In League 2, Crawley Town drew 2-2 away to Gillingham on Saturday.
Both Dorking Wanderers and Horsham FC are through to the third round of the FA Trophy following their victories over Eastbourne Borough and Farnham Town respectively.
Contactless Train Ticketing Expanded in Surrey and Sussex
Picture courtesy of the Department for Transport
Train passengers travelling to and from Surrey, Sussex and London will soon benefit from simpler journeys with the expansion of contactless ticketing.
Pay as You Go technology will be extended to a further 50 stations across the South East from 14th December. Eleven of these are in Surrey and Sussex including Reigate, Dorking and stations on the East Grinstead to London line such as Oxted and Lingfield.
Tap-in tap-out ticketing allows passengers to use a bank card or contactless device to enter any railway station, instead of manually buying individual or return tickets.
The expansion has been paid for by Government funding in preparation for its creation of Great British Railways.
Live Facial Recognition Vans Deployed By Police in Redhill and Crawley
Two Live Facial Recognition vehicles have been successfully deployed by police for the first time in Redhill and Crawley.
At the deployment last Thursday, Surrey Police and Sussex Police received five positive alerts and a man was arrested in Redhill on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Risk Order.
The technology helps officers to find people on a pre-determined watchlist. Images of people who are not on the watchlist will have their face blurred and their images will be permanently deleted from the system.
The Live Facial Recognition vans will be clearly signposted when deployed and locations will be publicised on the police website in advance.
Prolific shoplifter jailed
A man has been jailed for prolific shoplifting across West Sussex.
34-year-old, Daniel Rogers, stole over £2,900 worth of goods from supermarkets and retailers.
Rogers was arrested on 21 October and charged the same day with 13 counts of theft from a shop.
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty on all counts. Rogers was jailed for six weeks.
Calling all Small and Independent Retailers in Crawley
Small and independent retailers in Crawley can apply for a Shop Front and High Street Improvement Grant of up to £5,000 to spruce up their shop front and help entice more customers.
As part of the Shop Front and High Street Improvement Grant Scheme, eligible businesses in Crawley town centre and the neighbourhood parades can bid for grants of up to £5,000 to maintain and improve the external appearance of shop fronts or enhance frontline business operations. Applications can be made for shop front enhancements, minor building works, display equipment, lighting and decoration or payment system improvements. Up to four adjoining businesses can make a joint bid for a maximum of £20,000.
One of the businesses on Gales Drive parade in Crawley recently received £3,795 in grant funding to enhance several areas of their shop. In completing these improvements, the expected outcomes include enhanced security and a more aesthetically pleasing environment for customers.
This grant scheme is aimed at supporting the growth of local small and independent businesses by strengthening their competitiveness and improving the attractiveness of stores to deliver further footfall, business activity and economic vibrancy in Crawley town centre and the neighbourhood parades. I would strongly encourage eligible businesses to apply.
Councillor Atif Nawaz
Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development
Crawley Borough Council
To be eligible to apply for a grant, businesses must:
- be registered with HMRC and Companies House
- pass due diligence checks undertaken by council officers
- have a physical shop premises in Crawley
- be a small independent business with a maximum of 50 employees
- not be part of a regional, national or international chain or franchise
- have security of tenure for the premises and provide evidence to prove this
- not propose inappropriate physical shop front improvements if the premises is located in designated conservation areas
A due diligence and evaluation process will be undertaken on all applications. Grants offered are subject to meeting eligibility criteria, fulfilling the aims of the scheme and a subsidy control declaration. Applications that demonstrate they will result in the delivery of environmental benefits, for example a reduction in carbon emissions, will be given extra weighting during the evaluation process.
To apply for a Shop Front and High Street grant, retailers need to complete the application form on our Shop Front and High Street Improvement Grant Scheme page.
Businesses can contact the Economic Development team for further information or guidance with applications by emailing [email protected].