Looking back, there’s no doubt this has been a busy year for Crawley Borough Council.  Highlights have included major town centre improvements being agreed at the Western Boulevard and Station Gateway.  The new Town Hall opened, providing the most up to date public services.

The live webcasting of council meetings began with our last full meeting, opening the council and our debates up to even more people.

More council housing is coming forward. We opened and dedicated Raj Sharma House on Brighton Road to the late and much missed former Mayor.  Telford Place next to the library is going ahead with a very large proportion of council housing, Forge Wood continues its planned programme.

The fountains in Queens Square are back in working order and will be switched back on in the spring.

We’re renewing the Hawth including lighting and a cage lift so theatre performances can continue as successfully as ever.

We reopened the Millpond Playground at Bewbush this summer, with extensive new play equipment.

The council continues with its huge commitment to protecting people in Crawley from homelessness, anyone asking what we’re doing should know we’ve overspent by over £2.6m on temporary accommodation this year to keep people off the streets, such is the need.

We’ve maintained our generous commitment to charities and community groups work through our strategic and small grants.  We have also been able to target funding at the most deprived neighbourhoods through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Recent visits to the Posh Club Christmas celebration, the Broadfield Community Centre AGM, Magical Christmas at Tilgate Park, the Christmas Market in Queens Square and seeing Metrobus’ Santa bus travelling through town bring home how much is always going on in the Borough all year round.

If more proof were needed, I could cite St George’s Day, Pride, Crawley Festival and High Street Live all supported by CBC with partners to name but a few, that show a creative, vibrant town with life and personality!

And there’s more to come next year, park investment, exciting plans for Tilgate Nature Centre, more public events in town, more council housing in the pipeline, more new town hall tenants announced, a raft of playgrounds getting new play equipment across the borough, plans for the next phase of the District Heat Network coming forward, as well as more work to honour our environmental commitments on decarbonisation, particularly with our housing stock.

It’s not going to be all plain sailing, there are going to be more challenges, I can’t deny that. This current Tory Government have done little to help councils run themselves and an awful lot to hinder.

But saying that, I am proud of what we have achieved.  It is a positive step forward under sometimes very challenging conditions.

Cllr Michael Jones

Leader, Crawley Borough Council