The Centre for Cities thinktank study expects a 2,700 drop in public sector employment in Crawley by 2016, approximately 2 percent of the total workforce.

The huge scale of public sector job losses are envisaged as councils, hospitals, schools and emergency services are cut back.

This is in addition to the past year, which has seen West Sussex County Council shed 1,300 jobs, with a further £1 million budgeted for teachers’ redundancies who are set to go over the next three years.

Sussex Police have also confirmed plans to cut 1,500 jobs by 2015, including 500 frontline police officers.

Bewbush Labour councillor Michael Jones said, “This will be a devastating blow for our area and for people who need these services.  At the same time as their own figures this week show the economy actually shrank in the last quarter, Crawley is paying the price for the Conservative-led government’s economic failure.  They’ve cut too far and too fast and it’s choking off the recovery.

“While Crawley is doing better than some places, many surrounding areas are suffering far worse and any jobs created will see increased competition from these outside areas, so local people will not necessarily see the benefits themselves.

“The Nestle move is a case in point, while it is undoubtedly welcome for Crawley they are moving here, it is envisaged the majority of existing staff from its current Croydon base will relocate here.  As an economic indicator it shows up as a dazzling success in the statistics, but its real impact for existing residents is much less than that would suggest.”

New figures show the dramatic drop despite promises from the Tory-led government that numbers would not be reduced .

Labour Leader in Crawley Cllr Brenda Smith, commenting on police numbers, said:

“It is shocking that in Sussex we have lost almost 200 police officers since May 2010. This decision to cut policing too far and too fast when many crimes are increasing is putting communities at risk. I call on our own MP, Henry Smith to vote against the scale of Government’s cuts to our local police force in Parliament on February 8.”

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said
“The scale of the Tory-led Government’s cuts has led to the biggest fall in national police numbers in over a decade at the same time as we are seeing the biggest increase in personal crime.

“David Cameron and Theresa May are letting down communities and turning their backs on the police. They should be battling to cut crime, but they are just cutting the police instead.

“Police numbers have fallen to the lowest for a decade, with 8,000 fewer officers since the election and 6,000 since last year alone. At the same time personal crime including theft and violence has gone up by 11 per cent — the biggest increase in a decade.

“The Home Secretary’s 20 per cent cuts go much further than the 12 per cent recommended by the independent inspectorate and supported by Labour.“

New figures today from the Universities and Colleges Administration Service (UCAS) reveal that university applications from the South East for 2012 have fallen by more than 10% compared to last year, one of the biggest drops in student applications in the country. Overall, applications to UK universities from UK students are down by 8.7%, but the decline is even worse in the South East.

Councillor Chris Oxlade said:

“It’s terrible that young people from Crawley are being put off applying to university by David Cameron’s decision to treble tuition fees to £9,000 a year. Here in the South East, we’ve been hit even hard than the rest of the country. Fewer of our promising talented young people feel able to take the opportunity to go into higher education.

Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Higher Education said:

“The UCAS application figures today show that the decision of the Tory-led Government to treble tuition fees to £9,000 is hitting young people and their aspirations. With overall applications down by 8.7% compared to 2011, it is clear that the drastic increase in fees and the increased debt burden is putting people of all ages off going to university and investing their future.

“Labour would reverse the corporation tax cut for banks and use the money now to help cut fees to a maximum of £6,000. That is the difference between Labour, which makes investing in skills and knowledge a priority, and a Tory-led Government that will restrict opportunity and damage the future of our economy.

Then there are annual problem like with cold weather. This is where your councillors listen to residents, like in Broadfield and so grit bags from West Sussex County Council will be supplied if and when the snow comes for use on pathways and giving you easier access. Selsey Rd, Seymour Rd, Hobbs Rd, Creasys Drive, Carmen Walk, Abrahams Rd,Hollingbourne Crescent, Ranmore/Hillview, Woodmans Hill, Coachmans Drive, Hammond Rd, Kelmscott Rise, Lansbury Rd, Attlee House/Cripps House and William Morris Way are some of the roads having grit and salt access

We have a very active residents Forum up and running in Broadfield and it is a great way of talking to councillors and other residents about the challenges in your local area. It would be good to see as many residents attend so we can hear your views and concerns.  With Crawley Borough Council Officers, Crawley Police and our neighbourhood Community Police team also attending, the next meeting will take place on February 2nd at 7-30 pm at Broadfield Community Centre.

I am pleased that planning permission was permitted to allow Crawley Town Football Club to erect a new stand which will mean that more supporters will be able to watch matches under cover.

I am also very pleased that due to co-operation from Crawley Town Football Club and the Police that residents in Angelsey and Lundy Close have now  been allocated two cones per household to use on busy match day’s, in order  to reduce parking congestion near their driveways.

Ian Irvine and myself attended a meeting  held on Mon 16th January with residents from the Plantain Crescent area of Broadfield, along with Crawley Borough Council Housing  Officers and Amenity Services.  It was acknowledged that this particular area has been neglected over recent years.   Ways of improving the area were discussed and a clean- up/amnesty day will be organised in the Spring. Being a councillor is first and foremost about listening to you and working for you. Something I love doing every day.

The Government is cutting the police budget too far and too fast. Sussex Police has to shed 1050 staff, including 500 officers by 2015 in order to cope with a government shortfall of around £50 million

In order to meet this huge reduction in funding, Sussex Police has laid off a larger share of its staff than any other force. More losses are due by merging services like the forensics teams with Surrey Police. Those who have served 30 years, so are entitled to a full pension are being forced to retire using Police Pension regulations.

The Conservative Home Secretary has said the cuts shouldn’t affect the number of officers or frontline services. Well in Sussex, 500 officer posts are going by 2015. The independent inspectorate has made clear that the scale and pace of Government cuts mean many forces have no choice but to cut frontline officers.

Under the Labour government, crime fell by 43% and if a rise happens, which is predicted by many commentators, it is families, businesses and the economy which are hit.

In Bewbush, crime has fallen considerably over recent years, with excellent leadership at Crawley Police to reduce crime and target criminal behaviour. In Bewbush we have an excellent, hard working team including two award winning PCSO’s who are dedicated to protect residents and businesses from crime and the effects of crime.

Crawley Police has done astonishing work in reducing crime, last year in Crawley down by 22%. The big worry from local residents is losing high local profile policing. Residents regularly see their PCSO’s and lots of residents know them by name. I know the team at Crawley Police will continue their excellent work in Crawley using the budget available to protect Crawley residents to the best of their ability. But they need resources. Losing 500 officers from Sussex streets is simply a cut too far.

Talk Bewbush is the Bewbush residents meeting that was started to give local people a voice, so any problems can be directed to the correct place or person, and dealt with quickly and efficiently. Naturally residents can get hold of their local councillor any time they wish, but at a meeting of Talk Bewbush which is held every few months, residents have the chance to hear about new initiatives, discuss new ideas for the area and local groups have the chance to publicise upcoming events or services.

Many residential issues have emerged from Talk Bewbush. One issue that was raised from a meeting was mini-motorbikes being driven around Bewbush, causing residents worries that someone may be hurt, as they drove on the pavements. The Bewbush councillors took it to the council and got a cross party scrutiny panel working on a campaign to reduce the problem, which worked as there are now less mini-motors causing problems. There have been many achievements from rallying troops to help with planting and tidying areas to a request for the flooring in the new Bewbush Centre to be suitable for roller discos. As councillor I made many requests during the regeneration of Dorsten Square and my request for the new flooring was agreed, as a result we now have roller discos at the centre.

Part of the consultation for the Millpond was conducted during a residents meeting and many other topics have been discussed, as you can see lots of good things have come out of these meeting.

These meetings are advertised around Bewbush and on notice boards, and they are well attended.  It also gives local groups the opportunity to express their opinions on what is happening in the community and their future plans.

Talk Bewbush has been a great success, thanks to the residents who attend and participate, each of them determined to build a better Bewbush.

Crawley Conservative councillors’ attempts to introduce a stricter, far more restrictive guillotine to Full Council meetings have been challenged by Labour councillors.

The General Purposes Committee of the Borough Council has proposed to introduce a 30 minute limit when the clock reaches 10 o’clock at all future meetings of the full council. Presently the council has no power to close the meeting if it votes to continue after this time. Several recent meetings have had to vote for an extension due to the large amounts of business and the need to give it a proper discussion.

Bewbush Labour councillor Michael Jones criticised the proposal, which will be now put to the council, saying.

“The Tories are attempting to stifle debate. Pure and simple. They are clearly more interested in getting home early than discussing the issues that Crawley people care about. The real reason they are doing this is they’re running scared of the Labour opposition and they are so arrogant they don’t like being challenged.

“Residents deserve to get more than hasty, half-hearted discussion of issues facing this town and this is personally what they’ll get if the Tories get their way.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2012/01/28/david-cameron-s-three-lies-in-just-30-minutes-at-prime-minster-s-questions-115875-23723611/

Tilgate Park is the jewel in Crawley’s crown.  Worth Park, given its remoteness, will never approach Tilgate Park’s importance or popularity.  Yet to improve a minor park, the Tories are ready to begin an unpopular and unnecessary privatisation of Tilgate Park.  This is unfair and wrong.

If you were to ask most residents of Crawley what they’d rather, Worth Park being done up or to stop the privatisation of Tilgate Park, the vast majority would choose Tilgate Park without hesitation.

You only have to look at how many oppose what the council are doing to Tilgate Park – one and a half thousand people have signed up to the “I Oppose the Privatisation of Tilgate Park” Facebook Group.  The Tories arrogantly pretend these people don’t exist, even when the public gallery is packed full of people telling them they’re wrong.   They’re massively out of touch.

We’ve spoken to scores of residents right across Crawley. They told us, almost 100%, that the Worth Park project is a poor use of money.  I say put that council money into Tilgate Park instead.

The Conservatives have pursued a divisive and polarising policy on leisure and parks for the past two years.  They could not have been less inclusive if they’d tried.  Labour councillors not only opposed the money set aside for the Worth Park lottery bid at the time, but the costs to the council then were meant to be much less.  Now they’ve leapt to over a million.

The money the Lottery is giving is almost irrelevant if Crawley taxpayers have to fork out huge amounts to receive it.  Most local councils have bigger priorities in tough economic times than heritage projects, as do we.

At a time the Conservative-led government has slashed the money the Borough Council receives, the Worth Park project is excessive and carried out in the face of widespread public anger to its effect on Tilgate Park.

Thanks to our actions, the decision has been suspended until the council meets at the end of February.  We have no doubts it was the right thing to do.

Michael Jones
Labour councillor for Bewbush

1. This project has never been scrutinised by the Overview & Scrutiny committee, for value for money.

2. The terms of the Lottery grant are that the Council will have to achieve Green Flag status for Worth Park for the first six years, or some of the grant could be clawed back.

3. The Council will have to commit to a 10 year maintenance programme.

4, The Council acknowledges that there is a medium risk of an overspend on this project. If this happens, the cost will have to be met in full by the Council. The Lottery will not make any extra contribution.

6. In addition to £1000,000 capital contribution, the Council has also committed to an additional £100,000 extra maintenance expenditure for the first five years.This at a time when the Council is looking to spend less on the Leisure budget as a whole, including Tilgate Park.

7. The Council will take staff who maintain Crawley’s other parks to support this project, so those parks could suffer from less maintenance.

8. The financial scrutiny of the project will be overseen by a committee comprised of local groups, not the Council itself. Therefore, this project will be considered in isolation from other Council priorities.

9. Despite the claim that this is a town wide project, there has been no attempt at cross party working, as there usually is with major Council projects. This project has been the exclusive property of the Tory group.

Most of this is taken from the application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the HLF terms of grant & the Worth Park Activity Plan, all available on request from the Council.

In addition the Activity Plan states that ‘Worth Park’s unique Victorian features tell a story of the roots of Crawley. The ambition of the project is to build a sense of pride, involvement & celebration this shared heritage across Crawley, which runs deeper than the more visible postwar heritage which is prevalent in the town’

Is the Victorian heritage which the Council plans to celebrate the Downton Abbeysque view of the 19th century, or will it also be the exploitation of children and the slave trade which enabled vast country estates to be built, together with the wealth stolen from other countries by British colonialism, and the way that so many unfortunates, including some who had worked at Worth Park/Milton Mount ended their days in misery at the Worth workhouse, a mile away on the Turners Hill Road.

If Victorian society has to be ‘celebrated’, that celebration should be tempered with the warts of the era, which led eventually to the creation of the welfare state, of which the New Towns movement was a part.

Finally, thank you if you have read this far, the last point is that much of the ‘history’ which has been used to support this project is completely unsourced & therefore highly dubious.

Councillor Ian Irvine

Broadfield North, Labour