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Councillors have to play a number of roles, from representing people on the council and in the community to undertaking casework on a one-to-one basis. While I find it an enormous privilege to have the chance to work for the local community, the cases which I have to deal with are increasingly harrowing as the…
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You may well be aware that on November 15th, Police and Crime Commissioner elections are taking place across most of the country, including Sussex. Then again you may not, recent polls have shown that over half of voters remain unaware of the upcoming elections and very few have any idea what the role is for.…
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Unemployment affects every part of a person’s life and it’s right that we focus on getting people into work. Yet work alone isn’t enough, in Crawley we have some of the highest levels of working poverty in the country, households where the pay check just can’t cover the rising costs of living and as a…
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When the organisers of the London Olympics declared their hope that the Games would inspire a generation they couldn’t have known just how well Team GB would go on to perform. Their achievements are remarkable but we cannot forget that inspiration alone isn’t enough, young people also need opportunities if they are to succeed. Many…
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Between the regular tales of mismanagement and a seemingly endless countdown, it’s too easy to be cynical about the 30th Olympiad which kicks off in London this week. Make no mistake, the 2012 Olympic Games is more than a simple athletics competition, it’s an international symbol and for the UK it’s a chance to regain…
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With over four million criminal offences taking place in England and Wales per year, it’s hard to overstate the impact which cutting police funding by 20% will have on communities and local residents. We’re told that these cuts are necessary to get the economy moving again and confront the deficit, I have my doubts. While…
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Just before Christmas, Crawley Borough Council was informed by the Tory-led government that next April it will face reductions of just under 10%, compared with the amount received in 2012/13. This further drastic cutback is on top of two previous years of severe reductions, much heavier than cuts to other central government departments. While it’s hard…
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Reading these columns it must sometimes seem that no matter what the policy Labour and the Tories with end up voting against each other. The truth is that where a policy is obviously the best course of action there is often little need for public discussion, unfortunately this gives the impression we simply can’t co-operate.…
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As no reader of this paper can be unaware, our MP was amongst those from all the leading parties who voted for an EU referendum. Given the option, I would probably vote to renegotiate the conditions of our membership, and it is nice to see MPs willing to ‘stand on principle’ (if embarrassing for David…
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Three years on from the crash and the world remains perilously close to the edge of a depression. Regardless of whether the solution lies in further cuts or a massive short-term growth in state expenditure, unless the economy improves it’s clear that everyone – government included – will have to learn to make do with…
