' he said.

'We do want to work in partnership with both senior tiers in local government and the police.

'We, therefore, viewed the county's proposal to withdraw from the joint downland area committee and the two other joint committees as a retrograde step which was not in the best interests of the rural villages like Yapton and we asked them to think again.'

The joint downland area committee comprises members of the county, parish and district councils as well as the police.

Its roots go back into the mid-nineties. Meetings have been held around the Five Villages.

But county council deputy leader Cllr Lionel Barnard wanted to scrap the committee and the joint western and eastern Arun area committees for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

He intended for two county local committees '“ for west and east Arun '“ to replace them.

This would have brought the district into line with the set-up around the rest of West Sussex.

But protestors claimed the county local committees lacked the chance for all three levels of councils to debate issues together. They are only comprised of county councillors. Members of other councils take part in debates solely when they are invited along.