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For economic growth to mean anything it has to mean an improvement in the living standards of ordinary men and women not just the few at the top, and that’s where the UK has run into problems. In Crawley the situation is particularly bad. Thankfully unemployment hasn’t hit us as badly as in many places…
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Remembrance Day this year has of course carried a particular poignancy with it being the centenary of the start of the First World War and the millions who perished in that conflict, whatever their nationality. Remembrance is important, not only because such a loss of life should not go unmarked but also, as is often…
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For decades governments have failed to tackle the UK’s housing shortage. While longer life spans, reductions household sizes and employment shifts have resulted in increasing demand for housing, housebuilding is at its lowest level since the 1920s. It was against this background that Whitehall decided to grant automatic planning permission for buildings designated for employment-use…
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Last Thursday a number of by-elections took place across the county, including one in Crawley. While eyes were focused on contests further north, locally Labour won Southgate with a 9% swing to the party since winning the ward back in May. I’m very grateful to residents for supporting the new Labour administration and I know…
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Party conference season concludes this week with Liberal Democrat Conference. Last week saw Conservative Conference open Ukip defections and conclude with billions of pounds of unfunded commitments. Contrast that with Labour Conference the week before, where the party bent over backwards to show how any additional spending can be paid for, including the flagship Time…
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The NHS is facing challenging times. While the organisation hasn’t endured the scale of cuts other parts of the public sector have had to go through, four years of budget freezes during a period of high inflation have had an impact and that’s before considering where the real strain on NHS resources lies. The UK’s…
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Labour Party Conference has been in Manchester this week, setting out the stall for next year’s General Election. As I write, only the first announcements of the conference have been made, but for Crawley I suspect they will be some of the most significant commitments of the Party Conference Season. The National Minimum Wage is…
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It’s been 10 years since I was last responsible for Leisure and Cultural Services and looking at Tilgate Park a lot has happened since my time, but much still remains to be done. I always wanted to build the Tilgate relief road, relieving congestion in Tilgate, and it’s now moving ahead with my full support.…
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After eight years in opposition Crawley Labour Party has regained control of Crawley Borough Council. This is the fourth election since 2010 where Labour has won the popular vote in the town and sets the ground for the General Election next year. When last in office Labour built K2 and the Hawth, bought Tilgate Park…
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For far too long Crawley Borough Council has been in a state of chaos, with key decisions being postponed and Conservative in-fighting dominating the council’s business. We’ve been left with a council budget with no sense of aspiration for the town and without any Local Plan at all, leaving the town vulnerable to hostile development.…
Peter Lamb for Crawley 