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If there’s one part of the UK’s housing market which is thriving it’s the private rented sector. As councils struggle to replace the social housing lost through decades of Right-to-Buy and young people remain priced out of becoming owner-occupiers, the private rented sector has seen huge growth over recent years. There’s a place for a…
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It has been in the news a lot lately and even made it into the Budget, but Universal Credit is coming and in its current form it’s potentially the most damaging social policy we’ve faced since the Government introduced the Bedroom Tax. The original idea wasn’t a bad one, make it easier for people to…
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The UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place annually on 3rd December. The day exists to both promote understanding of disability issues and mobilise action to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are properly recognised and met. It’s too easy to think that in more economically developed countries such as the UK…
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Oscar Wilde allegedly once said that “the trouble with Socialism is that it takes too many evenings”. Had he been writing about elected representatives, he might have added weekends as well, as in addition to morning canvassing sessions never a weekend goes by without a range of community events to attend. Small Business Saturday took place today and I…
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If there’s one principle at the heart of everything I do, it’s that ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’ We’ve seen it play out throughout history, from the rise of Fascism to the death of Kitty Genovese, a 28 year old New Yorker whose murder was…
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Small Business Saturday takes place this weekend. The annual event, now in its fifth year, focuses on the role of small businesses within communities and encourages people to use local retailers, services and suppliers. Over recent years, the council has sought to support Crawley’s small businesses in a range of ways: we’ve helped provide small businesses with…
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Crawley Borough Council’s Community Wardens have been awarded a Special Recognition Award at this year’s RSPCA Awards for their high standards of animal welfare – only the third council to do so. This huge accomplishment reflects the Community Warden’s constant dedication to keeping local dogs safe, paying special attention to stray dogs who don’t have…
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Crawley Borough Council has saved a family from being made homeless after their landlord tried to unlawfully evict them. The private sector tenants had a legal, valid tenancy agreement but the landlord was looking to remove them during their tenancy. A landlord cannot do this unless there has been a breach of tenancy agreement. If…
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Social mobility is a complex topic, so to summarise this post briefly: Crawley has been rated poorly on social mobility by a Government Commission, most of which comes down to indicators revealing the disadvantages faced by young people locally in accessing education at school or after school and which fall within the remit of West…
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It is only looking back as an adult that it becomes clear just how much extra effort our teachers went through at school to help us not only succeed academically but develop and find ourselves as people. I don’t believe the teachers we have in the town today are any less capable or committed to…
Peter Lamb for Crawley 