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We spend so much of our waking lives at work, it’s surprising how little we seem to discuss our employment rights and conditions. Paid holiday, maternity and paternity leave, sick pay, weekends, reasonable weekly working hours and decent pay all had to be fought for and today’s employees reap the benefits. Yet, over recent years…
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Ask any epidemiologist where we should money on healthcare if we want to provide the best outcomes for patients and maximum cost-effectiveness, and the answer would be Public Health. Yet, that is the precise opposite of what is now happening. It’s the same old story we’ve seen time-after-time under the Tories. First, devolve a service…
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It is said that Winston Churchill once referred to Clement Attlee as “a sheep in sheep’s clothing,” yet over seventy years later it’s the domestic policies of Attlee’s post-war Labour Government which continue to define UK public services. Today we find a different sort of Tory leader, one less gifted when it comes to rhetoric…or…
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There can be few people unaware of just how harsh cuts the councils have faced over recent years. With the Government grant set to disappear entirely over the next several years there are regular stories in the paper of which council is set to go over the cliff edge first. Last night, Crawley’s cabinet approved…
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This afternoon I attended the Royal College of Nursing’s rally outside Parliament to drop the cap on public sector wages. It was one of the better organised rallies I have attended and, despite the non-partisan nature of the college, lots of leading Labour figures were there. Working so closely with public sector employees you can…
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As kids head back to school, perhaps now is a good time to review the general state of local education. Over recent years, education has played an increasingly important role in public debate in Crawley. There’s a good reason for this, education remains the best way to improve children’s quality of life, it’s how we…
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As summer holidays draw to an end and children get ready to return to school, it is worth remembering that for some the last few weeks have not been a pleasant break from school work. Certainly, not every parent can afford a holiday away, particularly overseas with the exchange rates we face with a greatly…
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Care is back in the news this week with a flurry of stories following the collapse of the sector. While it’s a good thing we’re living longer lives, it does mean there’s an increasing pressure on services which provide support for our elderly and these services are now failing. It’s a national disgrace in twenty-first…
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This evening I was on the radio with Chief Inspector Rosie Ross, District Commander for Crawley and Mid Sussex, to discuss a joint initiative between Crawley Borough Council and the Police to tackle local anti-social behaviour. While the UK’s public services are far from integrated, in Crawley there has been a real effort over recent years…
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This evening I was pleased to attend an event at the Hawth in commemoration of not only 70 years of Crawley New Town, but also 70 years of independence in India and Pakistan. It has been great to see the range of ways in which Crawley’s community has celebrated our Platinum Anniversary and tonight was…
Peter Lamb for Crawley 